Stacking firewood may sound as simple as arranging the pieces in a shed, but there’s more to it. Improper stacking will lead to pest and fungus attacks and curtail efficient drying.
Conversely, proper stacking overcomes these problems and improves the firewood’s aesthetic appearance. So what is the proper way to stack firewood? Let’s see below.
Basic Principles for Stacking Firewood
Here are the four significant hacks for stacking your firewood.
Identify an Ideal Location
Arranging Firewood in an Outdoor Stack.
Proper stacking ensures your firewood dries fast, and one of the ways to facilitate this process is choosing a location with access to direct sunlight. Moreover, the ideal stack location should have a great flow of air/wind to hasten the drying process.
Another critical consideration when choosing a location is the probability of the firewood stack becoming a fire hazard, especially to your house. Situate it safely from your home to prevent this outcome- ideally at a distance of 30 feet.
Such a distance also keeps termites on the firewood away from your house.
Thirdly, you must avoid stacking firewood in children’s play areas or places frequented by pets. Primarily this is to prevent accidents from the firewood toppling over them while playing.
Elevate the Firewood from the Ground
An elevated Firewood Stack.
Here are some of the reasons you need to put away from the ground:
- If the firewood is in contact with the ground, there will be limited flow around the base area, curtailing proper drying.
- Secondly, there’s a high likelihood that your firewood will come into contact with moisture if it leans directly on the ground. Again, this will undo your drying attempts and cause your firewood to rot.
- Lastly, your firewood is more exposed to termites and pest attacks if it’s in contact with the ground than not.
Next, look at how to dry your ground when stacking is not an option.
- First, consider laying gravel underneath the firewood stack to cushion it from direct contact with the ground.
- Alternatively, you can construct a stone/concrete pad and lay the firewood on it.
Although the alternatives above shield your firewood from moisture, they’ll still limit it from efficient airflow. Hence, the ultimate option is to stack it properly off the ground.
Stack the Firewood Properly
A Neat Firewood Stack.
Proper stacking is imperative, especially ensuring that the firewood in the middle sections dries appropriately. Here are two basic rules for excellent stacking:
- First, you must ensure the firewood is loosely arranged rather than in a close-knit pack. This setup optimizes airflow, which in turn improves the drying rate.
- Also, it is imperative to expose the cut ends to the wind and direct sunlight. It will also hasten moisture loss.
Keep your Firewood Dry
Dry Firewood.
It would be pointless to dry your firewood for winter only to allow moisture to creep back into it. Hence, ensuring that it’s well covered during the season is imperative. You can opt for three main options on this:
- You can cover the firewood stack’s upper part with a tarp when there’s falling snow or rain.
- Alternatively, set up the top wood pieces with the bark to shield firewood in the lower areas.
- You may also opt to build a woodshed cover above the firewood stack to maximize airflow while shielding it from weather elements.
Different Firewood Stacking Methods
Layers of firewood stacks.
Now, look at some of the popular firewood stacking techniques you can use.
German Firewood Stacking
Firewood Stacked.
It’s one of the dependable stacking techniques, especially if you’re looking to optimize airflow to the center of the firewood stack. Here’s how to do it:
- Clear the area you want to place the firewood to ensure it’s even. Ideally, its dimensions should be around 6’x6.’ But you can still go for a more extensive area.
- Next, pen in a stake in the midsection of the stacking area. It could be wooden or metallic, depending on what you have at your disposal.
- Using a tape measure, identify a radius of an area measuring 3’ from the center and mark it, preferably using wooden pegs.
- Now arrange your firewood around the circle that you’ve created.
- Next, set the evenly cut firewood with one of the ends touching the outer enclosure you’ve created, with the other facing the center of the circle.
- Then, arrange your evenly cut firewood around the platform you’ve created. It’ll leave a hole at the center of the wood stack, especially if your stack is relatively high. It is the part you’ll throw the unevenly shaped wood pieces.
- Fill in the central part. Then once the pile is level, arrange the firewood in a dome shape to create an area for the stack cover.
When to Consider It: The Best Technique for Efficient Seasoning.
Proper Way to Stack Firewood: American Stacking Method
An American Firewood Stack.
It is the most popular stacking technique primarily because it is also the simplest to carry out.
- First, lay a base material (probably large wood logs) at the stack’s base. It prevents the direct contact of firewood with the ground surface.
- Next, you must arrange a firewood layer with the woods facing one direction. Next, you should set the other firewood layer perpendicular to the former layer to maximize airflow.
Notably, the technique is ideal for long firewood pieces. It would also be best if they are narrow, as this further boosts aeration and makes removing a piece from the stack easy. Lastly, while the technique allows for aeration, it’s not as efficient as the German stacking method.
When to Consider It: The Best Technique for Easy Access.
Proper Way to Stack Firewood: Shaker Stacking Method
A Shaker firewood stack.
The shaker/amish technique resembles the Geman method, although this forms a perfect circle. It will also accommodate a larger firewood volume, guarantees safety from water, and is more stable.
Here’s how to carry it out:
- First, set a large wood piece at the center of the stack. Preferably, it should measure about 8” by 16.”
- Next, while leaning the pieces onto the center pole, arrange the firewood in a concentric form around it. At this step, you need to make at least two layers of firewood.
- Now, nail two wooden pieces at the top of the woodpile at the center. You should subsequently place firewood pieces against these woods until you can no more stack them.
When to Consider It: The Best Technique for Staking A large firewood Volume.
Proper Way to Stack Firewood: Norwegian Stacking Method
A firewood stack.
It’s similar to the German and Shaker Stacking Methods, forming a conically shaped firewood dome. Nonetheless, this technique is better than the former two in boosting airflow in the structure.
Here are its construction steps:
- First, set up pallets on the bottom to provide a base for setting up the firewood.
- Next, make a 4 feet circle inside which you’ll lay the firewood.
- Now you can start laying firewood on the base you’ve established around the circle.
- Ensure that you put the uneven firewood planks on the gap at the center until you fill it.
- While stacking, ensure that you leave as many spaces between the firewood as this is primarily the aim of the technique.
- After forming your projected height, create a dome at the top by setting up firewood in a format that angles away from the center.
When to Consider It: The Best Technique for Maximum Airflow.
Proper Way to Stack Firewood: End Pillar Stacking Method
How to stack pillars in this technique.
The technique is a modification of the American Stacking Method, but this is more aesthetically appealing.
How to construct it:
- First, set up the base. You can lay pallets on the ground to achieve this or use large wood blocks.
- Next, construct the end pillars by setting up wood layers in alternating patterns. That is, set up one pile facing one direction and the other facing the other. The idea is to create an American stacking style on the outer edge while leaving space at the center.
- Stack the firewood as high as possible.
- Next, arrange firewood inside the area without alternating them like in the previous steps.
When to Consider It: The Best Technique for Creating A Beautiful Stack.
Conclusion
Stacking firewood is a simple affair if you get the basics right. We have listed the top hacks and techniques to ensure a perfect wood stack. We’ve also highlighted why you need to consider each of the methods. For more, contact us anytime.