Indoor Wood Storage

[lukem]

Installing stove in basement (yes, to heat basement) and have a unique wood storage situation. On one end of basement there is a small room which was previously used to house pool pump, heater, and filter. Pool is long gone so the room is unused. Measurements are 5' high, 10' long, and 8' wide. I figure I can get about 1.5 cord of wood in there and still have room to maneuver. There's a hole in the ceiling in the back corner of room that's been capped. Plan is to remove cap and install collar and removable lid over hole.

Pull truck up next to hole and drop in wood. Repeat as necessary.

Obviously won't try to season wood down there, but beats carrying it down the basement stairs a little at a time. Anyone see any downside to this...seems like a no-brainer to me.

 

[agartner]

Installing stove in basement (yes, to heat basement) and have a unique wood storage situation. On one end of basement there is a small room which was previously used to house pool pump, heater, and filter. Pool is long gone so the room is unused. Measurements are 5' high, 10' long, and 8' wide. I figure I can get about 1.5 cord of wood in there and still have room to maneuver. There's a hole in the ceiling in the back corner of room that's been capped. Plan is to remove cap and install collar and removable lid over hole.

Pull truck up next to hole and drop in wood. Repeat as necessary.

Obviously won't try to season wood down there, but beats carrying it down the basement stairs a little at a time. Anyone see any downside to this...seems like a no-brainer to me.

I guess the only downside I would see is perhaps a problem with critters and creepy-crawlies that get hauled in along with your wood. I keep a few days of cordwood in my breezeway and haven't had an issue, but I'm rotating it out pretty quickly.

-A.
Kent Sherwood

 

[Northern NH Mike]

I stack about 2/3rd of a cord of seasoned maple in my unheated garage each fall. It is stored outside all summer and we have to unstack, move and restack to get it in the garage. That allows us to be sure we are not transplanting any rodents who nested. Last year no troubles with insects or rodents. This year I did notice some dead ladybugs in one section of the stack; they swarmed after we stacked and I figure they tried to take residence in the pile. I wonder of the difference between a heated and unheated storage area would make a difference with insects that might be in the wood.

 

[lukem]

I finally got around to this project yesterday.

Dug and exposed the hole in the ceiling of said room. I was a little nervous about getting the old cap off because there was so much mastic holding it down. I beat on it for a while but ended up having to use my floor jack and a 4x4 post to push it out. Went to concrete supplier and got pre-cast septic riser collar and lid and will install tonight.

In the mean time I've threw about 1.5 cord of some of my shoulder season wood (yellow poplar) down there. I'm hoping not to have to refill it until the end of November. It's really hard to say because the weather varies so much around here. The whole time I loaded the room I kept thinking to myself "I can't believe I carried all that wood down the stairs last year".

Last winter wood refill process was wheel barrow from shed to back door for 150 yards. Carry down basement stairs and load into wood ring next to stove. I had to do this about every other day.

New process: load 4x8 trailer with cattle panels up (1/2 cord per load)...pull from shed w/lawn mower...remove lid to access hole...throw in wood. Total cost $60 and two hours.

Side note:

The weather is *finally* moderating (it seems like it has been 90* every day since May) so it's time to start cutting for next year. Going to get a start on that this weekend. Need to c/s/s about 4 cord and I'll be in good shape. This is in addition to the 2.5 I already have for next year.

Got a huge score of free red oak from guy at work. Tree service is coming out and dropping/limbing/cutting to length what I am estimating to be at least 5 cord. All I have to do is haul 10 miles, split and stack. No charge. This will be for '12/'13 heating season.

I'm pumped...feels good to be able to get outside and do something constructive again.

 

[mayhem]

I started by indoor wood storage with 2 pallet's worth of floor space used. Stacked it tight and just about up to the ceiling. It was a doable but long reach for me to get the top wood down, totally unusable for my wife. I figured I put about a cord there since it was pretty tall.

Worked so well I expanded my storage. I now keep about 3 cords in the basement in a couple of stacks. I'll use up most of one and then when I shoft over to the backup stack I'll bring more in from the cold and let it acclimate and drip dry from the snow.

