In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

I want your input on storage.

Discussion in 'The Wood Pile' started by Dunmyer mowing llc, Dec 23, 2023.

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  1. Backwoods Savage

    Backwoods Savage Moderator

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    First off I do not own a moisture meter and never have. I feel I have enough experience with wood to know when it is dry enough to burn but don't take any chances either; that is one good reason for the 3 year plan. As for the loss of btu all I had to do was burn from each pile and keep switching until the junk was done and simply judging by the amount of wood (same type in each stack) used to heat the house. Of course one could not do this for just a few days but there was a little over 1/3 cord in each stack so enough one could reach a conclusion. I'll stick with splitting, stacking, top covering and allowing mother nature to do the rest.
     
    Backwoods Savage, Dec 24, 2023
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  2. Dunmyer mowing llc

    Dunmyer mowing llc

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    My guess is it's his 1st couple years of burning and he got tired of running out so he's going hog wild now.
    Drove by again on way home. No raincap, and he's using a black stovepipe t on the exterior with the main run up being what looks like class a. Since he has an unsafe redneck chimney I would assume he has an old beater stove so it probably is horribly inefficient, but this is just a guess
     
    Dunmyer mowing llc, Dec 24, 2023
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  3. The Wood Wolverine

    The Wood Wolverine

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    I can relate, lol. 22-23 cords c/s/s and top covered here. :smoke:
     
    The Wood Wolverine, Dec 24, 2023
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  4. Dunmyer mowing llc

    Dunmyer mowing llc

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    I'm probably only at about 12 to 15 cut and piled goal is 30+
     
    Dunmyer mowing llc, Dec 24, 2023
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  5. spotted owl

    spotted owl

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    Those are the backup wire fur stretchers, in case the woodies are all full up.



    Owl
     
    spotted owl, Dec 24, 2023
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  6. wildwest

    wildwest Moderator

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    For taxidermy?
     
    wildwest, Dec 24, 2023
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  7. spotted owl

    spotted owl

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    Just for stretching hides to dry after trapping, getting fur ready for the sale. I don’t purposefully taxidermy skin unless I have a very specific request.



    Owl
     
    spotted owl, Dec 24, 2023
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  8. jo191145

    jo191145

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    Merry Christmas All.

    Dunmeyer you’ve been Given some great advice so far. What you’re asking for is a tough cookie. jrider is the king of large piles and he’s correct in my limited experience. Most (pile people) are storing wood for a shorter time in bulk in mostly drier times of the year. Storing for multiple years things change. IMO top cover becomes mandatory.
    This is what I’ve come up with so far. An experiment to see if I can make it work. There’s been failures along the way, there’ll be more in the future I’m sure. Some years may be drier and ok. A wet year may leave you with a pile of black mold and mushrooms. As some have mentioned getting the middle to dry and stay dry is the key.

    IMG_2554.jpeg IMG_3180.jpeg



    And here’s the latest failure. 50-60 mph winds produced a little setback :)
    I’ll go on record saying I’m not a fan of tarps for covering wood. They’re not waterproof for very long and then drip in a concentrated area on the wood. A bad tarp laid flat can be worse than no tarp.
    In a floating roof design it allows for drying and they shed water even after they’ve been beat up a bit.
    keeping them in place is still a problem.

    IMG_3183.jpeg
     
    jo191145, Dec 25, 2023
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  9. Dunmyer mowing llc

    Dunmyer mowing llc

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    jo191145 very interesting setup sir.
    I'm sure I will have much learning to do switching from indoor storage to outdoor.
     
    Dunmyer mowing llc, Dec 25, 2023
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  10. Dunmyer mowing llc

    Dunmyer mowing llc

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    Another question.
    At some point my company will buy a tractor.
    If I were to stir the pile every so often do you think this would result in better seasoning?
     
    Dunmyer mowing llc, Dec 25, 2023
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  11. Dunmyer mowing llc

    Dunmyer mowing llc

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    IMG_20231225_100909.jpg brought in some known wet black walnut at 26 to 30% and some known wet pine at 20is to track how they do curing in basement IMG_20231225_100938.jpg
     
    Dunmyer mowing llc, Dec 25, 2023
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  12. Biddleman

    Biddleman

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    Show off. :thumbs:

    I stack and then have no worry.

    BUT if I piled, it would be under hard cover like the previous setups.
     
    Biddleman, Dec 25, 2023
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  13. Backwoods Fellin'

    Backwoods Fellin'

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    My OCD agrees:D
     
    Backwoods Fellin', Dec 26, 2023
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  14. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    Looks like someone finally found a good use for a pile...
    upload_2023-12-26_23-33-18.png
     
    brenndatomu, Dec 26, 2023
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  15. Dunmyer mowing llc

    Dunmyer mowing llc

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    I love everything about that picture
     
    Dunmyer mowing llc, Dec 27, 2023
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  16. Stephiedoll

    Stephiedoll

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    Just checking, you test a fresh split? You have to resplit and test on a fresh surface.
     
    Stephiedoll, Dec 27, 2023
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  17. jo191145

    jo191145

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    well it is covering the center of the pile.
     
    jo191145, Dec 27, 2023
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  18. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    Great point...someone finally found a good way to top cover a pile...and a good use for an old Chebby...:whistle: :p :D
     
    brenndatomu, Dec 27, 2023
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  19. jo191145

    jo191145

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    Thank God it’s not a Ford, water would pour through the rust holes :)
     
    jo191145, Dec 27, 2023
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  20. jo191145

    jo191145

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    Slid my tarps back on today. Ready for the next bout of rain.
    I’m formulating ideas where I could “easily” drop them all the way down for the occasional big wind storms. If it ain’t easy I ain’t doin it :)
     

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    jo191145, Dec 27, 2023
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