Storing Firewood in Basement

[HillStreet]

I have a combination wood and coal stove. I have 3 tons of coal stockpiled in the basement (in bags) already. I was thinking about storing 2 or 3 cords of firewood in the basement too. Would bugs be a problem if I do that, I am thinking it could be there 3 or 4 years. I suppose the reason is that I am 67 and in the event of a health problem I could heat for a while without doing much work. Does anybody do this?

 

[ruffdog]

When I was young, we had a woodstove in the basement that heated the whole house. We would throw trailer loads through the little window and then stack it down there. We were always careful separating the "anty" wood that had the big black ants in it so that wood was burned right when it was carried in. Throwing the wood in knocked any bugs free and we would sweep up all the debris and toss it in the stove.

 

[TnAndy]

Been storing ours in the basement for 30+ years and never had a bug issue. It is stored in sheds outside after cut/split for 1-2yrs, then we move it to the basement usually in early fall. Many years, there is a cord or so leftover we don't use that year, and it sits there until the next re-stocking.

Pic has about 5 cords:

 

[farmeratheart]

We burn about 4 full cord of wood a year. The current season’s wood is stored in a woodshed about 200’ from the house. I bring a 2 day supply to the house with the FEL. When it is raining or snowing or the ground is too soft I burn from the cord stored in the basement. Been doing it for almost 20 years.

 

[kco]

I heat with wood using 5 to 6 full cords per year. I store no more than 5 to 7 days' wood at a time in the basement and rotate it so none sits more than 4 or 5 days. I do not store wood in or next to the house outside of the heating season. Long term storage will most likely lead to bug problems and mouse problems.

I am 10 years older than you and went through the same thoughts a few years ago. I've made changes over the last few years to keep the work manageable. The first project involved eliminate having to move the wood down 13 steps. It involved removing 5' of my deck paralleling those steps, cutting a hole through the concrete wall, putting in a wood chute, and pouring a sidewalk to it along the space freed-up by removing part of the deck. There was a ready-made alcove to receive the wood below the chute but it contained the water pressure tank and water heater. So these were relocated to another corner of the furnace room. The existing basement stairs had a roof but I replaced it with a larger one covering the new sidewalk north of the stairs, the stairs, and a main sidewalk south of the stairs.

I had storage for 2 full years' of wood but built another 20' x 30' pole shed to allow me to store another year's wood plus the tractor with pull-type snowblower and other equipment.

My original wood storage is about 100' from the wood chute and on level ground so I could use my 2 wheeled hand cart to get it to the wood chute. The new shed is 300' from the chute with a fairly steep uphill section. My original plan was to use my pallet forks to move large pallets of wood on dollies to the covered deck and roll it to the chute. I experimented with that this year. It was just possible but I knew I would eventually wreck something on the house. So this fall I bought an electric hand truck from Princess Auto ($800 cdn). It works perfectly and can be moved all the way to the wood chute.

Here are some photos:

1. testing moving with tractor:



2. Wood cart, stairs, sidewalks, deck, wood chute:



We have made other changes and will dream up more so that, given reasonable health, we'll go out of here feet-first when the time comes.

But, no, I don't think it is a good idea to store wood in your basement.

Cheers

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have been planning and working toward storing wood in a concrete fruit cellar. But I think I have to make ventilation changes. This can be a hassle as outdoor humidity and dew points are always changing. Storing firewood in a garage is great if you have the room to spare.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I heat with wood using 5 to 6 full cords per year. I store no more than 5 to 7 days' wood at a time in the basement and rotate it so none sits more than 4 or 5 days. I do not store wood in or next to the house outside of the heating season. Long term storage will most likely lead to bug problems and mouse problems.

I am 10 years older than you and went through the same thoughts a few years ago. I've made changes over the last few years to keep the work manageable. The first project involved eliminate having to move the wood down 13 steps. It involved removing 5' of my deck paralleling those steps, cutting a hole through the concrete wall, putting in a wood chute, and pouring a sidewalk to it along the space freed-up by removing part of the deck. There was a ready-made alcove to receive the wood below the chute but it contained the water pressure tank and water heater. So these were relocated to another corner of the furnace room. The existing basement stairs had a roof but I replaced it with a larger one covering the new sidewalk north of the stairs, the stairs, and a main sidewalk south of the stairs.

I had storage for 2 full years' of wood but built another 20' x 30' pole shed to allow me to store another year's wood plus the tractor with pull-type snowblower and other equipment.

