Indoor wood storage

[Bushels20]

how are you all storing wood inside during the burning season? I have a unique setup in that I have to haul wood down steps no matter how you slice the pie. Unless I want to drop the splits through a window into a log box (which I tried one year) but it was too messy and the window being open was too cold.

Looking to maximize the storage by the insert while also pleasing the wife with the aesthetics.

Thought about building a rack out of galvanized plumbing. Any other ideas? Open to whatever.

 

[redmanlcs]

Living in a mobile home with a wood burning stove, storing firewood in the home is really a challenge as space is very limited. I have no covered woodshed so my firewood is damp if not wet most of the time during the winter. I have two stacks of wood in the home, and rotate them as follows.

Bring wood in from outside and stack along the wall near the stove to dry a couple days before burning. When that is dry I stack it along another wall on a home made firewood rack. When the rack is full, i bring in another load to stack near the stove to dry. I do this all winter.

The wood makes a mess and we constantly have to sweep up the mud, debris, etc. I feel your wife's pain and frustration.
Options include:

1. build a rack----- make taller more sturdy stacks, will still have mud/debris/bark to cleanup.
2. stack the wood on the floor---- not only debris, but think about scratching your floor or ruining your carpet.
3. leave wood outside---- minimal mess but for me that means burning wet wood.
4. Store on porch--- I would do that if I had a porch to stack it on. I hate going out in the cold every time i need a piece though.
5. don't burn wood--- wife will love not having the mess.... gas/electricity is costly tho isn't that why we burn wood?

I may have ran off on this but I still get what your thinking... I would say build a nice pretty rack... Unless you have a ton of space, I don't see any way to store more than 2-4 days worth of wood at a time, and that can be a lot if your burn full time like me.

By the way, I pack my wood in right through the front door, along with the mud that falls off my boots, yea my wife don't like that either... good luck!!

 

[Bushels20]

Living in a mobile home with a wood burning stove, storing firewood in the home is really a challenge as space is very limited. I have no covered woodshed so my firewood is damp if not wet most of the time during the winter. I have two stacks of wood in the home, and rotate them as follows.

Bring wood in from outside and stack along the wall near the stove to dry a couple days before burning. When that is dry I stack it along another wall on a home made firewood rack. When the rack is full, i bring in another load to stack near the stove to dry. I do this all winter.

The wood makes a mess and we constantly have to sweep up the mud, debris, etc. I feel your wife's pain and frustration.
Options include:

1. build a rack----- make taller more sturdy stacks, will still have mud/debris/bark to cleanup.
2. stack the wood on the floor---- not only debris, but think about scratching your floor or ruining your carpet.
3. leave wood outside---- minimal mess but for me that means burning wet wood.
4. Store on porch--- I would do that if I had a porch to stack it on. I hate going out in the cold every time i need a piece though.
5. don't burn wood--- wife will love not having the mess.... gas/electricity is costly tho isn't that why we burn wood?

I may have ran off on this but I still get what your thinking... I would say build a nice pretty rack... Unless you have a ton of space, I don't see any way to store more than 2-4 days worth of wood at a time, and that can be a lot if your burn full time like me.

By the way, I pack my wood in right through the front door, along with the mud that falls off my boots, yea my wife don't like that either... good luck!!

First thing that crosses my mind....why is your wood wet in the winter and drying in your house? Space inside or not, it’s too bad you’re trying to dry your splits inside. There are some very cheap online sites for tarps. Too cover those splits during the winter!

After that, I agree with you. Burning full time, it’s hard to get much more than 2-4 days worth of wood in the house. I would say I burn close to a wheel barrow full a day. 6-7 splits a stove load times 3 loads a day. 21 splits a day times (the average of 2-4 days) of 3 is 63 splits. That’s a lot!

So...I’m hoping for something that will hold 3-4 days worth. At best. 4 would be ideal. That’s less than one fill of the rack a week.

 

[redmanlcs]

shoot... enough tarps to cover all my wood...... then replace every year... i could buy a new saw...... lol... tarps don't last long enough.. we have high winds here that shred them like paper.... plus the sun degrades them..... i need a covered shed is what i need... lol

 

[johneh]

I think if it were me and I didn't like the continual mess I would be
switching to a pellet stove Or build a shed outside to put your wood into
and bring in a day's worth of wood every morning and putting it in a small
rack by the stove then you would only have a small mess.

