Yes Augie, I know you really want to start a good argument. Sorry old chap, you will strike out there as I have no intention of getting into that on this forum. You continue with your solar stuff and it does not bother me at all so my method should also not bother you.
I have heard the same thing. You are correct about oak and tannin but different types of oaks have different amounts of it. For example, deer, in the fall of the year quickly beat a path to the white oaks. However, most of the red oaks go untouched until well into the winter months and even the spring. The same thing happens with turkeys. Simply put, red oak has more tannin than white oak. Now as for the rain beating on them for 1-2 years, I cry foul on that one. Yes, we know of people who do not cover their oak and some even burn it in 2 years. Quite naturally a lot of this will depend upon how much rainfall one gets, average humidity, average sunshine and temperature variances. So it would be difficult to really nail this down. Yet a few years ago we just had to try another experiment. It had been a long, long time since we had left wood uncovered for a year or more so. That particular year we were unable to cut much wood and we decided to experiment, especially after many had claimed it works best. We had a mix of red oak, pin oak, cherry, elm and ash. The wood set for 3 years and last year we burned most of it. The results? It did burn but it would not come close to the heat output of the wood that we stack in the normal method. That is, we cut in winter, split in spring and stack right after splitting. The wood is left uncovered until late fall or early winter. Then it is top covered and left set for 3 years or more. However, there have been times when we didn't have 3 years and we got along; just not as good. But this wood was harder to light off, burned much quicker and left a lot more ash than usual. End of experiment. We'll still give our oak 3 years. Yes, many other types of wood can dry in much less time but that is not the point of the 3 year system. For example, we'll just take one scenario. Suddenly the man who puts up his own wood either gets terribly sick or has some injury or whatever and for a year or maybe 2 he can not put up wood. But, he is 3 years ahead! Does he have this worry of not having firewood to bother him in his misery? But the guy who puts up one year's worth of wood has a problem. Yes, of course, many can have family or friends help put up wood for him or if he has the dollars he can buy wood (ugly). Or the neighborhood can take up a collection to help the family get through. I am a believer in helping yourself as much as possible and not leaning on these other folks to provide for our winter's heat. Back to the oak. It is not just a Dutch thing. It is here in the States too. In addition, if you have a proper stove, those tannins are not going to get to the flue and gunk it up. Many of us can go multiple years without having to clean the chimney and even then get maybe a quart or less of soot; no creosote. Why? Because most of the newer stoves will burn up all the bad stuff and while doing it, give you more heat from the wood you burn.
That moister may or may not be coming from the wood. There is moister in the air, LOTS of it most of the time, so covering something will trap that moister and make it collect on surfaces like your plastic cover. I'm not saying your cover isn't working, just pointing out to be careful "measuring" that moister as meaning the cover is drying out the wood. Just about any ash, from any wood will produce acid. After all, Lye acid is made from wood ashes and water. When deposited on the chimney liner/steele, it will break it down.
Nice. Big enough for an easy 8 + cord, 2 years worth under cover . Dry your wood fast & then it's in a covered woodshed for the winter. Decent price too. Pictures when you get one
He was looking for an argument, could have fooled me, I thought he was offering an option for someone who does not have the space or is new to wood burning that needs a quicker drying method.
He did address it directly to Backwoods, Just say'n "what's your opinion " "Backwoods Savage , Considering he isnt three years ahead but has loads of Oak what is your opinion on using a Solar Kiln to help speed him along the path to dry wood?"
I did an experiment also, I had some wood that was 2 or 3 years old (single rows not covered) and then it set in the garage for over a year and to tell you the truth I could not tell any difference. Wood gets so dry and then its done, no point in letting it get long in the tooth.
IMHO I thought Augie was just trying to be helpful. My opinion on drying wood, what works for you works for you, no point in trying to say one way is better then the other, single rows in the sun is considered to be the best by many but not all so its all good as long as you heat your house and dont burn it down.
I'll bite on that. Most wood is well seasoned in well under 1 year, covered or not as shown in the study quoted above which showed 2 or 3 months worked sometimes. I have some Red Oak right now that was ready to go after about 6 months, I have some other Red Oak that is now 2 years old, and as of last weekend it looks and feels like the day I split and stacked it. Go figure! Anyway, buy seasoned wood for a year or two. Personally, I don't think the "solar" kiln thing does much at all. Probably the small amount of moister that comes out of the wood, ends up going back in via the enclosed/sealed area and natural humidity... I'm a believer of time, and time only. And other than short term (about to start burning it in a few months), even covering the wood probably doesn't do much. Sometimes I wonder if letting the wood get wet (rain...) helps it loose water in the long run. Similar to Hot water freezing faster than cold water. The differential of the hot water compared to the cold air makes it drop temp quicker and freeze. The cold water is closer to equilibrium with the cold air, so it doesn't change so fast. I've wondered if a similar thing does/can happened with wood and wetting it.... ? Anywho! Pass the popcorn please!
We are in fact going to need a lot of popcorn for this one. I think the solar kiln is a good idea but I dont understand why it would be sealed up with no air movement as that is going against what makes wood dry. I always get a kick out of the hot water freezing first thing, now I have no doubt thats the way it is in certain cases (maybe almost all) but back before I had my garage sealed up (I have water lines running through there) guess which one was always the one that froze, drum roll, the cold one.
And there ya have it. The un-covered, un sealed, out in the open air stack actually dried down to about 20% the quickest. 2 months! It's not an end all, be all of course. But it sure does speak volumes about just stacking, and leaving it alone....
Thought we discussed that study, and you even mentioned in another thread their solar kiln is not similar to mine and you saw design flaws in theirs. They used Birch Spruce and Aspen, all softwoods, the study by Cornell University for the Penn DNR, using hardwoods shows a different conclusion. So for soft woods open air and 23 months may be enough and the best method, I think we are all in agreement that 2-3 months in open air in not nearly enough for hardwoods, including maple and cherry.
Again softwoods, not hardwoods. I agree that 2-3 months for pine, birch or aspen is great, they are all less dense woods than oak, hickory, or maple . 2-3 months air drying will not season oak, 2-3 months in a solar kiln using the methods I have described will.
Augie Nothing wrong with your method Nothing at all Different methods work relatively fast too. Many variables : weather climate , wood types stacking locations & methods Many variables I'd like to try your method, but not with 8 cords. Especially if I can I get it dry without a lot of extra effort & material. "you don't have to build a snowman"
Birch has a density closer to softwoods than hardwoods. Birch, British0.6742 Birch, European0.67 Oak, American Red0.7445 Oak, American White0.7747 Oak, English Brown0.7445 the density is a larger determinant of seasoning time than soft or hard. I apologize I want accurate with my statment
