Stacks.....tarps on top or not needed?

[Whitespider]

Granddad always said that firewood needs the rain to wash out the sap. <shrug>
I don't know if (so-called) drying time is lost while the rain water evaporates... but if some is lost it can't be much 'cause the splits on top of my stacks (the ones that get the most rain water) are the first to appear seasoned. Really, that's kind of a pointless argument anyway 'cause it ain't like you're gonna' burn the stuff sooner... it's gonna' sit there until winter either way.

Thinking I might need it to get through a cold winter, I covered a couple of my stacks last fall with strips of 6 mil clear plastic, just wide enough so there's only a couple inches of overhang. On one of the stacks I used splits to hold the plastic in place, and those splits on top of the plastic appear to have seasoned more than those under it... the splits on top of the plastic have released the bark, the splits under it have not. <shrug> I can tell you this... on the warmer sunny days there's moisture droplets hanging on the underside of the plastic, which tells me the plastic is trapping moisture that would have otherwise drifted away from the stack. I'll probably leave the plastic on through the thunderstorm season, just because it's already there... but I ain't gonna' waste the time and effort to cover the other stacks.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Herr Kommandant Logbutcher:

The only problem I have with a "woodshed only" program is that I don't believe wood in the middle would season very rapidly when stacked in tight, and that's what I want to see in a shed, not covered empty space. I base this belief on the known fact that when I've stacked wood 3 rows wide, the center row would not season as well as the outer rows.

When/if I build a "proper" woodshed, it will hold 20+ cords, or 3 years or so of wood. This will offset the lost efficiency by giving the wood more time to season, and I'll remove one handling step. Until then, only already seasoned wood goes in the shed.

 

[openloop]

Well its not like im gonna go outside and hose the wood down! :biggrinbounce2:

Well if getting the wood wet in some way makes it dry faster, why wouldnt you?

 

[JimiLL]

Well if getting the wood wet in some way makes it dry faster, why wouldnt you?

Touche'

 

[logbutcher]

Herr Doktor Kommandant

Herr Kommandant Logbutcher:
The only problem I have with a "woodshed only" program is that I don't believe wood in the middle would season very rapidly when stacked in tight, and that's what I want to see in a shed, not covered empty space. I base this belief on the known fact that when I've stacked wood 3 rows wide, the center row would not season as well as the outer rows.
When/if I build a "proper" woodshed, it will hold 20+ cords, or 3 years or so of wood. This will offset the lost efficiency by giving the wood more time to season, and I'll remove one handling step. Until then, only already seasoned wood goes in the shed.

You promised that you'd PM the source of your patriotic bra . :cool2: As your Kommandant ( please use "Herr Doktor" preface ):hmm3grin2orange:......

Here's what we do with the yearly 6-8 cords of firewood:
~5 cords are under an open 3-sided pole shed. ~ 2 cords are in open single stacks for shoulder to early winter use. Another ~ .5 cord is in an attached tool/ski/woodshed for storm use. The rest is softwood from blowdowns for the workshop, cool weather quick fires, and the hot tub in winter. You're right about open tight stacked seasoning. But the open, tightly stacked, but covered wood in the wood shed, always dries nicely for winter.

My commitments and recreation only give me enough time to harvest (winter) and process (spring) a season ahead. While 3 years ahead and 20+ cords is an ideal it ain't going to happen in this life. The Kommandant is coming down for breakfast tomorrow. "Thank you....thank you very much." E. Presley

Mein Rang war richtig wichtigsten bei der Entlassung.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Doc Butcher (Oh My, that doesn't sound good for your patients!)

I sent ya some rep, don't spend it all in one place!

I'm not near 3 years ahead right now, but I'm getting there. Should be 2 year's worth on hand by fall if I keep at it. 3 years is a goal, and an insurance policy, should I for whatever reason not be able to go to the woods for a while.

The woodshed budget is waiting patiently behind the new windows budget, as well as the new modern stove budget. Heck, even Spidey's got an EPA stove now. All these things will make less wood seem like more in the long run.

Have we wandered far enough from the topic yet?