How to Use a Log Store
Knowing how to season firewood & knowing how to store firewood once you have seasoned it to ensure that it stays dry will make your wood burning experience more enjoyable and easier - by using a log store correctly it can save plenty of money too. Your initial time and effort in learning this process and finding a good log store or making one will be worth effort in money saved.
Dry seasoned firewood from a good log store burns cleaner with less smoke and produces more heat from less wood - If you use your fire wood for cooking too, such as in an outdoor oven or chimenea then your food will taste far better too.
One of the most important factors in drying and keeping your firewood dry is air circulation. To ensure proper drying your firewood should be stored in a well ventilated log store. There is a huge variety of log stores available - a little time to select the correct one will pay dividends.
One of the most common errors made is to pile their firewood logs onto the ground and cover the whole pile with a tarpaulin or plastic sheeting all the way to the ground. Covering the whole pile all the way to the ground just seals moisture inside and encourages mould and decay to spread in the logs fast. This is why it is critical to choose the correct log store for the job in hand.
Keep your firewood away from direct soil contact this will help you in keeping it clean and dry - choose a log store that has a slightly raised well ventilated floor in it. If you do need to store it on the ground place something on the ground first such as a tarp or plastic sheeting for a moisture barrier. Just about anything that will hold it up off the ground away from the soil will work, plywood, lumber, poles or even well drained gravel is better than soil. Drainage for a log store is the key.
If you cover your log store with a tarpaulin cover you must ensure that the sides of the log store or pile are not covered. The open sides encourage airflow and keep the wood dry and encourage it to season well, any moisture can escape this way from the log store too.
If your wood is already wet or green covering it with a tarpaulin is usually pointless and will just encourage mould. It is best to let it dry first in the open air or under a roof type of structure - even if it does rain it is better than complete coverage where it might sweat. However, green wood can go directly into a quality log store.
One of the best ways to ensure air circulation is to stack your wood in a row or rows. When stacking against a solid surface such as a wall or fence stack it a few inches away from the surface. Also when stacking rows next to each other keep the rows a few inches apart. This allows space for air to circulate on both sides of the log store. Or even better just stack one row by itself in a way where the whole side of it will be exposed to the sun. Investing in a quality log store will provide you with these features to maintain the wood.
Even using a shed as a log store can cause problems - it is vital that any log store has good ventilation - allow air circulation is critical in the seasoning process.
If you have green firewood it is usually best to store it outside in a Log Store exposed to the wind and the sun until it is seasoned. If you store your firewood in a shed it is best to let it season outside in the sun before putting it in the shed.
When stacking firewood safety should be a priority. Make sure your stacks are stable so they will not tip over. Stacking firewood more than 4 feet high is asking for an accident. Keep a space between the stacks for proper drying but keep the space small enough to prevent children or pets from crawling between them, they could get stuck. Keep children away from and DO NOT let then climb on firewood log stores or stacks.