finally got around to unrolling the rubber. Cut it in half @5 feet. 20 foot strips. Only made four today because that stuff just gets too hot in the sun. Wrapped the strips on an aluminum pole. Makes it real easy to roll them out on top the stacks. Haven’t put any weight or other means of securing yet. I’ll try old pallets etc first because it’s free and easy. See how it goes. One thing I do know. Can’t be any large gaps between the stacks. Water will pull the rubber right down in between them if you give it a chance. Used about 40% to cover those stacks or two 20’ pieces each.
That is all I use for my top covering, it is the best, IMO. I'm fortunate enough to have a local salvage company that has tons of used rubber roofing in their boneyard, this post reminds me I need to go get some more..... Looking good!!
I have used tarps and metal roofing before. Had trouble with tarps. Finally tied milk jugs full of water to each eyelet. Worked well to keep the tarp on the pile, but eventually the tarp shredded. Metal roofing worked well as long as you are covering the full length of the pile. I tried it for my stack up at the house last year. It didn't work worth a crap when you started using from the pile. The wind would come up under the roofing where you had used some wood lifting it up in the air. In a strong wind, I don't think you could pile enough uglies on top of it. I just got some rubber roofing to try this year. It seems to work great for now. I think it will be less prone to blow off when you have void from use on the pile.
Of course the key when taking wood from the pile is to take if from the entire length of the pile if you can rather than all at one end. It does not take long to figure that one out!
Best I could find was strips that were not wide enough, except for chunkies. Posted a wanted ad looking for the scraps of a tear off but no luck there and roofers keep anything wide enough we need around here to use. Definitely a good score.
Yeah rubber will blow just like anything else. Had a few pieces from another score that put out last year. That’s how I learned about water getting trapped in the middle. Anyhow it’s on. Time, as always, will be the teacher as to how to keep it there.
Just wondering , with the Temps the way they are , would the tarp impede air drying, and cover come fall ??
It’s a good question. Your thinking the extreme heat will pull moisture from the wood and leave it in droplet form up under the rubber? Quite possible and I’ll be watching for that. The rest of July and August should have enough heat to put an end to that. Those two stacks are fairly well seasoned already. A little fresh Sassafras in the left one. Fresh being a subjective term of course The sooner I cover it the faster the rain stays off it. Unlike most wood burners this wood goes into three basements usually starting sometime in September. We have a seasons supply brought in. No going into the snow for wood. Historically we find a long stretch of hot, dry weather between August and September. Didn’t have that last year. Normally don’t cover our wood at all though I have put temporary tarps on to keep it dry once we start moving it in. It’s a first for me. Do have a couple other stacks with rubber on them for over a year. Tulip, looks to be doing well.
I considered that. Even have some 2x6 pieces of roughsawn oak that I saved for just that. In the end I used one of those ground tampers to knock the tops of the piles together after settling. See how it goes.
Good deal. I start with stacks apart at the bottom and 3/4 of the way up I lean them into each other, then top off and cover. I love the rolling idea. I've always folded and its been a pita.
Yep I stack the same. Seems after a couple years uncovered they tend to float apart at the top anyway Last year I rolled without the pole. Still a pita. So much easier with a decent pole in it. Not so much rolling it as the top is bumpy. More like jerking it side to side as you go.
dunno how i missed this post jo191145 Being a tradesperson, i never worked with epdm before. Did all residential roofing. Have suppliers for epdm but would never buy it of course. Never used it to top cover. Hafta give it a try someday. I know a commercial roofer who tears off old epdm and pvc roofs. Ive asked and he has offered it to me. None real close to home unfortunately. Nice looking work and stacks BTW!
That’s a good idea. I gave up on tarps and switched to metal not because of the tarps falling apart, but because of all the little pools that formed and the mosquitoes got out of control. Does that happen with the rubber?
Oh yes, if you top cover two split stacks with any gap. I couldn’t prevent it without putting a split or two in the middle. It’s a real pita when those pools are frozen and you’re trying to uncover.
