Quick question. I top cover all my stacks usually right after stacking. The last few I didn't cover and we have been getting some good rain daily so I don't want to top cover until we get a stretch of 2 or 3 nice days in a row. Is it ok to leave it go until I get that stretch of nice days, who knows how long that will be, or should I just top cover it wet and not worry about it.
I wouldn't worry about it personally. A lot of people never cover their stacks and it seems most only cover them in the fall to stay dry over the winter.
are your stacks in sunny windy spot? mine get sun from 2 hours after sunrise to 2 hours before sunset. I have lived here 12 years and only a handful of days you couldn't fly a kite meaning 10 mph winds are normal.. so in my case I can cover whenever.. I would leave it til a few nice days ..
Mine only gets covered when it goes in the shed. If it's been rained on, I'll give it at least a couple nice days before putting it in the shed. Heavy rain might require an extra day or so.
The wood I'll burn this winter won't see top cover till this fall some time. The wood I'm working up right now won't see a cover for 4 years or more. You'll be fine with a few days of rain!
Most of my stacks are not covered at all until 6-8 months before they are due to be used...then around Sept/Oct (depending on weather) they go into the woodshed. Now, with that said, I have some stacks under a row of Spruce & Pine trees that get full of needles if I don't top cover it. The needles make a real mess when you go to bring the wood into the stove and/or furnace, plus the piles of needles seem to hold moisture...so those stacks get covered. I heard the same from people that live in the woods, they cover to keep the piles of leaves out...
80% of this is cherry and ash, uncovered since 11-15, the rest is locust since 3-16 and 80% is ready to burn-gonna do splits and MM readings soon-Face it south, into prevailing wind if possible and elevate at least 12" where you can and I promise you will be amazed at the results
What will you cover with BeechNut? Just out of curiosity. I usually don't top cover anymore. I use to with sheets of plastic on top. Or if I had some metal roofing around. Maybe I will cover the tops of the stacks with plastic this September again, first week and leave wood out till first week of October. Hmmm
It won't get any wetter by keeping the rain off. If it's open on the sides, the moisture will dissipate.
That will be moved to the shed and this falls cutting will partially go to fill the rail rack-I have locust, cherry, ash and red oak down X 1yr, propped off the ground-AND got a 10x10 piece of new rubber roofing coming this week! YooHoo!!! I'll use it on single row stacks sliced to 24" to drape my 16-18" splits
If you going to just top cover it, and you want to get it done now, you still have plenty of air circulation, with the sides and ends open it will dry out even if it got rained on and you cover it. The very top row might take a little longer to dry out from the rain but in a week it will all be as dry as it was before it got rained on, cuz it won't get rained on again.
You can top cover any time but if its with tarps or poly like others have said you may have some moisture trapped on the top row. If you can use plywood, or something other than tarps it would be best. You could quickly top cover with tarps until the rain gives you a reprive and then strip it back to expose it to wind and sun and then put it back on at the first hint of bad weather. I think that is what I would do.
One side of my property used to have a railroad running through-coal trains...when removed, some just ended up here-I still have like 5-6 more but none of those concrete pipe casings left-I think the next rail racks will be placed on railroad ties cut to 32"-the rails are @33' long-stacked at 4' high=1.37 cord-I have a good friend who works for CSX or will buy the ties they carry at Home Depot
Here is my set up, I'm happy with the results. The last pic is a stack that I will put a wood cover over in the fall.
I figured I'd be fine. Just wanted to get a little reassurance. I got a lot of airflow in those stacks.
Airflow is the key. I used to not cover mine at all but as I got further ahead and the stacks are now sitting for 4 years I wanted to keep the leaves off of the stacks. Old metal roofing and some black plastic is what I use because it's what I got. Wood that I've cut in the past year is uncovered but I want to cover it before the leaves fall in October. Ideally I'd like to cover them after a few dry windy days but if the stacks were wet I wouldn't worry, the flow of air will take care of that.
We usually stack in spring and top cover late fall or early winter. It had been a long time since we left wood uncovered for more than the first summer so we did an experiment several years ago and left wood uncovered. Many say it makes no difference with the wood and it may not in some areas but it sure does make a difference here. Yes, the wood dries but the longer it sits uncovered the more it loses when it comes time for burning. Let it just be said that we will not leave our wood uncovered very long. Top covered, that is.
^^^^Exactly---give it a summer and falls worth of direct exposure then put a cover on it or move to the shed...I think air underneath is really, really important-further away from ground the better
