Wood Storage inside the house

[rodsauder]

I am considering storing wood in the basement of my house. I was looking for input or tips. Is this a good idea? I wondered if I needed to be concerned about bugs,mold,??? Any and all input would be appreciated.

 

[wyeguy]

Firewood? Lumber? I'd never store firewood in or near my house because of termites. A small cache of lumber I wood, er, I mean would!

 

[dave1949]

Depends on the basement. If it is dry and and well ventilated, that helps. I would be very picky about the wood brought in. It should be clean, solid, no rot, no bugs. If it was first seasoned outdoors for a year under cover, that would reduce the bug carry-in issues.

On balance, it is not the best choice IMO.

 

[rodsauder]

OK. sorry forgot to mention, yes it is firewood. The basement is very dry and I was thinking that I could air dry outside for first year then I was going to make a chute to drop wood into basement, store in on pallets . I plan on having a dehumidifier running ( does anyway ) and figured it would really be good and dry for when I take it into the adjoining room where a wood burning furnace is.

 

[murphy1244]

Not a good idea IMHO

 

[dave1949]

If you wait until frosty weather before putting wood in the basement, and remove any leftover wood in the spring, that would reduce the chance for problems. Basements are more humid and condensation prone in summer.

 

[srs]

I am considering storing wood in the basement of my house.

Rodsauder, I'll give you my 2 cents on storing firewood inside the house. In my old house I had a stone fireplace in the living room with a built-in wood bin next to fireplace. Sooooo I decided to bring a load of firewood inside and put it in the wood bin and just leave it there more for looks as I was bringing other wood from outside to burn. I did all of this in cold weather. Well since the house was warm I guess the "hundreds" of ants inside the wood which was stored in the wood bin decided it was springtime and started to leave the wood. Next thing you know I've got ants all over the fireplace, hearth, etc. Fortunately I was there to witness this and was able to vacuum all the ants up. The ants were inside the bark area. So, as others have said I don't think it is a good idea to store inside the basement or next to the house. Could be termites inside too! That's another story in itself which I also had. Nothing like living in the woods! Stanley

 

[GLyford]

My dad stored wood in his basement for 7 or 8 years, then was chasing carpenter ants for decades after. My understanding is that termites are worse.

In addition to ants, we'd sometimes find mouse nests, even though his basement was reasonably tight.

You don't always see when there are bugs involved. I had a birch log on my woodpile I decided to split before I brought it inside. It looked perfect, no visible defects at all. When I split it open the entire inside volume had been hollowed out by ants, they just didn't touch the outside surface or the sawcut ends. You just can't tell by looking.

I have a woodshed that holds about 3 cords, maybe 100' from the hourse. I have a ramp I use to get up the 3 stairs to the back deck, then I just throw a half round at the base of the slider so it is easier to get the wheelbarrow over the single step up to inside and then I can get to only a few feet from the rack next to the fireplace. If the snow is too deep to run the wheelbarrow, we'll either use an old round sheetmetal sled as a drag, or just carry it by the armload.

The rack by the fireplace is one of those 4' round ones, and there are days when having that much wood in the house still gives me the willies.

 

[rodsauder]

Ok, by the sounds of things , firewood storage in the house is a bad idea. I will not do it , as I have learned experience is the best teacher. It just does not have to be my experience. So, I will instead, build a wood shed which will face south, be approx 100' from the wood chute into the basement. I will make it big enough to store approx 3 bush cords and then I will just dump in enough wood as needed on a day to day basis. Does everyone agree that is the better way?

 

[kiotiken]

I am considering storing wood in the basement of my house. I was looking for input or tips. Is this a good idea? I wondered if I needed to be concerned about bugs,mold,??? Any and all input would be appreciated.

This year I bought firewood bags and put my wood on pallets. The bags are like giant onion bags and when they are full, you can stack them on top of each other. I built a dolly out of another skid and when I need wood, I grab another pallet with the tractor, put it on my pallet dolly and push it up against the back wall of my house. It sites just outside the back door on the deck covered with a tarp. When the wood holder inside is empty, I can fill it back up without ever getting out of my slippers.

The bags worked out to a couple bucks each and they're reusable. I split wood and throw it straight into the bag (I built a frame to hold it open). Saves my back and saves a lot of time, both stacking and hauling. The only problem is that a bag is almost a face cord and wet hardwood is getting close 2000 lbs / cord. I'm not sure what kind of tractor you have, but if yours could lift it, I highly recommend it, I'll never store wood any other way. Plenty of vids on youtube, just search firewood bags.

 

[jerrybob]

Don't do it.......bugs will be a problem. Up here.....I try to store firewood about 25ft. from any structure I care about.:2cents:

 

[MAN IN BLACK]

Well, for my part, I've been storing wood in the cold room in the basement for the past 20 years and never had an issue with it.
I use around 12 face cords per year hard wood only, the room holds about 16 cords when full....some has been sitting there for a few years !
I let it seasoned outside for a year before bringing it inside in the fall.

