keeping logs outside through winter

[gensetsteve]

I too have found that repeated wetting and drying in the open aids the seasoning process. This is where people will shoot me but: I have found that burning logs at 20%-25% MC after 1 year still leaves them too wet to burn efficiently. My chimney sweep gave me an annual lecture about the buildup of tar and other deposits on my fire and chimney. I now store my logs for 2 years: 1 in the open and 1 under tarpaulins; giving me an MC in the range 10%-15%.

 

Spot on if I get a log that struggles to burn I split and measure and often as not its 25% in the middle. I have found 15-20% perfect 20-25% difficult over 25% forget it.

[skyhuck]

Does anyone else find that split logs that have been covered snow don't burn well??

 

I can think of no good reason for this, but its been my experience.

[windfall]

Just been out to make up a mixed cube of soft and hard for a client, my hardwood is nice and dry in vented bags with bits of old banners on top but my softwood is soaking wet. Its in stock fence with banners on the top and the rain seems to have got right through one. Probably cause the banners not attached properly to be honest! The rain we have had over the last two weeks is not funny, the ground round my land is so boggy i have never seen it so wet!

 

So i have no choice but to take him a mixed bag with the softwood that is rain soaked! Think ill be putting tarps over the huge stock net enclosures tomorrow, the macracarpa has been seasoning since March so its bloody good stuff. Hopefully the client wont be too upset! Ill bring him some kindling and firelighters to smooth things a bit!

[dave fox]

In Sept last year my logs were 5% and 9% MC for soft and hard respectively. Measured again in December they had risen to 10% and 16% or thereabouts, barn stored. 16% is still ideal to burn but it shows that even barn stored MC will rise.

 

A

so true this is why all this kiln dried bollox is a waste of time and a gimick. as soon as the moisture in the air is greater than that in the log that log sucks it up.

[Stereo]

I too have found that hardwoods like oak can season fully with no cover at all. Just exposure to sun and wind and rain. On the other hand, leave pop or alder logs out in the rain and you will have soaking wood in no time at all.

 

I did read once that a good way to quickly season hardwoods is to net them and leave them in a stream for a day or 2. This washes the sap out of them and they dry much quicker afterwards. No idea if there is any truth in that but if you see an old oak log that's been left out in all weathers, it's usually bone dry to the middle.

 

I like to stack mine with the miniumum cover. Just enough to stop rain water from running down through the stack as the middle logs will take forever to dry again. Main thing is wind, as mentioned. I've got a field that the wind cuts across like crazy and I'm thinking that a wall of pallet crates stacked up wit covers over the top would dry in no time at all.

[AJR68]

Ours are just tarped in vented bags and seem to be doing niceley, customers are all happy too, thank god!!

[Jimbob87]

Hi thanks for the advice so far at the min i have 70 bags 2 wide 35 long down the side of a road with a foof between each one all on pallets. would i be best stacking them up in a heap 3 high and putting a sheet over the top ones then?

[gensetsteve]

Hi thanks for the advice so far at the min i have 70 bags 2 wide 35 long down the side of a road with a foof between each one all on pallets. would i be best stacking them up in a heap 3 high and putting a sheet over the top ones then?

 

If you have the space I would keep on going as you are sounds more proffessional than mine.

[Jimbob87]

If you have the space I would keep on going as you are sounds more proffessional than mine.

 

I Dont know about that lol kinda been picking up bits of other threads iv read and generally making it up as i go along. must admit though logs dried very well in the bags cos i was sceptical at first.

[Alycidon]

I too have found that repeated wetting and drying in the open aids the seasoning process. This is where people will shoot me but: I have found that burning logs at 20%-25% MC after 1 year still leaves them too wet to burn efficiently. My chimney sweep gave me an annual lecture about the buildup of tar and other deposits on my fire and chimney. I now store my logs for 2 years: 1 in the open and 1 under tarpaulins; giving me an MC in the range 10%-15%.

 

10-15 is perfect.

 

A