LogGoblin

4 hours ago, arboriculturist said:

The only research I would trust is direct from a University who have no vested interest in the conclusions.

We all know that leading stove manufacturers have been telling consumers to only burn kiln dried Hardwood for years, none of which is sustainable.

Most stove retailers promote only kiln dried hardwood as that is what they sell.

 

Basically it is common knowledge the fastest way to dry timber is with airflow, heat ideally the 2 combined. The poster needs to basically mirror a polytunnel - solar gain from the sun and very good airflow with the prevailing wind blowing through the stack.

Worst scenario possibly is wrap in plastic.

Just to clarify, I wasn't asking for advice. 

The post was about the anecdotal findings of an experiment based on harnessing radiant energy and unidirectional air flow using inexpensive materials. 

I didn't just wrap some wood in pallet wrap. 

Thanks for your comment though. 

3 hours ago, Steven P said:

That's the point, the logs as they dry send their moisture out into the air creating warm moist air. Warm air rises to sit just underneath the roof. If you could measure it, it will be more moist under than above the roof. If this is a problem for you then create more air flow under the roof so this moist air can escape and be replaced by drier air from outside. A cheap fan can do this, I wouldn't bother, it wouldn't cause me any worry.

Thank you for your comments. They've been enlightening. 

2 hours ago, sandspider said:

Thanks. I do get some condensation in the polytunnel I currently use, despite plenty of ventilation. Perils of living in Wales I suppose! But lovely and hot in Spring, Summer & even Autumn at the moment, so worth it overall, as you say.

If I had the room I'd use a polytunnel to season and then store the seasoned wood in a nice dry wooden store.  I think that would be the best of both worlds. 

43 minutes ago, Steven P said:

That condensation under the roof, the moisture comes from where..... If it drips back on the wood it's only going back where it started. If it worries you a lot you could get a -probably- cheap solar / battery powered fan to run on at dusk to create some air flow under the roof, will dry the wood out qucker too

 

It comes from warm humid air cooling when it meats the cold, surface. It's the same thing that happens to your cold glass of beer on a hot day. It doesn't come directly from the logs. The log store could be empty and it would still occur. 

It's not an issue for the intended purpose, the pros of the roof outweigh the cons and it achieves its intended purpose; however it is a consideration for anyone doing something similar, as it could be avoided. 

A fan wouldn't achieve anything. The issue was primarily occurring when the whole store was completely open, so a fan would do nothing to eliminate it. The pallet wrap has gaps which allow cold air in at the bottom of the stack, which then rises and exits as warm humid air taking moisture from the logs by convection. 

Just now, sandspider said:

Out of interest, why was clear plastic corrugated roofing a bad idea? Toying with this idea for my next log shed...

It causes a lot of condensation. It's fine in the summer, but in autumn and winter as soon as the air cools in the evenings it condensates on the underside of the roof. It's not a major problem, but it does drip on my lovely dry wood.

I'm considering stapling a perforated vapour barrier up in winter. 

It may not be as big an issue if your shed doesn't cool as rapidly as mine (it's completely open front and back). Twinwall polycarbonate might eliminate some of the issue, as might a steeper pitched roof. 

Thinking about it though, I don't think my smaller shed suffers as badly. The only differences I can think of are that it's slatted at the rear instead of chicken wire, and the wood is generally stacked nearer to the roof.  

Yeah, sorry. That was a little joke, having literally just read about it in Norwegian Wood, and the reason that myth came about. 

I a

8 minutes ago, shillo said:

Just what we need... more plastic waste.

Forgive me, ive just watched Extinction on iplayer!

I appreciate your comment. I hadn't really considered the environmental impact of the pallet wrap, which is part of the reason I started seasoning my own locally sourced wood.

My intention is to replace the pallet wrap with the roof from my soon to be dismantled conservatory roof, but your point is certainly a valid one. 

I've enjoyed reading the posts about firewood and thought I'd share my little experiment. 

I've been seasoning my own wood for 3 years now. With limited room in my garden I don't have the capacity to store 3 years in advance. I've found in previous years that if I don't rotate my stacks in my log store (3 stacks deep with about 4 inches between) those near the bottom and middle don't season properly.

This year I decided to wrap my main store (approximately 4m3) in pallet wrap to create a greenhouse. The roof is clear corrugated plastic too (both a good and bad idea), and the rear is chicken wire to allow maximum airflow /sunlight. 

I've just tested a couple of pieces of ash from my smaller unwrapped store which have been seasoning since June 2019, and they're at 15% MC. I also tested (admittedly near the top of the middle  stack) a piece from the pallet wrap store, which was CSS'd in March 2020 (had been sat in big rounds at the bottom of a guy's garden since March 2019), and it's now reading 8/9% (freshly split and tested in multiple places) .  I appreciate that my moisture meter could be off, but it seems fairly reliable in the other tests I've done. 

My findings are purely anacdotal at this point, but for anyone needing to season wood quick, it might be worth a try.  Hopefully the MC will raise a bit by the time I need to burn it! (Edit - this is a poor attempt at a joke). 

For info, I live in Kent, and admittedly we've had a lot of sun this year! 

I have heard talk of kiln drying firewood potentially releasing some volitile gases during the process, thus reducing its calorific value. 

Whether this is true or not, I don't know. I've bought kiln dried, and season my I own. No difference, in my opinion. 

As for which wood, Birch (UK) for fast heat (and fast seasoning), Oak (and Beech) for a long burn time, and Ash as an all rounder. I've found Cedar to give a decent burn too. 

I haven't the room to season lots of softwood, so tend to bet safe and go with what I know. 

5 minutes ago, Steve Bullman said:

Trying adding yourself here, you might get the next load free!

 

https://arbtalk.co.uk/recycling

 

 

Thanks, Steve! That's very much appreciated. 

I generally find it's £10 a car load from tree surgeons, but I've been buying most of mine on Facebook Marketplace the last couple of years. 

I've just bought what I think works out at about 7m3 (loose) of Ash from a guy for £90 (he wanted £150). I had to cut up some of the big rings to move them, and had to cart them about 150 yards down his garden. All in all a fair bit of work, but there's people here (Kent) selling builders bags of seasoned Sweet Chestnut for £90 a pop. 

I was buying kiln dried, but it's just not economically viable for the amount we use, so a bit of graft keeps the cost down.