Hi All, I just put together a decent shed from a donated dilapidated one. I am using it for wood storage this winter here in Ontario, Canada. I am curious if I have put enough ventilation in to cover the PILE of (3 bush cords - already seasoned) wood that I have stacked in there. It's a 10x10 ft shed and I have some small vents at the front and back (near roof line of shed) for ventilation (1ft x 8in). I have been opening the two barn type doors in the front of the shed every nice day that I am home to let the wood breathe further anyways, but wonder if it will be enough air in the winter when it's cold and I can't open it up due to snow. I can take pics if needed tomorrow. Let me know what you think. Nice site! Dave
Welcome Dave! If your wood is dry and the roof doesn't leak, I don't think you need much ventilation at all. What is the wood sitting on, a floor, pallets or the ground?
First off welcome to our happy place Dave We have a few rules around here the biggest and most important one is pictures are a necessity otherwise it didnt happen or doesn't exist. Now all joking aside oh crap never mind Jack Straw beat me to it Im to slow so yeah if the wood is seasoned and off the ground it shouldnt be a big deal but I dont think that any extra ventilation would hurt anything as far as that goes Im all in favor of extra ventilation.
Welcome to the club Dave! We're definitely going to need of the shed! Biggest key to keeping it dry, is getting it off the ground. If it's already dry enough, it won't need much ventilation. A lot of guys here build their sheds with open sides for better airflow. The sun and the wind are your two main seasoning agents, so if it's under a roof or in the shade, you want it to have good airflow. Did you get your wood delivered, already split? Many firewood vendors are known for selling "seasoned" wood, that's not really seasoned. You might considering investing in a moisture meter. Home Depot and Lowes carry one that's around $25, and Harbor Freight has one even cheaper. Both of those models are pretty popular around here. Under 20% is ready to burn nice and clean. If it's over 20%, you'll want to keep an eye on your chimney!
Firstly, welcome to a fellow Ontarian. My shed is open on all sides with just a roof. It is positioned so that the prevailing wind generally blows thru from one end to the other. Works just great. Good luck with the upcoming burn season.
Hi Dave, welcome aboard. Agree that if the wood is dry, you shouldn't need to worry about ventilation much.
Dry wood....no need for ventilation, as you don't need any more drying to occur. For wet wood, all sides open is best, but I'd want at lease 2, or a slatted back if you need to cover the back
I actually suck at pictures, but I'll try later on if I get a chance. The wood was delivered split and seasoned and seems to be burning well in my stove. From the replies here, I think I'll add in another two vents just to be on the safe side. Cheers and thanks for the warm welcome! Dave
With time, wood will dry no matter how much ventilation you have. I have fully enclosed detached garage I put my wood in the for the first 2 years. Sycamore would light with a match after being in there for 16 months. Even the oak that was in the garage for 2 years was around 22% when I pulled it out to restack outside.
Welcome Wood sheds are great. Covered , dry , findable wood, in the middle of Winter, is not over rated Air movement is a good thing.
Welcome to the forum David. I was going to ask what "seasoned" meant as that is the key to answering your question about the shed. Then I read your second post and see that you bought it "seasoned." That buying the wood mostly answered the question. We've found that it is extremely rare for anyone to buy wood that is dry. Yet it seems almost all wood sellers will sell what they call seasoned wood, which it is not. For example, most times the wood has been split just before delivery. That alone tells us that the wood is not yet dry. So, now to answer your question, for sure you need to keep those doors open as much as possible. The best possible wood shed for this would be with the sides and ends slatted, sort of like the old corn cribs. That way air can circulate much better through the whole stack. As it is, you'll get drying in the front. Hopefully it is enough. Now let's throw another fly into the ointment here. What kind of wood did you buy? Yes, it can matter a whole lot. For example, oak generally needs 3 years to dry to a good burning wood. But there are some that can be burned in a year. (All this is talking drying time only after it has been split AND stacked.) There are a couple that can dry pretty good in 6 months but usually those 6 months are the warmer months rather than winter months. Good luck.
It's all hard wood. Oak and Maple mostly with some Ash mixed in I believe. Lemme figure out the picture thing and I'll post something up. Dave
