storing wood inside

[stovepipe?]

do people store their wood inside? Want to move a bunch of wood into my basement (am getting tired of battling the wind with my tarps), but am concerned about introducing wood-eating instects into the house.

also, any thoughts on whether seasoned but semi-wet wood will dry out better outside in the cold w/ sun and wind, etc or in my reasonably warm basement with limited air circulation.

thanks

 

[paulgp602]

(broken link removed to http://www.woodheat.org/firewood/firewood.htm)

 

[Eric Johnson]

I've stored wood in various basements for the past 25 years in northern NY State and never had any problems with bugs. Firewood dries better in a warm, dry environment than outside or in a place where it stays below freezing. A basement is a good choice because the relative humidity inside in most homes is very low in the winter, which helps it dry. And, like Dylan says, you can hook up a box fan if air circulation is a problem. Be sure to stack the wood with spaces in between the rows.

 

[got wood?]

I"m so paranoid about termites and such (105 year old house) that I only keep kindling in the garage these days in a metal lined wood box. Since I scrounge wood as well as pay for it I've seen my share of infested wood. I have an old metal wood 'hoop' on my porch that I can keep a fair amount of wood in for a couple of days, but that's about as close to the house as I like it. I've toyed with the idea of a larer wood box for inside somewhere, but that's a project for another season I guess.

 

[bruce]

i store about 2 weeks worth in my basement at a time, about 10 big wheelbarrow loads, never had a bud issue, in the summer i do scatter a handfull of ant/insect killer on my piles and around the ground just for peice of mind, works for me!

 

[wahoowad]

Maybe I am wrong but I was recently told that termites live in the ground and travel daily from the ground to the wood. If true, you could bring termites inside the house but they probably would not survive when they tried to leave the wood and find mother earth. Even more foggier, but also possibly true, is that they NEED to return to the ground for water I think.

I like the idea of lining a woodbox with sheetmetal. I plan to build a box and want to do this now.

 

[Todd]

Termites are not the only critters you bring into your house with fire wood. I have had spiders, lady bugs, beetles, carpenter ants, and other creepy crawly things. I only bring in 1 or 2 days worth of wood for that reason.

 

[Rhone]

I was brought under the impression wood has mold and mildew. Bringing in large amounts can be unhealthy. Following that philosophy the safe amount is based on the moisture content of the wood. Dry wood has less mold & mildew living on it so you can store more of it before reaching unhealthy levels vs wet wood which has higher concentrations.

 

[got wood?]

A buddy of mine has a woodbox/bench off his living room near his stove and he likes it so much he was thinking of opening a hole in the side of his house where this bench/box abuts so he could load it from the outside. I think it's a good idea on the surface, but I just imagine all the critters that will find a ride in each time he loads it and just shake my head. This fall we were felling some trees on my lot and took out a rotten apple tree that was infested (putting it mildly) with ants...it was something out of a horror show. I casually mentioned "imagine these critters hanging out in your woodbox" and I think that pushed him to reconsider.

He does like the idea of the metal lined box tho, so the jury is still out...

 

[Homefire]

Wood Shed built loose with a breez way to the back door of the house.
I believe this country would be a better place with a wood shed at every
home with a mom and dad that know the value that lies in that little buillding.

 

[saichele]

I keep about a face (1 week or so) in a rack inthe basement, and have some sevin crystals spread under the rack. No issues yet.

I think there's a climate factor to consider - the further north you go, the less you worry about termites.

Carmenter ants can be an issue here, but I haven't seen any in the pile.

Sure beats it all out of daily trips out the pile. Let's me pick a time when it's not snowing or miserable outside.

Steve

 

[got wood?]

Wood Shed built loose with a breez way to the back door of the house.
I believe this country would be a better place with a wood shed at every
home with a mom and dad that know the value that lies in that little buillding.

ABSOLUTELY.....where better for the kids to grab their first tokes???

hahaha...I spit up my drink reading this one ;-)

I was bringing in more and more wood at a time for the same reason everyone else does...to pick and choose good times for gathering, but I did notice a large number of spiders and ants and such everywhere so I'm back to "on demand" wood provisioning!

perhaps I've just got dirty wood!

 

[Willhound]

I was debating this even before this thread. No termites here, and carpenter ants only ever seem to be a problem in dead standing pine, but once cut and split they seem to bugger off pretty quick. I think with the temps here, they go to ground in the fall anyway. Not gonna survive in the woodpile at -40. But....storing indoors would mean hauling it down two flights of stairs to the sub-basement, and then back up one flight to use it. Wouldn't have to go outside as much, but two medium sized rubbermaid containers does me for 24 hours anyway, so not a big deal to duck out to the pile and bring it in.

 

[Sandor]

This has been discussed on here before.

I think the bottom line is...... if the bark is off, you have a much better chance of introducing less creepy-crawlees into the home.

In my VA locale, it seems that carpenter ants hibernate in the very center of dead oak.

I only store inside if the weather looks like its going to be very bad in the next couple of days. I guess for the people in tougher climates, those couple of days could be a couple of months!

 

[DavidV]

If I start storing the wood inside, then what am I gonna give my kids to do as a daily chore?