If you
I have also completed some research on what other experts think about the subject. Just piling the wood up will eventually, if not quickly, become an issue for several reasons, here is my list of how to efficiently stack and store firewood for heating your home.
1. Always Look Ahead
If you are burning wood for heat this year, you will probably be burning wood for heat next year. Wood should be stacked and stored for drying (seasoning) for 9 to 12 months. You will need enough space for storage for at least 2 years of wood. Finding a space to store the wood for the first year to use and then the second year to store close enough to the house or wherever your stove is located, takes some thought and space. Just take the time to think about how you can rotate areas and piles of wood for two seasons.
Many of us will move the wood we will use in the current winter near the house in the fall. Then the wood pile will just be refilled for the next season. This eliminates having two storage areas but also forces the moving of wood an extra time each year.
No one ever said, saving money was easy!
2. Staging Firewood
If you purchase your firewood cut and split, then this section is not an issue. You will dump your wood where you stack it. If, on the other hand, you go to the woods and cut your own wood or have logs delivered, you will need some space to stage your firewood.
If your wood is in logs, placing two or three logs perpendicular to the pile on the ground first is ideal. Then you can place logs on top of these and roll the log off as you cut them. This keeps the chain on the chainsaw out of the dirt and allows the chain to remain sharp longer.
The sooner you split the logs after cutting the better. Firewood dries faster when split to size.
Finally, stacking the wood after splitting helps begin the seasoning process. Let’s look at some of the best ways to stack and store firewood.
3. Stacking Wood
To create a faster seasoning process, wood should always be stacked off the ground. Wood stored on the ground will draw moisture from the ground and will not receive enough air to dry on the bottom of the pile.
At a minimum sacrifice a few pieces of wood under the stack of lumber to raise the wood up. Yard timbers or 4″ blocks will also work to lift the lumber off the ground. A metal rack is a great alternative and can be home built or purchased from most big box stores.
Leaving at least 6″ between rows will allow air to pass between the ends of the wood. Rows should not exceed 4′ tall if you have room to spread the piles out. This also enhances faster drying time.
If you don’t want to move your wood again (even though most of us do) then finding a location near where we use it is optimal. If this is not an option, then pick a location that gets full sunlight. The sun and wind will be the best dryer you have pulling the excess moisture from the wood quickly.
Taking a few extra minutes to stack your wood neatly will pay dividends later. If you stack your wood so that it does not fall over, it will be easier to move into the house when the time comes to burn. The ends of the rows should be cross stacked, 2 one way, 2 the other, all the way to the top, this makes the rows stable.
Stacking wood neat and orderly also helps in the drying process. If the wood does not shift, the rows are maintained, the drying process will continue as it should
4. Cover the Wood
After the sun has completed its work and dried the wood to the desired moisture content (15% – 20%); I would recommend a cover over the wood. A tarp that is strapped down and well tied will work. This will keep the falling rain and early snow off the dried firewood.
Throwing a rain soaked or snow-covered piece of wood into the fire is as bad as putting an unseasoned piece of wood in the stove. You are wasting heat drying the moisture and not heating the house.
If your storage area is covered, all the better!
5. Wood Shed
A woodshed is the ideal wood storage area. A wood shed has a roof to shed the rain and snow with open or staggered wall boards to allow the wind to pass through. Wood sheds were popular when wood was the primary source of heat for most households.
They were widespread because they worked well and on farms or in the country, most homeowners had room for one.
A large wood shed could store many years of wood as the wood was rotated through. This allowed for a large storage area and a dry supply of wood.
Dry wood is even more critical today with the stoves we now use. With the air constricted to the firebox, creosote will quickly build up in the stove and chimney, causing a fire hazard in the chimney.
Wet wood increases this danger with the moisture steamed off, carrying additional particles into the chimney and sticking to the wall of the chimney.
Having an ideal storage area like a woodshed reduces this risk if drying time is reduced, and the amount of dry wood is increased.
6. Rotating Wood Supply
You should be rotating our wood supply so that you are using the driest wood available. It may be easier to keep adding to the end of the pile (which may be nearest the door), but add to the far end and use the near end. This will provide for dry wood to be burnt all season.
It may be a little more work but will keep your chimney cleaner (and safer) all season long.
7. Rodents
If you have never had a wood pile, then this may be news to you. Rodents! They will make a home in your wood pile! Mice, rats, and other critters will find a hole in the pile and build a shelter from the winter snow, wind, and cold. It’s not a huge problem, but as you remove wood for burning you will find their “home,” just give them the eviction notice!
The next issue is, as your woodpile is now closer to your home, will the critters move into your house? This is not where you want them!
I will generally place the packets of mouse poison under and around the woodpile as it is being stacked. This ensures an even distribution of the bags. Traps can also be set, but they must be maintained with bait and may be tripped by accident.
Any way to reduce the labor of wood stacking, hauling, and arranging is a positive step.
Conclusion
Storing firewood is a large part of the home heating process of owning a wood burning system that new wood stove owner may overlook.
If you plan ahead, stack your wood in an organized fashion, and allow for multiple years of wood, it will make your burning process easier. The little things you do like covering the pile and keeping the rodents at bay will help the burning season pass by smoother and with less tension.
Make your wood burning less work and more efficient any way you can!
