I do that, I leave about 18ish" drape over the sides to help with runoff. I leave more exposed than draped and my stacks don't see much sun. I also am now double stacking pallets to help with airflow on the bottom. The biggest issues I have is a swamp yard. The supports sink over time and the one year it was swallowed by the ground. The double stacking seems to have helped with air flow better and the sinking. Time will tell on that. If the ground is soaked under the wood it isn't easy to keep things dried out. especially the bottom rows
I hear you on the soft ground. Sort of the same problem at some of my wood storage. Tried something different last year. Made frames from reclaimed PT lumber and set pallets on them. Dont know how much it increases air flow but pallets will last longer and it lessens the bending fatigue. Some pallets i set on 4x4 sleepers. This does help air flow. Depends on what i have for pallets.
My previous post from the "white oak versus red oak" thread: "My red oak theory: Observations: Wood slivers from splitting red oak are sharper than any other wood I split. Green red oak splits have more shiny facets than any other wood I split. I split red oak using my slimmest wedge, like cutting diamonds. So: Red oak is my most brittle wood. More brittle than white oak. So: Brittle red oak fibers transport moisture very slowly and so can take longer to dry because of the brittle structure. Fibers with more "fluff" transport water better. Variation in red oak drying times could depend on how much the tubes plug with minerals during drying, more unplugged tubes dry faster. Also plugged tubes create water pockets and explain dry red oak sizzling since the "brittle" wood has slower fiber water transport to bypass the plugs. The fire heat converts plugged water to steam pressure and pushes or blows out the plugs. Just a theory..." The idea of water pockets in red oak being caused by tube plugging is not original. I attempt to explain why the water pockets remain in red oak after years of drying but are much less frequently found in other wood types, red oak wood fiber structure is different. Smaller splits, bark removal... would compensate for red oaks different structure. Red oak being the wettest wood I cut could explain more frequent plugging since more internal water would contain more dissolved material to create plugs. Like others, I dry red oak for 3-4 years and then burn the wood, sizzle or not.
Maybe the guy running the sprinkler on is drying stacks of wood might not be so crazy? Seems stupid to me but trying to think outside the box. Maybe the water is washing away the "sap" that plugs up the ends of the "tubes"? Personally i just burn the wood. If it takes too long to get the stove up to temp after a reload..... the wood was too wet. A little seepage from the end of a split or two for the first 10 min or while the door is still open ain't much to write home about. Maybe an epa type stove is more finicky about this? I'll just stick with my old black box.
This week but the stacks do not gen any water on them. All top covered in rubber roofing with lumber stickers that extend it out past the sides. Some oak just won't dry out good.
What if you set a strip the width of the pallets, either on the ground or on the pallets? My ground is not level, so water runs off or puddles and dries. Sca
Branch wood is the worst for this. I split nearly all branch wood even once. Even those 2.5" diameter ones. Otherwise they are prone to hiss.
I have oak that has been in a pole barn for at least 5 years. Up off the ground on an old gate. Plenty of air flow. Split and stacked. Never a drop of rain. And it it sizzles like crazy. It is fine if I put it in a nice hot firebox (I’m oh so very thankful that I have stacks of pine in the barn also. That stuff dries and lights beautifully) but starting a fire with oak is not fun nor fast. And such a dim sad fire compared to a pine fire. It is, however wonderful in my pizza oven. Wrist-size splits. I put it in after a run and bake it dry overnight. Put a match to a full split while it is still warm and that’s all takes. Makes dry pine look like fresh elm!
