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.
Wood Storage inside the house
- Thread starter rodsauder
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wyeguy
Gold Member
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
Super Star Member
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.
On balance, it is not the best choice IMO.
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
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Not a good idea IMHO
dave1949
Super Star Member
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
Veteran Member
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
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.
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.
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
Veteran Member
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.