 

[Bushels20]

shoot... enough tarps to cover all my wood...... then replace every year... i could buy a new saw...... lol... tarps don't last long enough.. we have high winds here that shred them like paper.... plus the sun degrades them..... i need a covered shed is what i need... lol

I have had some pretty good lucky with bungee cords and tarps. Use the eyelets on the tarps to attach the bungees. Keeps the wind from beating them up. Only top cover what you will use during the burning season.s Maybe give it a shot! Could make your burning experience a lot better.

Now...back to the indoor wood rack. To be clear, I expect a mess. Not worried about that.

Ideas????

 

[Sawset]

I'm trying to think what I would do if the stove here were in the basement. Inside stairs, large window to the outside, - . Right now I have a cart that can go from the back door to the first floor stove, holds 2 wheelbarrow full, sweep a little, run a mop around, done for 3-6 days.
I would not carry wood down stairs. I would do something similar as now, but, near the window, a bin on wheels of some sort, asthetic enough to have in the house, yet mobile. Open the window, run in enough wood, sweep up, close everything up, roll it near the stove and consider it done. Never mind the cold room for a while. Close the doors if need be. Get some hard flooring near there that is easy to clean.
Back home back in the day they would shovel coal through the basement window into a bin. Or fill the outside cellar way with wood, then access it from inside. There are ways, but running up and down stairs wouldn't be a good way.
The current cart I have holds 2 wheelbarrows, 3' x 3' high. 4.5 x 4 would hold double that.
Make up a sheetmetal slide for in the window, have someone stack as you go inside.

 

[Bushels20]

I'm trying to think what I would do if the stove here were in the basement. Inside stairs, large window to the outside, - . Right now I have a cart that can go from the back door to the first floor stove, holds 2 wheelbarrow full, sweep a little, run a mop around, done for 3-6 days.
I would not carry wood down stairs. I would do something similar as now, but, near the window, a bin on wheels of some sort, asthetic enough to have in the house, yet mobile. Open the window, run in enough wood, sweep up, close everything up, roll it near the stove and consider it done. Never mind the cold room for a while. Close the doors if need be. Get some hard flooring near there that is easy to clean.
Back home back in the day they would shovel coal through the basement window into a bin. Or fill the outside cellar way with wood, then access it from inside. There are ways, but running up and down stairs wouldn't be a good way.
The current cart I have holds 2 wheelbarrows, 3' x 3' high. 4.5 x 4 would hold double that.
Make up a sheetmetal slide for in the window, have someone stack as you go inside.

The picture attached to your post, is that the “cart” you make reference to? I like the idea of having something on casters. I could wheel it to my garage door across the hardwood and tile floor. I could also make it large enough to store 2 wheelbarrows full like you did.

The stairs I have to move wood down are only 4 steps. And if I could wheel the cart to the garage door, I could actually just toss the splits down from the racks in the garage to the door which has a concrete floor. So no hauling down steps. Just tossing them stacking on the cart and then rolling across the floor.

 

[Sawset]

That's the cart. I can snake it around the rooms, hall and furniture pretty quickly, even with a load. It makes a possibly hard problem very fast and easy. Same here - hardwood all the way to the garage/utility room door. Throw down a bunch in the garage, carry in to the cart, wheel through the house. I have a 2ft broom in the garage, 2ft mop in the house. If need be I can lay down a sheet in the utility room where I'm carrying, then just drag it out and shake it out in the garage when done. That way any salt snow or other junk stays out. By the time wood is on the cart, it's pretty well shaken off and free of loose bark etc.

 

[Bushels20]

That's the cart. I can snake it around the rooms, hall and furniture pretty quickly, even with a load. It makes a possibly hard problem very fast and easy. Same here - hardwood all the way to the garage/utility room door. Throw down a bunch in the garage, carry in to the cart, wheel through the house. I have a 2ft broom in the garage, 2ft mop in the house. If need be I can lay down a sheet in the utility room where I'm carrying, then just drag it out and shake it out in the garage when done. That way any salt snow or other junk stays out. By the time wood is on the cart, it's pretty well shaken off and free of loose bark etc.

