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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Chris Clarke wrote:
> Happy New Year's folks,
>
> This is the year that I build a nice woodshed.  Here in the south,
> you really need more than just a tarp covering the wood if you really
> want to get it dried out.  I am thinking about 16' wide, maybe 8'
> deep.  Two 5x12x1.5 foot rows, with a good amount of room in between.
> Slatted sides to allow ventilation.   Question is, do I add power for
> a floodlight and a ceiling fan?
>
> Chris Clarke
>
> Still here in Apex, NC... now more suburban than ever...

Hi Chris, good to see you again..
Your woodshed sounds fancy...I like it..
I would definitely go with the lights.  I just have a woodpile with
tarps, and while we have a switched security light right there (the post
actually supports the pile so it really is 'right there'), there is
never enough illumination after dusk, and there are more times than I
would like to think about that I have been out there after dark loading
wood into the wheelbarrow to bringup onto the porch or into the house.
I get very leery about snakes, spiders, and scorpions, even in winter.
It's pretty common to have black widows in the woodpile here, and even
with snow on the ground, they live in crevasses in the bark.  Having
good illumination for me is essential.  The fan, well, I guess, but that
would mean raising the ceiling of the shed to have room for the fan,
otherwise you could probably get by with a 6 foot height instead of 8
foot.  Also, it is easier to wire a floodlight on the outside edge of
the shed, but a ceiling fan would need to be GFI and be a bit more
trouble, wiring wise.  Outdoor rated fans are also more expensive than
indoor rated fans.  An alternative to a ceiling fan would be a vent fan
in the side, like the kind poultry houses have, or something smaller,
but still, think a box fan built into the side of the shed to blow
across the wood.  Wiring that would be easier, t-ing off the same source
as the floodlight.  I guess it would still need to be GFI, though.

My dream woodshed isn't that fancy.  I would like something the same
size, on a concrete floor that could be swept out and would keep insects
down, with wood stacked on large pallets...lights galore, but only a
three sided structure, maybe 7 feet in height on the front, 6 in the
back.  I might put a cleanout door on the back, like the one on my
chicken coop, and that way, if I ever got a leaf blower, I could blow
any log debris right out the back without having to pull up the pallets
and sweep. :)

Bev


--
Bevanron of EarthNSky Farm   Sleep well tonight, for somewhere in the
ocean's depths, MY son is protecting YOUR freedom.