My original wood storage is about 100' from the wood chute and on level ground so I could use my 2 wheeled hand cart to get it to the wood chute. The new shed is 300' from the chute with a fairly steep uphill section. My original plan was to use my pallet forks to move large pallets of wood on dollies to the covered deck and roll it to the chute. I experimented with that this year. It was just possible but I knew I would eventually wreck something on the house. So this fall I bought an electric hand truck from Princess Auto ($800 cdn). It works perfectly and can be moved all the way to the wood chute.

Here are some photos:

1. testing moving with tractor:

View attachment 635610

2. Wood cart, stairs, sidewalks, deck, wood chute:

View attachment 635611 View attachment 635612 View attachment 635613

We have made other changes and will dream up more so that, given reasonable health, we'll go out of here feet-first when the time comes.

But, no, I don't think it is a good idea to store wood in your basement.

Cheers

Looks like your dog may be able to bring the wood in for you. Lol. Albeit one piece at a time.

 

[Deere Dude]

I always seemed to get ants of some sort in wood and was very aggravated by it. Finally I started spraying the insecticide BIFEN I/T on it after each row. Spray lightly with a two gallon sprayer. Since then no bugs or spiders. In a house I definitely would spray the stack.

 

[HillStreet]

I always seemed to get ants of some sort in wood and was very aggravated by it. Finally I started spraying the insecticide BIFEN I/T on it after each row. Spray lightly with a two gallon sprayer. Since then no bugs or spiders. In a house I definitely would spray the stack.

I have Biden I/T already. I just may do that but will season the wood two years first. Not the least bit offended.

 

[Thomas]

I keep 3-4 cords in my basement but don't bring it in until first Nov. because of most insects,and no wood left in basement come warm weather.
Notice your wood split thinner than mine and to let your wood set 3-4 years your wood maybe dry out to much to get the heat.

 

[shooterdon]

I would not store that much in the basement but I have better options. If you do that, spray as suggested and get a bucket trap for the mice and you will be fine. A cat works too if you like the little critters. My buddy has a cat and mice do not stand a chance.

Not sure if it would work for you, but there is a 20 year old guy I use for heavy work/lifting. He can so more in an hour than I can in three and loves the extra cash.

Like you I am 69 and looking at how I can stay in the boonies as long as I can. I have found ways to minimize the work of using and storing wood as it is my main heat source. When I cannot find a way to do things myself, hiring out some of hardest jobs makes sense.

I use these to store and move wood. They are cheap and keep the rain and snow off. Saved me from building a carport to store my wood plus I can move the totes where ever I want when splitting or seasoning. Your tractor could not handle them but they might work for others.

 

[RNeumann]

I do, in my garage. I just spray some ortho home defense on it once or twice a year.

 

[Captain Dirty]

I have a combination wood and coal stove. I have 3 tons of coal stockpiled in the basement (in bags) already. . . . I suppose the reason is that I am 67 and in the event of a health problem I could heat for a while without doing much work. Does anybody do this?

When I was much younger my father and grandfather heated with coal and would have the coal bin(s) filled with enough bulk coal to get through the entire heating season. ("Only a poor man can afford to buy coal by the bushel" (or bag).) In neighboring town there is a dealer who still sells bulk coal. I would suggest that storing coal as a precaution against being unable to move wood would be more effective and less problematic than storing wood.

 

[Industrial Toys]

We had the odd coal delivery when I was a child. If I had my wood in the fruit cellar, next to the rec-room with wood stove, I would have a fire now, but as it is, I am too lazy to go out to the wood shed and carry the wood downstairs. A recipe for an accident too. So electric baseboard it is instead.

 

[Rustyiron]

No one has mentioned it, but other than the bug concern, putting "green" wood into basement is not a good idea at all unless you have a leaky old house. ONE cord of green red oak will put approximately 163 gallons of water (vapor) in your house as it dries. Not good for your house or at all. Dry / Green weight table
TNandy does it right drying it outside for 2 years, and forgive me if you were thinking the same. It just amazes me the people that I run into that do this, unaware that green hardwood is in the 25 - 35% range in weight percentage green vs. dry.

 

[dnw64]

I always had hesitation about storing wood in a warm space adjacent to living space. But I have an uncle who's been doing it for a good 40 years with no problems. He does air dry it outside, 1 year truly outside and another year under cover, so it's pretty dry; not sure how much impact that has. Also, not sure how picky he is about what kind of wood he processes. Regardless, I guess I can say that it CAN be done, but be careful. No amount of convenience is worth losing your whole house.

