Outdoor Wood Furnace Info

All-Purpose OWF Discussions => Fire Wood => Topic started by: chadley on January 07, 2013, 07:31:53 PM

Title: Tarps
Post by: chadley on January 07, 2013, 07:31:53 PM
What kind of tarps do you guys use to keep your wood dry?  My plastic tarps seem to rip easy and don't weather very well so I was thinking about getting canvas tarps but wasn't sure how dry they would keep the wood.  What do you guys think?


Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: Michael on January 07, 2013, 07:50:36 PM
Remember that canvas tarps can burn quickly with one little spark from the flue if your wood pile is close to the unit.
Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: johnybcold on January 07, 2013, 07:57:16 PM
Tarps, what a pain I use a shelter ( being in the shelter business ) you can fit a good amount in a 12x20, and the aluminum carports work good too, back in the day they did not have tarps I am not sure how they did it but I also stack wood outside bark side up.
Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: MattyNH on January 07, 2013, 08:11:49 PM
What kind of tarps do you guys use to keep your wood dry?  My plastic tarps seem to rip easy and don't weather very well so I was thinking about getting canvas tarps but wasn't sure how dry they would keep the wood.  What do you guys think?
Chadley..You got to buy the heavy duty traps (one side is silver and the other side is brown or blue)..You can buy them at Walmart..The whole blue ones suck to be honest with ya..Ive dealt with tarps for the last 6 yrs.. This is the 1st year without traps for me as I built a pole shed
Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: chadley on January 09, 2013, 04:24:07 PM
I have an 8x8x8 wood shed I built for my OWB wood but I sell firewood and don't have the money to build a big enough shed to hold 50-60 cords.  I cover my piles of wood with one tarp each and move the tarp to cover wood as the pile gets smaller.  To me, it seems like canvas would soak in the water and keep the wood wet so that's why I was asking. 
Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: oldchenowth on January 09, 2013, 06:02:23 PM
I am lucky enough to have an old chicken coop that I put my wood in, but if I have to stack outside, I found an old billboard sign that is probably 30 or 40 by at least 60.  I found it on Craigslist for $25.  If I remember you can get them from a sign company for pretty reasonable.  They are quite heavy duty too.  It's all I want to pick it up by myself and holds up good in uv light. 

I bet it looks odd from the air seeing an old phone book ad stretched out next to the old coop.
Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: walkerdogman85 on January 09, 2013, 07:00:51 PM
 i am thinking about using canvas that a friend of mine has he gets it from where he works it is water proof but i would hate for it to catch fire. i havent covered my stack up this year and on the warm days i sometimes have trouble keeping it going i hope to eventually build a shelter but that wont be for a while>
Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: Farmer Blue on January 09, 2013, 07:54:10 PM
 I have used the old billboard canvas. It lasted about 4 years.  The billboard canvas is a woven material and as the years went it became less waterproof as the weave seemed to stretch. In below zero weather it was stiff. 

 This year I went to a farmer that does custom silage bagging (long white sausages). He had 8',10 & 12' diameter bags that were leftovers and to short to use. I got a 12'x 20 footer that when split was a 36' x 20' tarp. He sells it a dollar a foot ($20). It is a very heavy mill. I don't know how it will be in say -10 degrees,but so far so good.
Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: yotehunter66 on January 19, 2013, 08:24:28 AM
I went through several of the blue tarps in one winter. I use the black plastic rolls they use in landscaping. The ultimate goal is to build a lean to on the barn for wood. I get tired of always having to put the plastic back on after a windy day.
Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: Scott7m on January 19, 2013, 12:32:04 PM
Are you guys completely covering your wood piles or just the tops??!!

Wood under tarps cures nothing like wood in a wood shed with proper air flow
Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: MattyNH on January 19, 2013, 09:50:20 PM
Heres what I did back in the summer of '12 after 6 years of dealing with tarps.. Before and afters pics

[attachment deleted by admin for space issues]
Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: MattyNH on January 19, 2013, 09:54:06 PM
Pole shed pics

[attachment deleted by admin for space issues]
Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: MattyNH on January 19, 2013, 09:58:12 PM
another pic..Shed holds 2 years of burning

[attachment deleted by admin for space issues]
Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: MattyNH on January 19, 2013, 10:01:37 PM
another pic

[attachment deleted by admin for space issues]
Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: yotehunter66 on January 20, 2013, 06:07:48 AM
Are you guys completely covering your wood piles or just the tops??!!

Wood under tarps cures nothing like wood in a wood shed with proper air flow

Just the tops at first. After the pile gets down so far then the plastic will cover the whole pile if you let it.
Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: martyinmi on January 20, 2013, 07:13:21 AM
I'm jealous Matty. :bash: There, I said it! Good job on the shed. :thumbup:

I need to get my lazy butt in gear and build a storage shed for my wood.

Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: dwneast77 on January 20, 2013, 08:08:15 AM
I'm very lucky concerning my wood storage.  I have 25+ cord easily available to my boilers all covered in.  8 to 9 cord in this metal shed.  To the left is access to a greenhouse with about 12 cord and behind the camera is another greenhouse with 8 cord or so.  I also have 9 cord accross the yard in another greenhouse and 8 cord at my parents in yet another open-ended greenhouse.  Dries very well for me.

[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: MattyNH on January 20, 2013, 08:14:37 PM
I'm jealous Matty. :bash: There, I said it! Good job on the shed. :thumbup:

I need to get my lazy butt in gear and build a storage shed for my wood.
Thanks Martyinmi!..You will love it once you build it!
Title: Re: Tarps
Post by: Scott7m on January 20, 2013, 09:58:32 PM
I want a bigger one.. I have one like 16x20...  I want to expand lol