# Storing Wood in the Garage?



## jscs.moore (Feb 18, 2018)

Hey guys...have a quick question. I'm thinking of storing about a cord of wood in my attached garage thru the Spring, Summer and Fall before next burning season. I don't have a lot of land (about 1/3 acre) and this would help with yard space as I have about 3 cords along my fenceline. 

I have a two car attached garage so I can easily store a cord of wood, but am concerned about keeping it in there for so many months? Anyone have feedback pro or con? I guess my biggest concern would be attracting pests, etc.


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## Bad LP (Feb 18, 2018)

If it is well seasoned no problem. Mine is in a basement wood room that is just like a single car garage with an overhead door. No pests. If you are a little nervous toss some DE on the pile in a few rows


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## hickoryhoarder (Feb 18, 2018)

Termites are a possibility when you put wood in or near a house between March and October.  If you're south of Indianapolis, New York City, etc. I'd keep a close eye.  Personally, I wouldn't do it.  If you know your region is safe as far as termites and carpenter ants, maybe it'd work.  Hardwood is pretty safe as far as termites go, but I don't push my luck.


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## Allagash350 (Feb 18, 2018)

I put about a cord in my attached garage last spring of really dry maple and oak. 
I regretted it most of the summer and fall. No rodents really but there were a lot of insects through the whole house. Much more noticeable than last year. I guess I could have put something on it to kill them but I didn’t really want to with a 8 month old in the house. 
Plus it takes up a lot of space (ours is a one car). 

The wood was great to burn though aside from that! 
Maybe put it in late fall after a freeze?


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## Hasufel (Feb 19, 2018)

I keep a couple of metal hoops filled with firewood in my garage for staging purposes. I've never noticed any critter problems except maybe for the occasional spider (which is why I usually wear gloves when handling firewood!). In addition to the convenience factor, I found that the wood keeps drying pretty well out there even though it's not heated and there's no breeze. As an added bit of insurance against wood borers I keep the wood off the ground and well away from the walls.


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## sportbikerider78 (Feb 19, 2018)

Garages are for cars, toys and projects.  
I have a 750 sqft 3 car with 2 cars, 3 atvs, 2 workbenches, snowblower, pressure washer, 3 saws, splitter, and lawn mower.  Tons of tools, of course.


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## jscs.moore (Feb 19, 2018)

Bad LP said:


> If it is well seasoned no problem. Mine is in a basement wood room that is just like a single car garage with an overhead door. No pests. If you are a little nervous toss some DE on the pile in a few rows


Thanks for the feedback...what is DE by the way?


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## gastone21 (Feb 19, 2018)

DE=diatomaceous earth

Tiny fossilized phytoplankton with sharp edges.  It comes in powder form similar to talc.  It needs to be applied in dried areas.  DE cuts into insect bodies and causes them to dehydrate and die.  Can also be used to treat worms in animals.

I use it in and around my veggie garden, mostly for slug/snail control.


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## sportbikerider78 (Feb 19, 2018)

gastone21 said:


> DE=diatomaceous earth
> 
> Tiny fossilized phytoplankton with sharp edges.  It comes in powder form similar to talc.  It needs to be applied in dried areas.  DE cuts into insect bodies and causes them to dehydrate and die.  Can also be used to treat worms in animals.
> 
> I use it in and around my veggie garden, mostly for slug/snail control.


Don't breathe it in.


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## PA Fire Bug (Feb 19, 2018)

I move wood into my garage in late summer and restock as needed throughout the winter. I haven't had problems with bugs.


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## Bad LP (Feb 19, 2018)

gastone21 said:


> DE=diatomaceous earth
> 
> Tiny fossilized phytoplankton with sharp edges.  It comes in powder form similar to talc.  It needs to be applied in dried areas.  DE cuts into insect bodies and causes them to dehydrate and die.  Can also be used to treat worms in animals.
> 
> I use it in and around my veggie garden, mostly for slug/snail control.



Also used in pool filters.


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## gastone21 (Feb 19, 2018)

Bad LP said:


> Also used in pool filters.



I used to use a DE filter to 'polish' my fish tank water when I kept freshwater fish.  Many uses.


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## PA. Woodsman (Feb 20, 2018)

I keep wood in the garage all year round, but it is a free standing garage about 35 feet away from the house, the only "problem" is bugs but it doesn't matter out there, and it gets like a kiln in there so the wood is ALWAYS very well seasoned!

