OK To Stack Pellet Bags On Dry Basement Floor?

[Joey_C]

My basement is below grade and is pretty dry.
We have a tool closet that I'm considering to stack bags of pellets.


I can't fit a pallet under in the space I have so would it work to use a tarp as a vapor barrier on the concrete floor to protect the bottom bags from wicking moisture?

 

[Fish On]

You can do that. But you would Be better to have them off ground. So air can move around. It depends how long they will sit there.

Of course it may not even matter.

 

[Deezl Smoke]

In my opinion, you can do that and be fine. But as Fish On mentions, air movement would sure be a plus. Any small boards like even a 1x3 spaced a couple inches apart between the concrete and pellet bags would help keep the concrete from sweating in a temperature swing.

 

[vinny11950]

Maybe you can cut the pallet down to size if you have a sawzall. Otherwise, the tarp will help, just be prepared to find some funky pellets in that bottom row.

 

[Tonyray]

cinder blocks or bricks and a piece of plywood would do it..

 

[vinny11950]

cinder blocks or bricks and a piece of plywood would do it..

Why didn't I think of this... I lack imagination.

 

[Tonyray]

Why didn't I think of this... I lack imagination.

vinny,
I have more room than you but this is the gist of it..

 

[vinny11950]

vinny,
I have more room than you but this is the gist of it..View attachment 197931

I like the picture. Is that a lally column in your basement? I want to install a few more in my basement and I am debating pt wood or steel.

 

[Tonyray]

I like the picture. Is that a lally column in your basement? I want to install a few more in my basement and I am debating pt wood or steel.

yes...
1920's house...
holding up two 10"x6" beams going across basement..
wood is fine as long as bottom never gets wet, say from flood or whatever..
that piece was replaced about 5 years ago as bottom was starting to rot but held up maybe 90 years.
may have been flood there years ago.

 

[vinny11950]

may have been flood there years ago

More of a reason to lift the pellets off the floor. Though if your basement floods, a few bags of pellets is the least of your cost.

 

[Tonyray]

More of a reason to lift the pellets off the floor. Though if your basement floods, a few bags of pellets is the least of your cost.

got that right....
I will have 5 tons down there come fall..
all are on skids or 3/4 plywood which are sitting on blocks or bricks..
we have basement windows that come out so they drop the skids in our driveway and we transfer from the outdoor skids to the indoor skids.
believe it or not, takes about 10 minutes per ton transfer.

 

[Jonkman]

I would definitely put them on a skid or something with some air circulation...I put mine on the cement last year and the bottom bags were wet and half of the pellets in those bottom bags were expanded from the moisture they soaked in....Now I have them on skids...

 

[Joey_C]

Thanks for the suggestions. I got a bunch of bricks and pallet wood. Going to place the bricks down and the wood on top.. Sort of modified pallet.

 

[Tonyray]

I would definitely put them on a skid or something with some air circulation...I put mine on the cement last year and the bottom bags were wet and half of the pellets in those bottom bags were expanded from the moisture they soaked in....Now I have them on skids...

yep.. the pellets go back to Mama..eventually become sawdust again..

 

[Corey]

Don't forget to set up a CO detector anytime you're storing lots of pellets in a relatively small / enclosed space. Even if you have lots of 'air movement' that may not be the same as lots of 'fresh air exchange'. You don't want to get 'gassed' by your stash!

 

[Pete Zahria]

Felt paper.
A lot easier.

Dan

 

[Joey_C]

I've got them on wood slats which are placed in bricks stacked 15 bags high. Is there a problem stacking that many bags high?

 

[johneh]

I have never stacked over 8 feet ( reach factor )
I would think that at some point that there would be a crush factor
with the amount of weight involved but have no idea where !

 

[Tonyray]

damn.. my arms ache just thinkin bout those last few feet of stacking..
personally i see no problem with that long as they don't fall on you as u pull off a bag at a time..

 

[MCPO]

The crush factor with 15 bags high is definitely not an issue. Many pallets from Canada come stacked 15 high.

 

[vinny11950]

damn.. my arms ache just thinkin bout those last few feet of stacking..

It will pump you up!

 

[Tonyray]

It will pump you up!

View attachment 198167

yep.. that it will girlyman..

 

[bogieb]

16 high in the garage - that last row is very tough with a less than 8' tall ceiling, and 14 high in the basement (the pallet on the right is 6 bags per row). I covered the pallets with some scrap 3/8" plywood to ensure any weak points in the pallets would be covered. The step stool is invaluable once you get to a certain point.

I moved 5 tons from the yard to the garage and basement on Sunday - all the okies in the garage were already there. Since I had to handle each bag twice (throw into truck, drive to garage door, then carry into house/garage), I lifted 10 tons. Yeah, I'm a girl.

 

[vinny11950]

That's a very serious stash.

 

[Pete Zahria]

I lifted 10 tons. Yeah, I'm a girl.

Dan