I can't imagine there wouldn't be some kind of advantage protecting the top of my stacks from the rain. I assume covering the sides would prevent wind from helping too? What's the best compromise?
Top cover only with metal or rubber roofing. Or leave outside for a year or two and then move into a woodshed for a year or two before burning.
I top cover. First year for new splits on the rack - uncovered. At least one year before I know a rack will be brought to the house for heat, those racks get covered. Covers hang down about 6 in, just enough to extend runoff away from the ends of the splits.
Our July and August is very dry, no rain, and warm. And I mostly burn conifers (pine and douglas fir, some tamarack/larch). So, what works for me is 3 years uncovered, then into the woodshed in September, before the rains.
Exactly. Top covering can't do any harm and it's your best bet. Summer, or dry seasons you can get away without top covering.
covering gets more important the closer you are to burning it. Also any cover has to let air blow through or the wood will rot. Throwing a tarp over it will trap moisture. Not much need to cover from rain while it is still really green.
I would say it depends on how much sun and air flow your stacks get. If it’s full sun, no cover until the weather turns colder and wetter unless you are already in a moist climate
All my outside stacked wood is top covered here on the rainy west side of WA. My Fir is top covered outside for 2-3 years depending on initial dryness then moved to the shed in the fall like yours. Another reason I top cover is we have a lot of tall trees nearby and the top cover keeps all the debris and male Fir cones and needles out of the stack.
Martin, please check this out: Primer on Woodburning by Backwoods Savage What we have found to be the absolute best for us is to cut wood in winter. Split wood when the snow melts off and stack it immediately after splitting is finished. Then we leave it as is until usually late fall or early winter. However, if it happens to be a wet fall then we'll top cover in September. Also it is extremely important to top cover only. If you top cover and also cover the sides, you will actually trap the moisture in which is the opposite of what you want. Let Mother Nature dry that stuff for you. And speaking of that, try to pick a spot that get a goodly amount of wind. We have found that wind (air circulation) is more important than sunshine. Many times we've stacked directly in the shade so the wood gets no sun. It still drys very well so long as there is some air circulation. However, you would not want to stack wood in a wet spot; sun or no sun. I've seen people do this and then holler that even after 3 years the wood is not dry. For sure! In a wet area how can the wood dry? Several years ago we tried one more experiment. So many at the time was preaching to leave the wood uncovered. Most of those types would then cover it just before burning it. Well, I had not left any wood uncovered for many, many years so just for kicks I did a couple of stacks. Yes, of course the wood burned. Yes, it was dry (3 years in the stack). But for sure I can say without a doubt there was a big loss of btu with that wood. It did burn fine but went quickly. As for me and my house, we'll top cover and then leave it long enough for Mother Nature to do the drying. Even better, we'll leave it 3 years or more and for those who have yet to try the 3 year plan, it works every time and it is not all about drying the wood. We know very well most wood does not need 3 years to dry but there is a lot more to the 3 year plan than drying. For example, last winter I was unable to cut or put up any wood at all. Yet, it did not hurt us at all. In fact we still had enough wood to help out a family that was really in need. To top it off, I think we still have a good 3 years worth of wood in the stacks and if I could not cut wood again next winter, we would still be okay and would not have to buy wood nor ask for help. Peace of mind is worth a lot.
My goes uncovered until September of the year it is intended to be used. I started using the rolled rubber roofing last year and love it.
Do what my stepfather does: Leave all your firewood in a massive pile on the ground, in the shade, and throw a tarp over the whole thing. Wait six months, then claim it's "seasoned". On second thought, DON'T DO THAT.