I've never had a problem with critters. I place a perimeter of insect death around it...spray a line of insect barrier around the outside perimeter and I toss a couple packages of those little any bait house things.

 

[Bspring]

Sounds like you found a great solution.

 

[Chargerman]

I have stored anywhere from 1.5 cords in my garage to several cord in my previous home's basement and never had critter problems. I am also planning to cut an access hatch in a room off the garage and build a wood storage room down in my basement for my second stove just as you did.

 

[lowroadacres]

In our old home we used to slide up to two cords down a wood chute into a rough old basement.

One of the things we had was lots of ventilation in the room. No matter how dry one gets their firewood I would suggest that there will always be some humidity issues. If I were you I would think that adding some airflow through the room would be wise. Maybe you already have enough airflow.

Without being too much of a smart aleck... maybe you should look at installing a dehumidifier so you can dry the wood out in that room

In many ways I wish that I had room for indoor wood storage but more to the point would be a woodshed near the house with a nice south exposure.

 

[oldspark]

If you have wood in a basement with a wood burner the wood is going to dry fast.

 

[free75degrees]

I have been putting 4 cords in my basement for 2 winters now. No critter problems. I have a rolling rack that holds 2 days worth of wood and I roll it up near the boiler so each load has had a couple days of toasty drying. I also run a fan from the boiler towards the piles. If the wood is wet, then the windows get some condensation, but it only lasts a couple weeks, then I know they must be getting dry.

 

[Cowboy Billy]

My wood burner is in the basement too. I pop the window out and toss it in and have been doing that the last nine years. I only put about two face cords at a time but haven't had and problems with critters. It was a pain as kids at dads house taking it down the stairs. The best way we found was put it in a plastic 30 gal garbage can and slide it down the stairs.

Billy

 

[Bobbin]

We've been known to put middling cured wood in the boiler room for a week/two/three; dries quickly and as long as we knock pcs. together before bringing them in we don't have issues with our little insect friends. But our wood supply is typically stacked outdoors, under a filon roof on the west side of the house.

 

[lukem]

I have a rolling rack that holds 2 days worth of wood and I roll it up near the boiler so each load has had a couple days of toasty drying.

This is my next project...not so much for drying...but to get it from the "wood room" to the stove. It's about a 30' haul. Thought about getting one of those 4 wheel steel mesh cart and putting a bottom in it to contain the mess but am leaning towards building something out of wood now. I got a while to figure it out...

 

[ChrisNJ]

I have a rolling rack that holds 2 days worth of wood and I roll it up near the boiler so each load has had a couple days of toasty drying.

This is my next project...not so much for drying...but to get it from the "wood room" to the stove. It's about a 30' haul. Thought about getting one of those 4 wheel steel mesh cart and putting a bottom in it to contain the mess but am leaning towards building something out of wood now. I got a while to figure it out...

I got from tractor supply a metal 2x2x4 cattle water thing and slide it around the basement on a dolly I also got there, holds quiet a bit of dirt and bark from getting all over. Not sure of the exact size of the thing but it holds 2 heaping wheel barrow loads of splits for me. I throw splits down chute into the cattle thing and push across basement to furnace area. Also good for keeping tabs on any potential bug problems.

 

[savageactor7]

Always interesting to read of all the different solutions to our wood handling obstacles.

 

[Mike PA]

Great solution! I bring my wood in at about 2/3 cord at a time and stack it in my basement. I like to do this because it allows the wood to dry a little from being in the elements (wood is seasoned, but may be wet). I do occassionally bring in some carpenter ants, so it is worth being careful about what comes in. My wood placement is near my stove, so if I start getting active ants, I'm there enough to see them and utilize their btu's.

 

[lukem]

I'm keeping an eye for ants, but didn't see a single one as I loaded the room. Not to say they won't "come out of the wood"work, but I don't think it will be an issue. I put down some insect barrier just to be on the safe side.

If anybody has a design for a rolling wood bin, perhaps on casters or something, I'd love to hear what you came up with. I want it to look a little nicer than a mesh wagon or tub since it will be sitting in full view except for reloading it from the wood room.