Do you keep em covered

[woodworm]

Does everyone selling firewood always keep it covered or do you leave it open to the elements. I have always left my firewood pile open but now it has 4 inches of snow on it I am a bit concerned about getting complaints if its got snow on when delivered, although if its raining its no different and haven't had any complaints about delivering rain soaked logs. My logs are all under 30% mc when tested and most under 20% but how many people deliver with a tarpaulin over the load.

[liamjordan]

yeah we cover ours, i know people say that the wood "sweats" when its covered but we use old tarp that is ripped and no good for much else, this keeps the worst off but still allows the wind to blow through and under it, we also use sheets of tin on some of the log piles, this gets the rain to run off (and would keep the snow off if we got any) and still allows the wind to get at the wood.

[Dean Lofthouse]

It only sweats under tarp if you cover before seasoned or dried. Once dry keep a tarp over it.

 

Logs take in moisture if left out..

 

If you have course grained logs in your pile and leave them out in the open it's barmy, they'll soak moisture back in overnight

 

One thing that really gets my back up is I store my logs undercover, some for two years, I split them and keep them under cover, if it's raining I tarp them up to stop them getting wet, then when I deliver them the customer stacks them outside in the open

[Dave Martin]

It only sweats under tarp if you cover before seasoned or dried. Once dry keep a tarp over it.

 

So should I not cover the logs I am storing in vented bags to season:confused1:

[18 stoner]

One thing that really gets my back up is I store my logs undercover, some for two years, I split them and keep them under cover, if it's raining I tarp them up to stop them getting wet, then when I deliver them the customer stacks them outside in the open

 

Too right Dean!

 

The other thing happens to me a lot, is after i tip the logs out onto the customers drive, they pay up and then say;

 

"Thanks a lot, that'll give me a nice job stacking them next week":001_rolleyes:

[18 stoner]

The best way to air dry is in a roofed building with freeflowing air or even no sides at all.

 

Anything bagged or netted then can be left out of the rain and with full air circulation.

 

As a substitute to this, heaped logs can still be covered with a tarp, but i wouldnt wrap the sides. Keeping them off the ground is a must.

 

If you want to invest money to speed up drying you need to either be going down the route of a polly tunnel, or better still, kiln drying

 

The investment must require the relevant amount of turnover to make any outlay viable though:sneaky2:

[woodworm]

I'm not worried about getting them dry in the first place because they have been tested and are mailnly below 25 and mostly below 20%mc when I have tested them while splitting them. The problem is, does the mc rise alot if they get snowed and rained on, or should I put a tarp on them to keep the elements off once they are cut and split and in a long heap about 4metres wide and about 30 metres long

[Dean Lofthouse]

The problem is, does the mc rise alot if they get snowed and rained on, or should I put a tarp on them to keep the elements off once they are cut and split and in a long heap about 4metres wide and about 30 metres long

 

Yes the moisture content will rise if left out in the rain, beech or Sycamore may not take so much in but other species are like sponges and one dose of rain will soak them and take weeks in winter to dry out if they do at all, the only way is to stack them at the side of the fire to dry overnight.

 

Split logs must be covered to keep the moisture content down simples

 

Mine are in a leanto type open fronted building, never outside, top quality logs command top prices, another bonus

[David oakman]

I delivered a tractor trailer load of bone dry logs and tipped up a week later we had all that heavy rain and it was still on the drive soaked:thumbdown:

[Stephen Blair]

sides open to the elements and the top covered to keep the rain off, makes a huge diference:001_smile:i opened this bay up the other day and the wood is tinder dry, i am burning it right now, my feet are toasting and there is no sizzling and hardly any smoke:thumbup1:the first bay has all been sold and my dad is now splitting for next season, that bay will hold approx 30 bags of beech unsplit that once split will then become 60 when rebagged, fresh air is an amazing thing lol

Edited December 19, 2009 by Stephen Blair