billytheghillie Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Will be gathering logs this year and want conformation on storing them. Am I right to say the storage unit should be facing south? cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old rooster Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I store mine stacked in an open fronted shed with the open side away from prevailing wind if that is any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pegleg31 Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 We've got a sceptic tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark@mbb Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I store mine in potato boxes they have gaps in that lets the air flow through to dry them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traztaz Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 As long as they are up a bit and have air flow all is good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1steele Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 We've got a sceptic tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
955i Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Keep them off the ground on pallets or similar and face away from south-west if possible as that tends to be where the worst weather comes from Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liamey Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Over here we put them off the ground on pallets as already mentioned and ensure air gaps so air can flow freely. Put a tarp on top to stop the rain from dripping down and continually soaking the logs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old rooster Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I wrapped some logs in big builders bags to try and keep them dry and within 18 months they had all rotted. Air circulation is the important thing I reckon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainBeaky Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Over here we put them off the ground on pallets as already mentioned and ensure air gaps so air can flow freely. Put a tarp on top to stop the rain from dripping down and continually soaking the logs.+1Air circulation is 90% of it, protection from weather is the rest. All our wood stacks are sheltered from the prevailing winds direction, supported off the ground on old pallets and covered with a tarp over the top only. I've recently started making an airspace under the tarp by making a lattice of smaller branches on top of the pile. This seems to help the wood stay dryer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFN Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 I don't like covering them in tarps as it traps in moisture, I just stack logs on pallets uncovered, they sit there for 6 months to a year slowly seasoning then they get chopped, split and stacked in open sided but covered stores to keep dry. Even with this wet winter the logs are only damp on the outside and a couple of weeks undercover and they are ready to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big bad lindz Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 If you have some form of shelter from the rain and plenty of ventilation as previously mentioned I dont think it will matter what direction you have them. I have two stores for split logs, one is a leanto built from pallets, log poles and a corigated roof with the roof sloping toward the prevailing weather and has plenty of ventilation. The other is on the north side of a shed which is a bit more closed. I dont bother to cover the log pile, just leave the timber to season and slice and split when my stores are empty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 I have a log store built up off the ground with a steeply pitched back mono pitched felt roof. all the sides are 3x5/8" treated timber with 5/8th gaps between as is the floor. Logs are seasoned after being split. Cut the tree in winter before the sap rises and it takes about 4-5 years for good seasoning and the best burn for your efforts, depending on species. 6mnths etc amounts to burning green log, giving little heat (the energy is taken up in removing the moisture). Its good to finish them for a few weeks indoors following. The biggest thing is keeping them dry, when they are cracking / splitting on the ends they are getting there but depends on the type of tree ( I have some ash I am burning at present and it tends not to split much, which maybe indicates why they use it for axe handles and the like). This ash is only about two years though I am going to be short on room for a while so compromises are often made from the ideal. Burn green and burn five times the wood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 I have a shed, made from 4x6 timbers, covered in green painted corrugated sheets, open sided (facing north) about 12x6'. Stack the logs front to back in rows to the roof 5" gap between to maximise capacity. Takes 6-12 months depending on timber type. Almost anywhere in the Brit Isles, the prevailing wind is from the SW most of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainBeaky Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 If you use a tarp, don't cover it completely, our it will get soggy and horrible! (guess who made this mistake...) Just cover the top to make a roof. If you want to make a permanent store such as Kent describes above, even better. I cut and split down to stove size straight away, so they are ready to burn in 12-15 months on a south-facing stack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFN Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 I have a log store built up off the ground with a steeply pitched back mono pitched felt roof. all the sides are 3x5/8" treated timber with 5/8th gaps between as is the floor. Logs are seasoned after being split. Cut the tree in winter before the sap rises and it takes about 4-5 years for good seasoning and the best burn for your efforts, depending on species. 6mnths etc amounts to burning green log, giving little heat (the energy is taken up in removing the moisture). Its good to finish them for a few weeks indoors following. The biggest thing is keeping them dry, when they are cracking / splitting on the ends they are getting there but depends on the type of tree ( I have some ash I am burning at present and it tends not to split much, which maybe indicates why they use it for axe handles and the like). This ash is only about two years though I am going to be short on room for a while so compromises are often made from the ideal. Burn green and burn five times the wood Yes the drier the better but I think 4-5 years is overkill, I mainly burn ash, sycamore, birch and small amounts of other hardwoods and trees cut in one winter are ready by the next. The only exceptions are oak and willow, the former I get sapwood off-cuts that are split straight away and then stored for longer, and I don't bother with the latter. Wood is our main source of heating and It will burn fine after a year and without a few weeks inside the house (we wouldn't have room for that either). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 Yes the drier the better but I think 4-5 years is overkill, I mainly burn ash, sycamore, birch and small amounts of other hardwoods and trees cut in one winter are ready by the next. The only exceptions are oak and willow, the former I get sapwood off-cuts that are split straight away and then stored for longer, and I don't bother with the latter. Wood is our main source of heating and It will burn fine after a year and without a few weeks inside the house (we wouldn't have room for that either). Ask an Austrian school kid what a Seasoned log is and you will get a very specific answer, ask and British school kid and he will tell you its a chocolate cake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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