Storing firewood in house

[Marky Mark]

I have been contemplating storing firewood in my basement. My basement is half finished, I have a wood furnace in the unfinished half. I can drive my quad in with a 4x8 trailer that I fill about once a week or so. I have several windows to the basement and wanted input if I built a bay and dropped the wood in thru the window am I asking for trouble with ants or termites? I have 10' walls and I could make this area 20'x20' easily. I have to go up a small incline nothing crazy to get in the basemant right now. There has been snow on the ground that has turned into ice.
Snow never lasts this long here.This last two batches of wood I brought in the house I had to use my winch to get the quad and load of wood in the basement. I never had a need to use a winch in NJ but it did pay for itself the other day.
I have been thinking about this for a year or so. I could snake the logs near the window cut,split and then drop them down into the bay. It would be less handling of the wood.What do you think?

 

[Jumper]

Wood in the cellar

My aunt used to store firewood for the furnace in the cellar, 6 full cords worth , for years with no problems, aside from damp and smell of the wood drying out. It was well seasoned before it was put down however, and stacked well.

 

[Menchhofer]

Sounds like a good idea.

One thing to think about... bugs and insects in the wood. Could be problem

 

[Robert]

I wouldn't worry about termites. The few that would be in a piece of firewood aren't going to establish a new colony in you basement without a queen (who wouldn't be in the wood but way underground somewhere) and will soon die. Not sure about other critters though. My biggest fear is brown recluse spiders.

 

[My2cents]

Go ahead and store that season's worth of wood in your basement. You will see insects but don't be alarmed. Termites and carpenter ants need the right conditions to survive and muiltply within a house. In my area carpenter ants are prevelent.
I think I have brought in a Queen Ant every once and a while. I will see a sudden influx of ants early spring then they will die off.

 

[glens]

Mark,

My opinion is that, generally, wood which has not been split and stacked out in the open for a full summer at least is not ready to be burned, much less stacked in an enclosure anywhere.  That's my definition of "seasoned" wood.

Perhaps you can build a freestanding roof to protect a staging stack near the window.  That way you could chuck in a few days worth of wood at a time.  That would help to ensure the (possible) insect problem would be held at bay.  By the time any of them wake up and get to moving around much, they're BTUs for your house.  It's fairly common knowledge, at least in the woods around here, that wood should not be stacked for long very near the house, and certainly not inside it.

I've toyed with the idea of building near my woodstove a very heavy drawer system which I could shove out an opening into a covered box outside and through which I could fill it from the deck.  Maybe one of these years.

I sure am enjoying (and am very thankful for) my buffet of beech, red oak, honeylocust, shagbark and bitternut hickories, and hard maple (for the warmer days) which are all very well seasoned.  I'm maybe a little behind for next winter in that I've only got a few cords of shagbark hickory and red oak split and stacked in preparation for it, but since I got carried away last year and was gone for a while earlier this winter, I guess I'll be okay.

What kind of wood are you getting to burn, Mark?  And how's your recovery progressing?

Glen

 

[Gypo Logger]

Hi Mark, depending on when the wood is put down the basement, you must be careful of mold. If the wood is green it will mold for sure unless the basement is heated and/or well ventilated.
Hope this helps,
John

 

[Crofter]

Unless its reallly well seasoned before you put it in, say it was right green, it would have about 500 lbs of water per face cord to give up into the house. Many houses are already moisture sensitive. Moving it in a cord at a time in cold weather when the humidity is low wouldn't be a problem though.

Frank

 

[user 2993]

A dehumidifier or two ought to help a great deal. They can often be had at yard sales cheap. I'm currently burning green wood, as I didn't manage to get any stocked up last year. It's not ideal, but it works. I have the loan of a 33 ton splitter right now, so I'm trying to get enough cut and split for at least this winter and the next.
Good luck,
George

 

[JimL]

Theres a few people i deliver wood to, I just back up and dump a cord down in this hole. they open the door (and usually get smashed by all the wood) and stack it up downstairs and burning.

Been doing it for years.

 

[bwalker]

If you have allergies forget it as Gypo mentioned mold is a issue.

 

[Marky Mark]

The wood I am burning right now is two years old, I am trying to cut down on the amout of times I have to handle it. I guess on paper it sounds like a good idea but I don't think I am going to follow thru with it. As several of you pionted out I never figured the moisture into the equation.

I burn any type of wood I get. I have timber assesment here and the state tells me what I have to cut down. I have to show a profit in selling wood, eggs from my chickens and I rent a few stalls out for horses.I'm a one man show with to much to do and so little time.It does seem of late most of my wood is about one inch thick slices.

I have 36 acres and I have more wood right now than I know what to do with.My house is about 80-90 degrees and all my friends pile in over here with this cold snap.

As far as my recovery it hurts like hell.But I have been working half days for the last week and just chilling out.Thanks for your advice.

Here's my oldest lab Bru 14 years old and retired enjoying the house "kitchen"

 

[treeclimber165]

Looks like Bru is doing a helluva job keeping that floor from getting away.

 

[glens]

16" diameter by 1" thick firewood?&nbsp; Prolly can split that with a hatchet.&nbsp; <font face="fixed"></font>

I don't think nabbing an 088 will help that situation any, are you <i>sure</i> that's what you want to do?

Glen

 

[My2cents]

If your house has damp/wet structural wood problems you will speed the process up by introducing the ants. In fact if you have constant infestations of ants, chances are there is some roof leak some where on your house. Carpenter ants are considered a nuisance pest and typically will not do structural damage. they nest/channel through wet already damaged wood for the most part.

 

[timberwolf]

As stated bringing green wood in is likely a problem, I like to get a cord or 2 of at least mostly dry wood in that way it gets the chance to dry off and warm up. When it gets down to -20 or 30 like it has been for the last 2 weeks your not stuck bringing wood in.

I need to make a dry spot to store the wood outside though, some stuff just won't dry well if you cant keep the rain off it.

TW