Cold Wind in the Winter, Does it Season Wood Stacks???

Crazy question I know....All the time I feel a warm breeze in the summer on my wood stacks..I know its slowly seasoning my stacks...Got me to think...What about a cold, dry breeze...Does it have any effects???Is it just too cold to matter??

 

Sublimation.
Probably more than you wanted to know, but.........Sublimation and the Water Cycle

 

Wood dries in the winter but not nearly as much as summer, especially if your stacks get any sun

 

It definitely does dry in winter, but it dries better in summer.

 

Humidity plays a role. Dry winter air will easily speed up the drying process with a breeze and good air circulation.

 

I would disagree with this statement. Yes, humidity values are often fairly low in the winter but evaporation rates are much higher in the summer due to the fact that warmer air holds more water vapor. Currently it’s 39 degrees with 51% humidity and the air feels dry. If it were 91 degrees with 51% humidity you would say it’s humid out.
Another way to look at it is to pay attention to wet roads, sidewalks, yards, and other surfaces. In the summer, they all usually dry pretty quickly. In the winter, they all stay wet for hours, often lasting into early afternoon.

 

I've thought about this before too. In theory, I'd imagine it dries a decent amount. Given how dry my hands get in the winter, it has to count for something!

Seriously though, it tends to be dry in the winter and I'm guessing that pulls moisture out; even if it's frozen. After all, ice cubes will eventually wither away in a frost free freezer.

 

But how much of your dry skin is due to being indoors where humidity levels can be extremely low?

 

That could certainly factor in! I do run a lot of humidifiers; both at work and home.

Maybe I should put firewood in the freezer and see if it dries out...

 

How will you replicate the evaporative capacity of your local winds ?

 

ever notice how ice cubes slowly disappear in the freezer? its cause when its below freezing. there is usually zero humidity. also why when working outside without sweating, in sub zero weather you get thirsty more often that working in 35 degree weather, without sweating.

as many others have stated. wood does season in winter especially below 0*F but not nearly as fast as it seasons in summer.

 

Youre right and to only illustrate both of our points, take those ice cubes in the freezer and see how long it takes them to disappear. Now do the same test but put the ice cube tray outside in the summer- and it can even be in the shade. Which tray is empty first?

 

I read during the past year that six winter wood drying days is equivalent to one summer day and decades of c/s/s and drying experience gives me no reason to doubt this ratio, six winter days to one summer day. Official winter is 90 days long, Dec. 1 to March 1, and so a winter produces 15 summer equivalent days of drying, i.e. not a lot.

Sublimation of water in winter is tricky because it requires air-ice contact. My wood will crack internally as it dries and have water migrate into the crack if the wood is "wet". During the winter this internal water is obviously ice but sublimation can not occur if air does not circulate into the ice filled crack. In the summer, the internal water will "wick" along wood fibers and so dry.

I try to c/s/s as much wood in the fall as storage room permits but those 15 "summer equivalent" days over the winter are just a little "helper" on the path to dry wood.

 

I will be happy if my wood just holds its own this winter. Meaning it don’t gain moisture, it’s been mild so far. If you split in the winter sure the surface dries and the ends might crack a bit but I make sure my wood is css by spring and it’s ready for the summer heat. The sooner you css your wood the better off you are no matter what time of the year but I count on summer to do the most drying.

 

Yes. Not as much as the Summer of course. I work outside. My hands and fingertips crack like hell, unless i take care of them. Lots of times i have to work gloveless to use my hands. Has to dry the wood as well.

 

If all else fails, just do this

 

I see a massive potential for a big mess.

 

What am I in for?