Go for it, you can always move it out...


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## jscs.moore (Feb 20, 2018)

PA. Woodsman said:


> I keep wood in the garage all year round, but it is a free standing garage about 35 feet away from the house, the only "problem" is bugs but it doesn't matter out there, and it gets like a kiln in there so the wood is ALWAYS very well seasoned!
> 
> Go for it, you can always move it out...


Yeah...I'm thinking it will be fine. I'm not convinced storing a cord and half or so of wood in my attached garage is going to end up with rodents and bugs infesting my home? Essentially I have kept a half cord in my garage from mid fall and replaced that have cord each month thru the burning season without a problem. Granted, I only brought the wood in after the first frost but my plan is to keep the wood on metal wood racks up off the floor and at least 4 or 5 inches away from the walls.

My garage also gets like an oven throughout the summer time and believe it will help season the wood as well as save space in the yard for be really unseasoned wood I need to have sitting out in the sun and wind. I'm thinking the stories of rodent and but infestation from storing firewood in the garage are greatly exaggerated. I'll try it this year and see how it goes?


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## Allagash350 (Feb 20, 2018)

jscs.moore said:


> Yeah...I'm thinking it will be fine. I'm not convinced storing a cord and half or so of wood in my attached garage is going to end up with rodents and bugs infesting my home? Essentially I have kept a half cord in my garage from mid fall and replaced that have cord each month thru the burning season without a problem. Granted, I only brought the wood in after the first frost but my plan is to keep the wood on metal wood racks up off the floor and at least 4 or 5 inches away from the walls.
> 
> My garage also gets like an oven throughout the summer time and believe it will help season the wood as well as save space in the yard for be really unseasoned wood I need to have sitting out in the sun and wind. I'm thinking the stories of rodent and but infestation from storing firewood in the garage are greatly exaggerated. I'll try it this year and see how it goes?



Give it a shot. I did not exaggerate the amount of bugs in our house. Maybe I did it too late in the spring and it made it worse. 
I could even hear them boring in the pieces of wood occasionally. 
But try it out and see how it works, I hope it does!


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## billb3 (Feb 25, 2018)

I kept a three foot high stack in the garage at the old place.
Never had bugs in the house but ended up with holes the same size as splits in the sheetrock from using the pile of splits to know the car was pulled in all the way.
With three people using the car I never knew who did it. Repeatedly apparently. LOL.


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## Pat32rf (Feb 25, 2018)

I found that if the wood was really dry all was good but years ago we put a few cords  in the quanset hut to keep the rain off and even though it was open both ends it was still not dry a year later. Worked better to pile it in the driveway and throw some tin over it...


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## GadDummit (Feb 26, 2018)

I kept about a rick in my garage one time for a winter and ended up with a ton of mice. Haven't done it since. YMMV (Your mileage may vary).


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## Hasufel (Feb 26, 2018)

GadDummit said:


> I kept about a rick in my garage one time for a winter and ended up with a ton of mice. Haven't done it since. YMMV (Your mileage may vary).


Sounds like somebody needs a cat, or three.  Stacks definitely attract rodents but I finally got my garage sealed off well enough that they don't come in anymore. Plenty of nests in my covered outdoor stacks though.


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## fbelec (Mar 1, 2018)

i keep about 2 weeks worth in the garage at burn time what's left is a piece here or there that i felt was to heavy (wet) and leave them there for next year. garage gets hot in the summer and the wet wood makes the garage a terrarium. i have had a bunch of yellow jackets riding the winter out attached to the splits that i am bringing in to replenish the stock. bees are supposed to die in the cold. these bees are still moving if you touch them and thats after the 5 and 10 below zero every night for a month. last weekend 5 bees. if you miss one and bring it in the house they start flying around when they warm up.


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## weatherguy (Mar 1, 2018)

I've kept up to a cord in my garage and never had any problems. If there were nice the cats got them.


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## cjgoode (Mar 5, 2018)

DE Diatomaceous earth is great stuff.  You can get it at the box stores HD and lowes, food grade, they sell it in the pest control section.  The pool stuff is not as good and a lot more dangerous of you breath it or a pet or kid eats it.  The food grade also kills better, but 100% harmless if consumed.  We powder our dogs with it and it kills the fleas and I sprinkle where I want to kill any sort of bug.  Just sprinkle some on the ground before you stack wood on it.


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