Front porch stack

[Linesider]

Last year I stacked about a 1/4 cord of wood on the front porch of my house, after doing some reading on the site, I am questioning if it should be stacked there. The porch is like a three seasons porch, fully enclosed but no heat. It gets cold out there in the winter months but I believe it stays above freezing being fully enclosed and with numerous windows. There's one door which leads into the room with the stove so stacking here seems logical and is highly convenient. My concerns are with bugs, invading. Maybe I'm bringing in too much wood to the above freezing location. We bring a small amount of wood into the house which we burn immediately, but being in this porch is being in the house for a bug. All my wood is covered, dry and seasoned for at least one year. I do notice a lot of dust on the covered wood, wood beetles? or maybe ants? The holes are real small, are these dangerous for your house?
My only other option would be to stack the 1/4 cord wood rack just outside, but then I have to walk outside once or twice a day to bring in enough wood to get through the day and I lose participation from the wife. There's also no convenient location for the rack off the porch. Think I'll be okay with this set up? Or not worth the risk?

 

[Tony H]

I would probably leave it outside if it were me but at the risk of loosing your help what about stacking it outside and getting some of those plastic bins and put the wood inside to bring it in the house and keep the lid on to reduce the chance of bugs dirt and dust from getting spread around the house. Once a day bring the bins out load the wood and set in the porch , or even better if you can get enough bins for 2-3 days burning and load them in as needed.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Powder post beetles is what causes the dust and tiny holes. One reason why I keep the wood away from the house. Some say if the wood is dry the beetles won't attack. That definitely is not true. Heck, we had them ruin a pair of handles on post hole diggers that were inside a building. I also have them in the woodpile and have noticed new powder on some 7 year old wood.

Keeping maybe 2 days worth on that porch should not cause a problem if the temperature is close to freezing. Otherwise, I'd keep it outside.

 

[Wet1]

I'm with Dennis on this one, I wouldn't store too much wood there.

 

[derecskey]

YMMV, but when I was a kid, my dad stacked a full cord inside a glassed in porch. It used to be screened in, but they added 5 glass sliding doors a few years later. This porch had a concrete floor with indoor outdoor carpet, but the concrete was suspended on piers, not a slab. I think this kept that porch colder in the winter. Just on the other side of the wall was the old wood burning stove (freestanding. Don't remember what it was. Early 80s vintage with a woodland scene on the front). This wood was stacked just a few inches off the wall between the porch and the house, which, like the exterior of the house was cedar lap siding, rough-sawn.

Did this for 20+ years.

Again, YMMV and IANAE.

 

[Linesider]

Thanks,
just kind of stumbled across this issue on the site, and after some reading, I may be better safe than sorry. I decided to purchase the Landmann 8' rack with cover, going to leave that outside the side door (which will be up against the house, but at least outside) and bring in just what I need for the day, maybe a little extra on the front porch.

 

[muncybob]

What if the wood is not brought inside until after a few hard frosts/freezing days?? Would a few weeks of inside above freezing temps bring bugs out after several days of below 30 degree temps? I had planned on waiting after several days of temps in the 20's and then bringing a weeks worth of wood at a time into the heated basement...am I inviting trouble?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

You can do that but what we have found is that soon you will be seeing some millers flying around. Also, you might find that cockroaches tend to like to get between any loose bark and the wood or even any knotholes. I doubt if you want to take a chance of that.