 

[oosik]

We burned wood for the first ten years we were here. Never had more that two days worth in the house. Kept it in one of those big vertical tubular steel storage rounds. Had 6 to 8 cords out in the woodshed. One hundred feet from the house.

After ten years we quit burning wood. Pellets were cheap then. One of the major reasons we quit - the amount of dirt, dust, volcanic ash, bark & stink bugs that came in with the wood. I TRULY liked everything about burning firewood except the mess it brought in the house.

We are not prudes either but a mess is a mess and we were constantly having to clean.

I never realized how much volcanic ash( Mt St Helen's - 1980) was still trapped in the bark of our pine trees. The first big old ancient Ponderosa pine I fell in 1982 left a grey "trail" in the air as it fell. It became very obvious when the tip of the chain saw looked like a kids 4th of July sparkler. Debarking before cutting to length became mandatory.

 

[TnAndy]

No one has mentioned it, but other than the bug concern, putting "green" wood into basement is not a good idea at all unless you have a leaky old house. ONE cord of green red oak will put approximately 163 gallons of water (vapor) in your house as it dries. Not good for your house or at all. Dry / Green weight table
TNandy does it right drying it outside for 2 years, and forgive me if you were thinking the same. It just amazes me the people that I run into that do this, unaware that green hardwood is in the 25 - 35% range in weight percentage green vs. dry.

Wood shrinks quite a bit as it dries too. I store my fresh cut stuff in "4 cord sheds" around the farm. Stack the wood into the rafters when filling, and by the time I go to move into the basement, there will be a foot to 18" of space between the top of the stack and the rafter !

Also mark the sheds so I know the date they were filled.....memory tends to fade.

 

[s219]

Wood shrinks quite a bit as it dries too. I store my fresh cut stuff in "4 cord sheds" around the farm. Stack the wood into the rafters when filling, and by the time I go to move into the basement, there will be a foot to 18" of space between the top of the stack and the rafter !

Same here with the wood shed I built in January 2019 -- stacked it to the rafters and it has dropped quite a bit. After the first year, the pile has dropped 12", which amazed me. I expect by next year it will be down another 6". Amazing how much volume the wood loses as it dries out.

 

[gstrom99]

I heat with wood using 5 to 6 full cords per year. I store no more than 5 to 7 days' wood at a time in the basement and rotate it so none sits more than 4 or 5 days. I do not store wood in or next to the house outside of the heating season. Long term storage will most likely lead to bug problems and mouse problems.

I am 10 years older than you and went through the same thoughts a few years ago. I've made changes over the last few years to keep the work manageable. The first project involved eliminate having to move the wood down 13 steps. It involved removing 5' of my deck paralleling those steps, cutting a hole through the concrete wall, putting in a wood chute, and pouring a sidewalk to it along the space freed-up by removing part of the deck. There was a ready-made alcove to receive the wood below the chute but it contained the water pressure tank and water heater. So these were relocated to another corner of the furnace room. The existing basement stairs had a roof but I replaced it with a larger one covering the new sidewalk north of the stairs, the stairs, and a main sidewalk south of the stairs.

I had storage for 2 full years' of wood but built another 20' x 30' pole shed to allow me to store another year's wood plus the tractor with pull-type snowblower and other equipment.

My original wood storage is about 100' from the wood chute and on level ground so I could use my 2 wheeled hand cart to get it to the wood chute. The new shed is 300' from the chute with a fairly steep uphill section. My original plan was to use my pallet forks to move large pallets of wood on dollies to the covered deck and roll it to the chute. I experimented with that this year. It was just possible but I knew I would eventually wreck something on the house. So this fall I bought an electric hand truck from Princess Auto ($800 cdn). It works perfectly and can be moved all the way to the wood chute.

Here are some photos:

1. testing moving with tractor:

View attachment 635610

2. Wood cart, stairs, sidewalks, deck, wood chute:

View attachment 635611 View attachment 635612 View attachment 635613

We have made other changes and will dream up more so that, given reasonable health, we'll go out of here feet-first when the time comes.

But, no, I don't think it is a good idea to store wood in your basement.

Cheers

You have a picture and/or more details about that hand truck? I can't find any that are less than $2k US...