Will wood season in my basement?

[FishZapper]

...basement is big and dry and kept relatively warm year round. I realize that without wind/sun constantly evaporating, it would be slower, but any reason not to store wood in there? I have alot of space and am thinking about putting a woodstove down there anyway. It opens with a garage door to the back yard which makes it nice to haul loads of wood in there with the lawn tractor directly from the woods.

 

[woodchuck76]

It would take a lot longer to.Chances are you could get some of mold growing through out your house, from all the moisture coming out of the wood.I stack mine outside on pallets and cover the top.Leaving the sides open to vent.

 

[jdboy9]

Not to mention all the little critters that come in with the wood nothing like having mosquitoes in the middle of winter

 

[stonykill]

If you put a woodstove in the basement , the wood will dry so fast, it will actually get so dry it will burn up fast. My parents have done this for 30 plus years with a forced hot air wood furnace in the basement. They only throw down a months wood at a time, otherwise it overdrys and burns way too fast.

Bugs.....bugs....bugs. That's a problem with wood in the basement.


Mold, not even a chance if there is a woodstove thats burned regularly in the basement. Without the woodstove, it could happen, but probably not if you heat it anyway.

 

[paladin]

I don't bring in much wood until it has froze hard a few times,just bring in enough for a day or two ( try to keep the bugs out). We havent had a really hard winter here and pulled some wood off the pile yesturday (the pieces on the ground)and there were still some bugs alive and moving ,I never would have thought. We have had alot of Dec. with highs just in the teens and twentys so I thought all the bugs would be gone but looks to be a few left.

 

[gtstang462002]

If you put a woodstove in the basement , the wood will dry so fast, it will actually get so dry it will burn up fast. My parents have done this for 30 plus years with a forced hot air wood furnace in the basement. They only throw down a months wood at a time, otherwise it overdrys and burns way too fast.

Bugs.....bugs....bugs. That's a problem with wood in the basement.


Mold, not even a chance if there is a woodstove thats burned regularly in the basement. Without the woodstove, it could happen, but probably not if you heat it anyway.

That is one way to control the humidity issue commonly associated with woodstove... No more refilling the pots of water on top of the stove...

 

[Vibes]

It will dry, but not as fast as you would think. I cut down a 28'' hollow oak tree this fall. It was dead so I figured it would burn as soon as it dried. The tree was broke off at the top, so it was full of water. I split it and built a drying rack about 8 ft. from the woodburner. It took over 6 weeks to dry, and the heavier pieces still aren't dry. Just my .02.

 

[hoot gibson]

i load up my basement in the spring and early summer . about 8 pickup truck loads full . then plug in the dehumidifier. befor it comes fall i turn it off , the wood is dry . hoot

 

[tdb]

basement wood

I will put in two of these loads at a time , it will last about 5 weeks, it is under cover outside and has been cut for 2 years , it is damp when put in basement ,but dries out fast . THANKS TEDMI.

 

[turnkey4099]

Nice rig there! Tractor an Oliver or Massey?

Harry K

 

[tdb]

tractor

Its a Allis Chalmers C 1946. Thanks TEDMI.

 

[goof008]

My wood stove is in my basement. I bring in about 5 days worth at a time (That's all the room I have for it). As far as bugs go, I have had two moths fly around from the wood I've brought in, and I noticed some spiders have hatched, but they will have nothing to eat since there are no other bugs down there, and they add to heat output, so it's ok.

 

[FishZapper]

Well to be honest, I mostly just cut all this wood and moved it inside because after hearing about all the midwest ice storms, I didnt want to be digging green wood out from under ice and snow to use in the event of a big power outage. I have a bout 1 face cord in the basement as of now and another 2/3 cord piled up outside. I dont have a woodstove yet, just a moderately warm basement. I do however have a nice fireplace in the living room. I realize its a pain to burn green wood anyway, but Ive done it before and was wondering if simply keeping it down there would be a bad idea for future emergencies. Sounds like it will dry over time as long as the room is dry and warm. I may put a fan on it or even get a dehumidifier as one guy suggested.

Bugs? Havent seen any yet.

 

[LNG24]

The only problem with wood in the basement is bugs. The wood stove will dry it out, but keep it away from the stove. There is no way the moisture for the wood will cause mold throughout the house. Maybe the bottom pieces if you bring in a lot and they are there all winter, but most likely not. Mold Needs humidity and with the wood stove down there you won't have a humidity problem.

If your basement is finished, you will end up with a big bug problem, if it is unfinished, won't matter much. Either way, you can Treat the ares where you will be storing the wood for Termites, Carpenter Ants and Spiders. The first two are your biggest concerns!

I keep a days worth near the stove and another days worth in a wheelbarrow in the garage. My wood is stacked about 30' from the house.

 

[user 19670]

This is my first ever post. Probably messed it up big time.

We stumbled upon another great reason not to store wood in the basement. Our pet cat smelled something on the wood that made him want to use the wood pile in the basement as a litter pail. Gotta admit that the poplar smells kinda like urine before the cat pees on it and more like it after.

 

[LNG24]

This is my first ever post. Probably messed it up big time.

We stumbled upon another great reason not to store wood in the basement. Our pet cat smelled something on the wood that made him want to use the wood pile in the basement as a litter pail. Gotta admit that the poplar smells kinda like urine before the cat pees on it and more like it after.

(FYI: I love all animals. I once discovered a nest of baby mice in my shed. Damn things were so cute I took them and placed them out in the woods. I know I probably killed them doing that, but I could not do it any other way.)

Now, my neighbors cat loves to pee on my wood pile out side. Cats about as cute as those mice, so I send my Yorkie out after him. Yorkie is 4 lbs, cats about 10lbs. If thats not funny enough, you shoudl see her CHASE the Deer into the woods.

That is her stealing the 160lb Labs Dinner!

 

[reaperman]

That is her stealing the 160lb Labs Dinner![/QUOTE]

If your Lab weighs 160 lbs, it doesn't need dinner.

 

[LNG24]

If your Lab weighs 160 lbs, it doesn't need dinner.

He was a Lab Mix. He didn't eat a lot for a dog that size. He wasn't overweight at all. We lost him in December, had to put him down when his legs finally gave out at 15yrs old.

 

[user 19670]

Sorry to hear that LNG24. This kind of news always makes me sad. Our dogs are not only companions but are members of the family. Must have made for a difficult Christmas for your family.

We are animal people and have a cat, a chihuahua/bijon (5 whole lb.) puppy of 5 months, a black lab/german shephard as well as 3 pregnant goats, about 55 chickens, and some aquariums filled with fresh water tropicals.

Anyway, we now have a new reason not to store much wood in the house. Peanut likes to chew on whatever loose bark he can find. Now my wife figures we should have named him 'beaver' instead of 'Peanut'

 

[LNG24]

Now my wife figures we should have named him 'beaver' instead of 'Peanut'

Yes, it was a difficult Christmas. He was a good dog. The Yorkie is nicknamed Peanut!

Those pups will chew on anything.