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Not sure if the area I originally stored my Firewood over the winter if ok

Started by sr73087, July 16, 2014, 01:39:31 PM

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sr73087

So I cut and stacked all my wood up in the begging of fall have noticed over the last few months that the area is much more shaded and humid that I originally remembered. The wood is drying out but it has been around 9 months and I am worried I may have to move the pile to an area with more sun and airflow. Let me know if any of what I did here looks wrong. Forgive the stacks, I split by hand and had all different shapes and sizes of logs to split. Also, in the last picture I have alot of the wood scraps that I accumulated when splitting but did not want to throw away, so I figured that may be the best way to dry those.




landscraper

SR73...

Inasmuch as there is not an official  right or wrong place to stack firewood, only the best place available to you at the time, I wouldn't worry much. Do you have a moisture meter?  I guess you could try to check the actual MC and see whether you would be dry enough in time.  Are you using a wood-stove, fireplace, or a OWB?  What kind of wood is in the pile? The top right piece in the crate looks like a Red Maple maybe?  Lol I shouldn't guess from one pic and I only know my indigenous trees in this area anyway.

Crate idea looks like a convenient place for your kindling, with handles!

Firewood is energy independence on a personal scale.

r.man

I would suggest that your piles are too close together for drying purposes. The best is one single pile but most don't want to spread it out that far. If possible I would leave a blocks width or a bit more between the piles. I base this on talking to older fellows including my father about firewood. I place a lot of faith in experience and I have heard more than one old guy say that piles should be a foot or more apart to let the air through.
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Oliver1655

I believe I read on here somewhere Scott stacks his wood in square piles.
John

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doctorb

I would agree with several of the replies above.  There is no right or wrong here, only optimization.  I am not one who believes that sunlight has than much effect on the drying process, but I believe airflow through and around the stacks is key.  It will dry right where you have it.  the real question is....."Do you have enough time to allow that process to occur?".  Only a moisture meter will be abel to help answer that question.  If this is the best place to stack your wood, then it's just plain fine.  If you have another spot that's both in the sun and in the wind, then it will dry faster.  If the location you've chosen is not optimal for drying, then just add more time.  Moving wood a greater distance can be an inconvenience that is impossible to measure.
My father once said, "This is my son who wanted to grow up and become a doctor.  So far, he's only become a doctor."

Peter Drouin

Quote from: doctorb on July 18, 2014, 10:29:21 PMMoving wood a greater distance can be an inconvenience that is impossible to measure.



You measure by,[ if your wood is dry for the coming winter season]  ;D
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VTwoodworker

I am not a big fan of draping a tarp directly on top of the pile of wood.  I like to have head space for air to circulate on top of the wood.  I use old steel roofing on top of 2 bys but if need be I have put pallets on top of the pile under the tarp and limit the amount that it drapes down the sides.  Some of my piles in the past do not look so different than yours and the wood dries. 

The spot seems like it would be fine to dry wood.  If the wood is not growing mildew or mushrooms it is probably drying fine.  If you are concerned dig into the pile a few blocks and see what is going on.  Nine months should be plenty of time to get the pile evenly dry. 

Wayne

jcl

You still have plenty of time. Like others have said I would just remove the row in the middle and restack that so air can flow between the middle.   I don't cover my piles till sept seems when the fairs start around here it also starts raining so I'll put the tarps on then
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Busy Beaver Lumber

Just as there is more than one way to skin a cat, there are more than one ways to dry wood or accelerate the drying process.

My building has no windows and all the doors that seal tight. At the peak of the roof, there are two gable vents, one on each end. On a hot summer day, you can literally smell the  moisture in the air inside the building and occasionally see moisture vapor coming from the gables as the hot temps made the building act as a natural kiln. Can suck some moisture out of wood real fast that way.

On a similar note, if i fill my truck and cap up to the roof and seal the cap during the day, you would be shocked at the moisture I can pull out of a cord in less than a weeks time. I let the heat build up real good until about 3 in the afternoon, then open the three windows and let the moisture out until after dinner, then repeat the process for a few days. I have bought a load of wood down from 27% to less than 20% in less than a week this way. The hotter the day the better
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CRThomas

Quote from: Busy Beaver Lumber on July 21, 2014, 07:37:10 PM
Just as there is more than one way to skin a cat, there are more than one ways to dry wood or accelerate the drying process.

My building has no windows and all the doors that seal tight. At the peak of the roof, there are two gable vents, one on each end. On a hot summer day, you can literally smell the  moisture in the air inside the building and occasionally see moisture vapor coming from the gables as the hot temps made the building act as a natural kiln. Can suck some moisture out of wood real fast that way.

