Do you guys cover your wood stacks at all? If so how? This morning I was checking out my stacks and after the all day wind driven rain we had this past Friday my tarps didn't do much more than get filthy and nasty. Today is a nice sunny day on Long Island so I decided to remove the tarps and come up with another way of covering the tops of my stacks. Was thinking of hitting the Home Depot later on to pick up a couple of lengths of vinyl soffit material and give that a try. I really don't like the look of tarps anymore, they seem to more work than anything else. Here's some pics of my stacks after the tarps were removed eariler.
Do you intend to burn the wood this year yet? I leave the wood that I have cut and intend to burn for the coming season not covered. I feel the sun and wind lessen the seasoning time. I then tarp that wood in Sept. using the uglies as weights. I agree that the tarps are a pain. I am planning on building some racks similar to what you have and covering them metal roofing I have laying around. I have the most of 2017/18 wood cut already and have started on a 2/3 year plan. That wood is going to the barn along with faster drying wood for the remainder of next years burning. The racks that I intend to build will be used when I bring the wood up closer to the house for burning.
All this split wood is from a Red Oak I had cut down in my yard this past Jauuary, not sure if it will be ready for the for the fire place by next winter 2018? Most likely ready for 2019 winter. I was thinking of some corrugated plastic/metal roofing material as well. My yard gets some pretty goo exposure from the sun so I'm hoping with the nice summer breezes it dries the wood faster than expected.
Been covering mine for the rain a few times just try to uncover when the day is nice and its getting ample air. Wind is blowing right now and im redoing stacks on pallets now. My stacks are getting a bit weighed down even though they are drying. Wood isn't holding up well right now.
Possibly, but in my experience....not likely. Burnable? Probably, but you'll suffer doing so. Again, my experience from when I first started burning wet Oak. I had mine covered for over 3 years, then I got disgusted with that hot mess, and built a shed. Life is much gooder now, but I only load the shed with wood that's been out in the elements for at least 2 years (not using too much Oak anymore).
I started with tarps, but you're right, they seem more work than anything. I use them as a last resort. I have my stacks covered either with tin siding or 4x8 junk plywood. Some of my wood isn't covered at all, but it's slated for 2 years from now, so it doesn't matter. Or I didn't get to it yet. A wood shed makes life easy, and even if your wood is "not quite there", 4 months in a hot shed it sure will be.
A wood shed is the cure all. Tarps suck. They fall apart and look like crap. Rubber roofing, EPDM works much better.
If the stack is too a stay there stacked until it's burned, Top cover is important in most areas I stack the first year in a double row with space inbetween Then to the shed for 2 years My problem is drifting snow thru winter
My remote stacks, double row on pallets and single row on the rail rack are covered in galvanized corrugated metal roofing and rubber roofing, and used in both materials is not too difficult to find-tarps are a waste of time and money, IMO...as others have said-leave uncovered for a yr, covering in the late fall the following season and to the shed in the spring...rinse, repeat, re-load...
Doesn't matter what you cover with, the sides will get a little wet from wind driven rain even in a wood shed.
Thanks for the info guys, I think I'm going to leave the racks uncovered for now until next winter. I currently have the majority of the top rows with the bark facing upward, not sure if that makes any difference? With that wind driven rain the ends got soaked anyway.
With the weather warming up, its not going to matter much unless your stacks are under trees and dont get a lot of air. I swear i see so many people put their wood under a tree and not cover it, well Branches are just dripping with rain after a good bunch of weeks. I made that mistake and it ruined a good pile of wood. You'd be just trapping moisture with a tarp likely.
If you top cover with metal roofing or similar, find a way that you can block the sharp edges so to avoid getting cut by them.
