I will NOT be storing my wood in the basement next year!

[Chris S]

Re: Storing wood in a basement

I also have fought fires started by errant wood burning appliances. We put them all out , some turned into structure fires. Most that I can remember were from heat conduted to places that it shouldn't have ( improper installation, or storage of combustibles too close to the appliance)

When I burned wood in my basement, I usually kept between 1/4 & 1/2 cord nearby at the ready, and I installed 2 sprinlker heads. One right over the boiler, and one over the wood pile, with a ball valve to shut them off in case somebody accidentally broke them. My house was on a well, but I know that water would help a lot until the FD arrived. With fire sprinklers becoming mandatory in new construction soon, they should be fairly easy to get.

Chris

 

[maplewood]

I store 8.5 cord in my basement, 5+ feet from the wood boiler. We've always stored wood in the house - for at least 4 generations. For the first week we sometimes have a little extra moisture on the windows, but it's just surface water coming off - the wood is seasoned properly. I used to put a dehumidifier in the middle of the pile, positioned over a floor drain, but it stopped shedding water after that first week or two.
As far as bugs go: sometimes a couple of 1/2" flying things, never ants, and sometimes a couple dozen tiny flies come to my basement shower ceiling light. They die and fall onto the shower stall floor, and are washed away when the kids take their morning shower. (A shower that gets its water from my domestic coil inside the boiler.)
By the way, I live in a log kit home, with no air exchanger (I've got log walls - who needs an exchanger!) and all wood (no sheetrock, wall board or paint).
Happy burning!

 

[ikessky]

I only have half the room in my basement for wood as I did last year. I can also say another thing for certain. My wood was less than fully seasoned last year. I've worked hard this spring and early summer to get as much wood cut as I can. I still have some large maples to take down, but they will be in a pile for next year. I'm pretty confident that this year's burning will be much better.

 

[ccwhite]

I had 3 cords at a time stacked in the basement last year. More than ever before because I got rid of the oil tanks. I'm reworking it for this year so I can get a little over 4 cords in. I'll stack another 1.5 - 2 cords just outside the basement door. I've never had a problem with moisture aside from a little when bringing in wood in the winter with snow and ice on it and that goes away in a day or two with just a fan blowing on the pile. If I could get rid of some more junk I'd put 2 more cords inside and I would be set for the winter.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I'd put 2 more cords inside and I would be set for the winter.

I'm with you Charlie. As soon as I am done with the house and get the boiler in the lower level, there is going to be wood storage inside for the entire season.