Basement wood storage

I did before I finished my basement. The problems I found were yes bugs mainly spiders. But my big problem was most basements can be humid or damp and I would get an odor of mold in the house. I just don't feel it is good for your indoor air. Dose anyone it the family have allergies or sensitive to such odors?

I keep about 1.5-2 cords in the unfinished basement. No bug issues, but I did lay out a whole package of those any trap things around the pile and under the pallets.

Basement gets a bit wood smelly when I first bring it in, but its always been a dry, dusty room so the moisture helps it a bit and the smell goes after about a week or so from fresh splitting.

I store 1-1.5 cords in my unfinished basement. I have the kids start bringing it in from outside in October. I don't store any wood in the basement once the heating season is over. I don't have any problems with bugs.

For 30 years I have stored 7 or 8 full cords in my basement. I am snowed in in winter and did not want to have to deal with keeping a path open to the wood shed. I built a shoot so I just throw the rounds down and stack later. My basement is very dry because of our building methods and I think that is a prerequisite for keeping wood in your basement. We have no bug problems but I think everywhere is different and you should try it on a small scale first. The big advantage we have is there are no termites in our country.

to tell you the truth, I would say that any serious wood burner that will burn wood no matter waht the oil prices should invest in building something on the side of their house to store the wood. It just makes sence. Of course, I would also cut through the wall and put a exterior door in as well. I love being able to fill the wood ring simply wearing slippers no matter what the conditions are outside.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v697/ikessky/100_7451.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v697/ikessky/100_7452.jpg

I fit 4 cords in my basement. I haven't seen an increase in bugs, but my dehumidifiers have been filling up quicker. I went from emptying them once a day to 2-3 times per day. I will shut them down completely once I start burning the stove though.

I'm thinking about building a lean-to off the back of the house next year to store my wood under. The only reason I'm really thinking about this is to free up a little room to put my freezers in. My other basement rooms are getting a little crowded.

I started storing in the basement this year. No problem so far.

Think increased fire load. A small basement fire will turn into an inferno rather quickly. I don't know about possible insurance ramifications but maybe one of our members may know. Be safe.
Ed

As long as proper clearances are maintained, I don't see what the issue would be with your insurance. What's the difference between a wood pile and having the walls be cedar or knotty pine?

ikessky said:

As long as proper clearances are maintained, I don't see what the issue would be with your insurance. What's the difference between a wood pile and having the walls be cedar or knotty pine?

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BTUs

JonOfSunderland said:

I'm sold! Though I will definitely get some insect bait/traps...

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Cats.

ikessky said:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v697/ikessky/100_7451.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v697/ikessky/100_7452.jpg

I fit 4 cords in my basement. I haven't seen an increase in bugs, but my dehumidifiers have been filling up quicker. I went from emptying them once a day to 2-3 times per day. I will shut them down completely once I start burning the stove though.

I'm thinking about building a lean-to off the back of the house next year to store my wood under. The only reason I'm really thinking about this is to free up a little room to put my freezers in. My other basement rooms are getting a little crowded.

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i have an old well pipe in my basement so i ran a garden hose to it from my dehumidifier. never have to empty it again you should try to do something like this.

JonOfSunderland said:

I'm sold! Though I will definitely get some insect bait/traps...

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hey you wouldn't be from sunderland mass... would you???

Wouldn`t be for me. I bring my wood in from the covered deck just outside the basement door. My tote holds about 1.4 cu.ft.After adding to the insert there is usually still some wood in the tote. And today-actually not more than an hour ago I just stomped on a carpenter ant.

No, they are not roaming freely about the house. Obvioulsy, it was in the tote and awakened by the heat change. I briefly worked in "pest control" for a year in 1978 and can tell you that anything you can do to prevent termites or carpenter ants into your home is a plus.

Those "wood chompers" are not inexpensive to get rid of. And it is a myth that carpenter ants only chew wet wood. Once a colony is established, they will eat anything (including styrofoam) in order to keep expanding it. As the colony grows, they will chew thru just about anything to keep it growing.

And worst of all-depending on where you live? Most chemicals that are still allowed to be used in eradication have a residual of no more than 30 days. Whereas, when I worked briefly in the industry, we mostly used lindane which has a LIFETIME resuidual provided it is not exposed to sunlight or moisture.