Basement Wood Storage

How much wood do you want to lug in when its colder than/snowin' like a bastard? That is the question.

Normally, I only keep a cradle of kindling inside. All of the big wood stays outside under the deck & top covered. My burner is in a walk out basement with a 6' slider. I really don't need a wood shed, the deck is 10 x 34.

velvetfoot said:

Is this done a lot with basement boilers? How much?
(I'm scoping out my workflow.)

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When I was using my hydronic insert I only kept the kindling inside.
The cord wood was outside.
For safety reasons and to keep the bugs out.

PassionForFire&Water said:

When I was using my hydronic insert I only kept the kindling inside.
The cord wood was outside.
For safety reasons and to keep the bugs out.

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I can store about 2/3 cord near boiler, but this year using a wheel barrow I bring in about 2 to 3 wheel barrows at a time (approx 2 says worth) and use as I need it loosely stacked near boiler. Because of the bugs, I never bring in unless outside temps less than freezing and clean regularly.

I used to have 3 weeks worth inside seperated in 2 stacks. That way any snow or ice that was on the wood had some additional time to dry. I rarely had bug issues unless I missed seeing some carpenter ants when splitting. A hornet or two slipped in every once in a while just to keep things exciting.
That said, I'm happy to not be bringing wood inside any longer.

I put my whole winters wood in my basement in late fall. Have done that for the 18 winters we've been here with no issues. Wouldn't do it any other way. Just make sure it's dry when it goes in.

Although critters are a primary reason for storing my wood outside one other more important issue for me is moisture. With a tight house you must be very careful about anything you bring into the house even with an HRV. Boiling a pot of pasta can soak the air and condense on colder surfaces like windows, etc.

My wood stays outside in wood sheds protected from the elements and my daily supply is wheeled in on my Harbor Freight wood cart every day without expending too much energy. No snow or ice is brought in.



The structure on the right holds 6 cords and the structure on the left holds 7 cords plus a Jeep wrangler. The cart just fits through one side of the basement door with little clearance on each side. The wood shed on the right is actually a chain link dog kennel left behind by the previous owner.

I store a season's worth under the deck outside the boiler room. There's a corrugated fiberglass 'roof' on the underside of the deck to keep the wood dry.

I keep 1-2 weeks worth in the boiler room and restock by passing it in through the window. Have to bang any pieces with fuzzy bark to knock off estivating mosquitoes.

I can keep 1/3 of a cord on steel carts with casters. Nice to have the wood in a nice dry area.

Fred, good use of the dog kennel.

henfruit said:

Fred, good use of the dog kennel.

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Well I had to use it for something since my dogs told me that staying in a kennel is beneath them. They think they're royalty.

Mine also.

If the boiler doesn't keep you warm, two huskies on the bed with my wife and I surely will! Royalty is indeed right.

I pull the stairs treads out of my bulkhead and load it up when needed with a wheelbarrow. I have solid core exterior door on the basement side so if there are any critters they tend to stay in the bulkhead. I long ago had a bilco door on this bulkhead but changed it out with a doghouse with a full size exterior door. I don't stack the wood, it just mounds up near the outside wall.

I bring in a little over a cord at a time. Its nice having a months worth down there. I can refill when its a nice day out.

I like to give freshly brought in wood a spray with bug killer from the local dollar store. ($2 a can) Sometimes ants will wake up as the wood warms.

hated having wood in the basement, partially why i opted to move my boiler into an outbuilding. plan to have 4 cord on each side of building after building lean-too's. potentially can fit 2 cord but have had at least 1 cord inside with the boiler and storage to make life easier on the wife.

From personal experience I believe a basement is about the worst place for much of anything.....too much moisture in most basements around my area. I'm in the rare class that brings 125% of a year's wood inside in the fall and never has to bear the cold for any wood fetching. I'm in a new house and the boiler and wood storage are on a slab on grade.

I had bugs the first winter, I sprayed the ants were all dead in two days. Now, I spray all of my wood as I bring it in in the fall, and have yet to have any bug problem. I do not, however, bring in any punky or otherwise questionable wood, that is for campfires and gets thrown in the "outside only" pile. I do run a bug-zapper light for a couple of weeks in the boiler room in the fall after bringing in the wood. Electricity is good at killing things...........

TS

I always keep an emergency supply of "storm fuel" in the basement.

I have a forced air wood furnace and have been storing a winter's supply of firewood in my basement for years. Before snowfall, my wife and I make a day (or two) out of it by hauling about 6-8 full cords into the basement. Initially we may get a few bugs but they disappear quickly. After about a month the wood is even drier from the dry winter air/wood heat in the basement. Our basement is not "finished" (just concrete floors and walls) with plenty of storage for wood.

When we had our old furnace, I would bring in a couple of cords at a time. We burned a bit of wood and that was the only way for it to last a while. Now we have a wood rack that holds about a 1/3 of a cord and that's all we bring in at a time.

About the same. Never had any bug problems. I keep it well elevated when it's outside drying - maybe we just don't have as many bugs to worry about here either, not sure. Don't know what a powder post beetle is, but we have ants & spiders.

You'll only see the remnants of powder post beetles in certain species of wood such as ash.