 

[vtsnowedin]

I do it all the time. I usually have a cord or better stacked against the wall opposite the wood furnace door. I'm too far north to worry about termites and carpenter ants need moisture so if any come in, in a stick they soon find there way out and back to their queen. The furnace drys out the wood and the moisture cuts down on running the humidifier upstairs when the fires are burning. The rest of the wood is stacked under the porch/deck on the other side of the same concrete basement wall. Yes it brings in a lot of dirt, sawdust, and bark chips that need sweeping up regularly but when it's thirty below and the middle of the night I want to be able to fill up the furnace wearing my slippers instead of suiting up and fighting my way through 100 feet of fresh snow drifts. Keep as much of the dirt and mess in the basement as you can though or Momma will set you straight.

 

[hr3]

I do it all the time. I usually have a cord or better stacked against the wall opposite the wood furnace door. I'm too far north to worry about termites and carpenter ants need moisture so if any come in, in a stick they soon find there way out and back to their queen. The furnace drys out the wood and the moisture cuts down on running the humidifier upstairs when the fires are burning. The rest of the wood is stacked under the porch/deck on the other side of the same concrete basement wall. Yes it brings in a lot of dirt, sawdust, and bark chips that need sweeping up regularly but when it's thirty below and the middle of the night I want to be able to fill up the furnace wearing my slippers instead of suiting up and fighting my way through 100 feet of fresh snow drifts. Keep as much of the dirt and mess in the basement as you can though or Momma will set you straight.

Ditto what he says I've done it for years too with no problems,, I wait till after the first hard frost then 5 cords goes in the cellar ...

 

[bxbuggy]

I stored a full season of wood in my basement one year. No mice or ants, got spiders though. Darn things spun webs between every floor joist. Very few ever came upstairs into the main living quarters. Now all my wood stays outside. I toss about a weeks worth in at a time now. My woodstove is in the basement.

 

[Chris from Ontario]

Well, for my part, I've been storing wood in the cold room in the basement for the past 20 years and never had an issue with it.
I use around 12 face cords per year hard wood only, the room holds about 16 cords when full....some has been sitting there for a few years !
I let it seasoned outside for a year before bringing it inside in the fall.

Same here, for 23 years. Fill up the basement Labour Day weekend then run the humidifier for a couple of months. This firewood has been drying outside in the woodshed for a year and I can get about five full cords inside. I'll burn a couple of rows before the snow gets too deep so I replenish what was burned at the beginning of the heating season and that will do me the rest of the winter. Some small spiders come in with the load but it gives the cats something to play with and doesn't bother me.
Much better than bringing in a bunch of freezing wood and having to burn even more wood to bring it up to room temperature. It even acts as a good heat sink for when the house is empty all day and the fire goes out.

 

[sam5570]

Ok, by the sounds of things , firewood storage in the house is a bad idea. I will not do it , as I have learned experience is the best teacher. It just does not have to be my experience. So, I will instead, build a wood shed which will face south, be approx 100' from the wood chute into the basement. I will make it big enough to store approx 3 bush cords and then I will just dump in enough wood as needed on a day to day basis. Does everyone agree that is the better way?

I have had wood heat for 30 years and my ppnion this the best way bring in as needed. glad to see your wood shed 100' from house should have no problem this way.

 

[dave1949]

I store about one cord of wood in my garage every year. It's been split and well dried long before I bring it in. Anything I split with ants in it goes to the fire pit pile. By the time I bring it in, a lot of the bark is falling off larger rounds and the bugs are gone because there is no shelter or moisture.

I've no experience with termites, but I understand they can do a lot of damage before you realize they are there. Carpenter ants can usually be tracked to their nest and gotten rid of. I have tracked them from my house out 100' across the yard to old stumps, etc. Catch them on a busy day and they are easy to track indoors or out because they follow a scent trail. Finding their nest is the best way to eliminate them.

 

[radioman]

My dad been doing it since mid seventies. He puts wood int he cellar and its kinda damp. There are spiders, and they are always doing sweeps and killing spiders. The wood they put in cellar is already seasoned, dry and good stuff. They dont touch the wood they put in cellar unless the weather goes bad like rain, snow, and darkness. They get wood from outside they pile on deck when they can. Having a large supply in basement always has been a nice comfort for us esp. when is 10 degrees and snowing .Spiders is dealable.
I am not certain of your plan for a chute, but most of the time we found that wooden chutes is just a pain in butt unless it was short and steep. We just put a large piece of plywood down and use that as a landing pad from wood we throw in the cellar door on floor.

 

[radioman]

My dad been doing it since mid seventies. He puts wood int he cellar and its kinda damp. There are spiders, and they are always doing sweeps and killing spiders. The wood they put in cellar is already seasoned, dry and good stuff. They dont touch the wood they put in cellar unless the weather goes bad like rain, snow, and darkness. They get wood from outside they pile on deck when they can. Having a large supply in basement always has been a nice comfort for us esp. when is 10 degrees and snowing .Spiders is dealable.
I am not certain of your plan for a chute, but most of the time we found that wooden chutes is just a pain in butt unless it was short and steep. We just put a large piece of plywood down and use that as a landing pad from wood we throw in the cellar door on floor.