On a similar note, if i fill my truck and cap up to the roof and seal the cap during the day, you would be shocked at the moisture I can pull out of a cord in less than a weeks time. I let the heat build up real good until about 3 in the afternoon, then open the three windows and let the moisture out until after dinner, then repeat the process for a few days. I have bought a load of wood down from 27% to less than 20% in less than a week this way. The hotter the day the better
I just stack my wood off the ground no cover out in the open and it dry's fast the sun shines on it all day and the wind blows in the area pretty hard if it rains the wood that got rained on is dry the next day. I turn the bark up on the top. Later

36 coupe

I have found that 4 foot wood or wood cut to stove length left in the woods never seems to dry well.Wood thrown in a pile out in the open drys best.To end the debate I find its best to saw the wood to stove length and get it under cover.Wood is split too much, split wood burns faster than rounds.I wanted to cut some green ash and weigh the split and unsplit rounds after 3 months.Cataract surgery in May and June spoiled that plan.I will try again in September.A fellow posted that White Ash had to be seasoned for 2 years to burn well.I have to disagree with him.

John Mc

Quote from: 36 coupe on August 11, 2014, 05:17:56 PM
A fellow posted that White Ash had to be seasoned for 2 years to burn well.I have to disagree with him.

That fellow doesn't know his "ash" from his elbow.  Not that I burn green wood, but if I had to, White Ash would be my choice.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

coxy

wish I had a penny for every peace of green ash I started with a small peace of paper  ;D

sr73087

Quote from: VTwoodworker on July 20, 2014, 08:11:48 AM
I am not a big fan of draping a tarp directly on top of the pile of wood.  I like to have head space for air to circulate on top of the wood.  I use old steel roofing on top of 2 bys but if need be I have put pallets on top of the pile under the tarp and limit the amount that it drapes down the sides.  Some of my piles in the past do not look so different than yours and the wood dries. 

The spot seems like it would be fine to dry wood.  If the wood is not growing mildew or mushrooms it is probably drying fine.  If you are concerned dig into the pile a few blocks and see what is going on.  Nine months should be plenty of time to get the pile evenly dry. 

Wayne

Looks like it may not be ok, not sure on those little holes either.


beenthere

Looks to be well rotted away.. and very lightweight. Which stack in the pics did these pieces come from?

And were they under the blue tarp?
south central Wisconsin
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sr73087

Yes, they are toward the bottom of the pile, but only the top of the stack is covered with the tarp, not these pieces.

sr73087

Sorry, I know its been awhile on this one. Wondering what exactly is causing this issue? How bad it is?

John Mc

I find my stacks are more prone to growing mold, fungus, and what have you when I stack them in the forest rather than out in the open. Not only does the open area allow the sun and wind to help get rid of the moisture, the wooded area tends to have significantly higher relative humidity, slowing the drying process.

I also tend not to cover my piles at all until they've done a good bit of drying (especially when they are stacked in the woods). When they are almost dry, I'll throw a scrap of ply wood on top or an old piece of metal roofing, if I've got some. If not, I'll throw a tarp or sheet of plastic just enough to cover the top, and hang down a couple of inches on the sides. As someone already mentioned, a trap is not ideal, since it cuts down on air circulation, but I find if I let things dry most of the way first, the tarp does not create problems.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

sr73087

Ok that makes alot of sense.

I guess my next question is, should any rotted out wood or moldy wood get thrown away? I would think its not safe to burn, atleast the moldy wood.

beenthere

Not safe to burn?  It should burn just fine.  Might not be good for some people to handle it while getting it into the burn chamber but once there, shouldn't be anything that survives.

Why not just get the moldy wood out in the open so it has sun and air so the mold cannot survive?

What better way to get rid of moldy wood than to burn it?
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Ianab

The only worry with mouldy wood would be actually handling it and bringing it inside. Once it's burning, the smokes gone up the chimney, and only the ash is left behind. It may not burn well because some of the wood structure has already been broken down.

But if you need to get rid of it, may as well burn it.

Ian
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John Mc

Personally, I wouldn't store moldy wood inside my home - one of my kids starts having some minor respiratory issues when he's exposed to mold. I have burn it without problem. You do want to get it dried out (like any wood you want to burn for heat). If things have really progressed with the mold and fungus, you've probably lost some BTUs. You can gauge some of that by the weight. If it's lost a lot of weight, you're ot going to get much heat out of it.

BTW... just because I don't cover my piles until they are almost dry, doesn't mean I'm right. It seems to work well for me, but that may vary depending on your climate/location.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

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