I think this whole idea will pass the wife test!

 

[blades]

look up repurposed billboard tarps, those last several years. they are not those flimsy things from the box stores. Mine are over 6 years old and still going strong.

 

[Sawset]

look up repurposed billboard tarps, those last several years. they are not those flimsy things from the box stores. Mine are over 6 years old and still going strong.

This it? Need to keep that in mind.
(broken link removed)

 

[NorthernFireplaceFool]

I use this area inside my back door for my storage between the wood stacks outside and the living room fireplace. It's dry and i leave my boots in there anyway. I just grab a handful at a time for the fireplace. Concrete floor so I don't care about dirt,wood, mud, salt etc.

 

[blades]

Tarps-That is one, there is/ was another similar concern out of MN.

 

[SpaceBus]

I get large ikea bags on Amazon. They look like blue tarps made into bags. No mess, no crap everywhere, easy. I can usually drag 50 lbs in at a time which is enough for a day.

 

[Bushels20]

That's the cart. I can snake it around the rooms, hall and furniture pretty quickly, even with a load. It makes a possibly hard problem very fast and easy. Same here - hardwood all the way to the garage/utility room door. Throw down a bunch in the garage, carry in to the cart, wheel through the house. I have a 2ft broom in the garage, 2ft mop in the house. If need be I can lay down a sheet in the utility room where I'm carrying, then just drag it out and shake it out in the garage when done. That way any salt snow or other junk stays out. By the time wood is on the cart, it's pretty well shaken off and free of loose bark etc.

I got completely inspired this morning after seeing your “cart” on wheels. Here is what I have so far after an hour in the garage with two little girls under 5 and 3 Coors Light while waiting on “Mommy” to get home. Everything was done in screws framing wise and finish nails otherwise. $0 spent. Had all the 2x4s from a recent remodel downstairs (notice the granite top and vanity in the photos) and the pallets from the stacks out back: I figure I will have $30 in some (good) casters for the bottom which I will set underneath the framing to hide them as best I can. I plan on using galvanized pipe as well for the “rack”. I’m in the insurance business, probably will find some, if not, will just buy some at Menards.

I made it 20” from front to back to catch the debris from the splits. I cut to 16”. Like Sawset said, chucking down the steps rids me of most of the debris but what’s left should rest on the 2” lip.

 

[Bushels20]

Here is the place in the room. Obviously, only partially finished.

Window above is the window I referenced in the previous post where we once dropped wood into a trunk from the back patio. Wind off the 300 acre corn field was brutal...

 

[Sawset]

I got completely inspired this morning after seeing your “cart” on wheels. Here is what I have so far after an hour in the garage with two little girls under 5 and 3 Coors Light while waiting on “Mommy” to get home. Everything was done in screws framing wise and finish nails otherwise. $0 spent. Had all the 2x4s from a recent remodel downstairs (notice the granite top and vanity in the photos) and the pallets from the stacks out back: I figure I will have $30 in some (good) casters for the bottom which I will set underneath the framing to hide them as best I can. I plan on using galvanized pipe as well for the “rack”. I’m in the insurance business, probably will find some, if not, will just buy some at Menards.

I made it 20” from front to back to catch the debris from the splits. I cut to 16”. Like Sawset said, chucking down the steps rids me of most of the debris but what’s left should rest on the 2” lip.

With beer comes inspiration.

 

[Bushels20]

With beer comes inspiration.

Tearing a pallet apart and saving the wood for something salvageable is no joke. All those people online my wife is always talking about have way more finesse than me. Of course their pallets probably haven’t been sitting on the ground holding cords of firewood for 3 years either...

 

[SpaceBus]

Tearing a pallet apart and saving the wood for something salvageable is no joke. All those people online my wife is always talking about have way more finesse than me. Of course their pallets probably haven’t been sitting on the ground holding cords of firewood for 3 years either...

Get a deck wrecker on Amazon. It changed my life.

 

[weatherguy]

Do a Google search for wood rack with piping. It's been on my to do list for awhile now but you can go to HD and buy piping and fittings and build a real cool firewood holder on casters, you can make any size you want, 1 days worth or 5-6 days. If done right would pass the wife test.