Where to locate Wood box

[HollowHill]

How close can the woodbox be to the stove? Does it need to be at least 3 feet away? Would 6 feet away be too far/impractical? TIA

 

[KevinG]

I want my wood close enough that I don't have to walk to get every piece when I'm loading that stove. Three feet sounds about right.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I keep my wood in rubbermaid tubs. I carry it in from outside in them and leave the mess right there in them. The more you move the wood, the less you will like burning wood.

Matt

 

[Todd]

Just follow the stoves clearance to combustibles and you should be fine.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Rather than a woodbox, we just bring in the amount of wood we need for a refill. The exception to this is that my wife likes to bring in enough wood at night to fill the stove and have enough for the next fill so we don't have to open the outside door on those cold winter mornings. I don't like much wood in the house simply because many times there tend to be bugs or even moths and they are not welcome in my house.

 

[HollowHill]

Rather than a woodbox, we just bring in the amount of wood we need for a refill. The exception to this is that my wife likes to bring in enough wood at night to fill the stove and have enough for the next fill so we don't have to open the outside door on those cold winter mornings. I don't like much wood in the house simply because many times there tend to be bugs or even moths and they are not welcome in my house.

I guess your woodbox is significantly farther than 6 feet away then Any bugs brought in will have to duke it out with the resident fauna, which is too numerous and varied to mention. Provides significant amusement for the cats, tho.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

:lol:

 

[nate379]

I have found that the wood burns much better if it's at room temp vs frozen solid. The box I have holds 3-4 days worth of wood, it's about 20"x24" and 24" tall. I put 4 wheels under it so just roll it out to the front porch, fill it up and roll it back in. No bugs to worry about, everything is dead when it's -20* outside.

Rather than a woodbox, we just bring in the amount of wood we need for a refill. The exception to this is that my wife likes to bring in enough wood at night to fill the stove and have enough for the next fill so we don't have to open the outside door on those cold winter mornings. I don't like much wood in the house simply because many times there tend to be bugs or even moths and they are not welcome in my house.

 

[madison]

Garage

Wife tolerates some bugs in garage, but not in the the living space.

 

[RNLA]

I for one will be building a rack from steel about twice the size of what I have now. This will increase my indoor supply to about 1.5 - 2.0 days. It will still be stationed about 2ft. away but off to the side of the brick. There is no appreciable heat over there so I feel safe with that. I am also finding the higher off the ground my wood is seasoned the fewer bugs, not sure if this is real but I can not argue with what I see.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I have found that the wood burns much better if it's at room temp vs frozen solid. The box I have holds 3-4 days worth of wood, it's about 20"x24" and 24" tall. I put 4 wheels under it so just roll it out to the front porch, fill it up and roll it back in. No bugs to worry about, everything is dead when it's -20* outside.

Rather than a woodbox, we just bring in the amount of wood we need for a refill. The exception to this is that my wife likes to bring in enough wood at night to fill the stove and have enough for the next fill so we don't have to open the outside door on those cold winter mornings. I don't like much wood in the house simply because many times there tend to be bugs or even moths and they are not welcome in my house.

But Nate, you live in a much harsher climate up there so you may be right. Definitely when putting cold wood into a warm stove, that cools the stove rapidly, but I'll keep on doing it because I don't want to take the chance on bugs. We have enough already.

 

[ohio woodburner]

outside ;-P

 

[madison]

I have a metal 1/4 cord rack in the garage, very sturdy online purchase, it is ~ 40 flat feet from the stove, ~ weeks worth, 4-5 wheel barrow trips to restock the rack. Wood goes straight from garage to stove, bag goes back to the garage.

I've seen hatches of various bugs when warmed by stove. I was informed that would be the last time I set wood by the stove.

 

[RoseRedHoofbeats]

One good thing about living in the desert- very few bugs when the only precipitation you get for nine months out of the year is snow and it's below freezing for five of them... =P

I have a steel tub that will fit about 8 splits of wood in it that I use to store and carry the wood. I keep it to the back of the stove, out of the way of any embers that pop out. I put a couple of splits under my stove (I have the Englander with the little box underneath for just such a purpose) and that warms them up nicely before I put them in.

~Rose

 

[PapaDave]

I have a round galvanized wash tub or something that sits right next to the stove on the floor. The stove is up on a 12" raised hearth and very little heat gets to that wood.
The wood doesn't stay there very long before it goes in the stove. When I need more, it's been put on the porch right outside the front door about 8' away.

 

[nate379]

Dunno on the bugs.

Growing up the wood was outside for years till about now and we'd haul in ~3 cords to the basement. I don't remember ever having a problem with bugs other than a few spiders here and there, but I think they just come in for warm and it's not so much coming in from the wood.
If there are bugs to the point it becomes a problem with 2-3 arm loads of wood that I keep in the house I'd have to re-think where I'm getting my wood from.

 

[velvetfoot]

When we had a wood box at our last place, I lined it in plastic stapled to the inside, more for the melting snow. We put it under a window so I could load it up from the outside. It was fairly close to the insert, but it was an insert not a stove.

 

[firefighterjake]

To get back to the OP's question . . . I think Todd answered best . . . as long as it meets the combustible clearances you are good. I think my woodbox is about 3 feet away from the stove -- well beyond the clearance limit for my peace of mind, but close enough to make it convenient. As for bugs . . . three years in and I have yet to see a single bug in or near my woodbox or on the firewood.

 

[Slow1]

I keep my wood just outside the clearance zone, perhaps 2' away, on the same side as the door opens up so I can basically reach back and grab splits to load up with the door open. I don't like to move it much more than I have to at that point - the last move of the wood before final resting place should have as little trauma as possible I figure .

I too keep several days supply in the house warming up and drying that last bit of external moisture off near the stove before burning. As to bugs - we get one or two that wake up, but it has never been a problem for us. It seems they are mostly dormant and even the wood that stays inside the longest (a week or so) doesn't seem to be inside long enough for many critters to wake up and cause issues. The more punky wood that may have many critter homes in it I will leave outside and bring in to put right into the stove on hot coals if I have any real concerns but I don't burn much of that.

I prefer to have several days supply in the house as I would rather choose when to open the door and re-load the rack so I can do it on warmer afternoons of nicer days. I just won't do it when it is raining or snowing or blowing wind. Yeah, I'm soft that way, but this is a fun hobby for me not worth needless discomfort if I can avoid it.

 

[firefighterjake]

I should have mentioned in regards to the bugs . . . I only bring in a day's worth of wood each day which no doubt makes a difference as to why I don't see bugs. I keep a week's worth of wood on my covered porch which is outside and at freezing or sub-zero temps.