Bring Wood Into The House

[Ashful]

Opening the outside doors more often causes the furnace to kick on more often for sure. I don't know how many BTUs I lose every time someone comes and goes, but keeping the house sealed up makes a smaller bite. Of course my wife still parks in the garage overnight.... stewing on that one.

Nicely-sealed house in Alaska vs. leaky 243 year-old house with 10 exterior doors in PA. Opening and closing a door to go fetch some wood surely has much less impact on my heating requirements.

We used to keep some in the house. We had bugs, moths mostly.

Moths are our primary problem with storing wood indoors, too. The few times I did see bugs after a load of wood in the copper kettle next to the stove, it was moths. I'd rather not have holes chewed in our clothing.

 

[Dobish]

i bring some in in the winter, but right now I am enjoying not having to sweep every day to keep the tile clean!

I had an old topless cooler that I found in the back yard, and that was pretty good for a load of wood, but then my wife got me a canvas bag. I use the big blue ikea bag to carry the stuff across the creek to throw in the pile to pick up with the wheelbarrow to bring closer to the other pile where it will sit until I figure out what pile to move it to next to get it split... (still in that stage )

 

[tarzan]

I must be doing something wrong. I bet there's enough bugs in my stacks right now to keep an entomologist busy until Fall. I just thought it was normal but I am surrounded by forest and near a creek so prime habitat.

 

[JA600L]

Emotional thoughts, not logical. Internal firebox temp in the range 1100F (minimum to support reburn) to 2000F (more typical early/mid stage fire. So, let's just call it an average 1100 Kelvin.

Moving wood from 20F (266K) outdoors to 73F (296K) raises the wood temperature by 30K. You want to argue this 30K pre-heating makes some significant difference in how quickly or efficiently your stove raises it the remaining several hundred Kelvin, or are you saying that a few hours in your living room will dry wood in a way that three summers baking in back yard sun can't?

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For me I run the stove until it only has a layer of coals in the bottom. So I'm filling a 3.2 cuft stove that has cooled almost full of wood. There is no doubt that if you stuff it full of cold firewood the stove body will cool down before it starts making heat. This means it takes longer to light the cat and creates more smoke.

Maybe you see different results. I get instant starts and begin building heat quicker if I bring the load in the night before. It's just better in general. I should also note my stove sits in an insulated basement so room temperature is probably 80-90 degrees f or more.

 

[Simonkenton]

I hate to be non-scientific, but I too get better results if I bring the firewood inside to warm up before putting on the fire.
Further, your data is a little off.
It is 20 degrees outside and 70 degrees inside. But I am not putting the firewood on the sofa, I am putting it on the hearth near the mighty Jotul F500.
So, the wood is probably up to 150 prior to loading.

 

[Ashful]

I had an old topless cooler

A shirtless Sam Elliott ca.1989?


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[kennyp2339]

A shirtless Sam Elliott ca.1989?


I don't know whats worse, the fact you mentioned that or the fact that I googled it and what to rub ashes in my eyes

 

[sportbikerider78]

I keep 5-7 days worth on my porch and 1 day worth next to the stove. I like my wife to be able to feed the stove all day by just pitching splits into the stove.

 

[BradleyW]

I just put two dry cords in my attached woodshed. I'll put another couple dry cords in the basement in the next week or two. I have to do that to make room for next winter's wood to dry on my racks outside. It's also nice not to have to go outside in the cold to get more firewood. Haven't had any issues with bugs, knock on wood

 

[Ashful]

I keep 5-7 days worth on my porch and 1 day worth next to the stove. I like my wife to be able to feed the stove all day by just pitching splits into the stove.

If you buy a Blaze King, it'll leave her with nothing to do all day.


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[CheapBassTurd]

Lotta bugs here in the forest/ swamp/ hills area along Lake Michigan.
Sometimes a split yields a whole nest when first opened. Usually those
very large black ants. Earwigs like to hang out in moist-ish bark. Busted open
some termite condos on a longer piece that needed some cuts before splitting
one time. (got the Raid out with a quickness !!) Lesson learned on grounded deads.
Even then there were very few if any bugs in the house. I agree with the earlier mention
of cold or frozen bugs. Possibly hibernation? Once they warmed enough to be moving well it
was much too late to get out of the firebox. The currently being processed white oak standing
dead had one main limb hollowed out at the center and very porous and tunneled throughout.
Smacked it and the huge black ants filled the splitting station. They were panicking and dragging
larva out. Later I had seen that they all found each other and were already making a new lair in
the flotsam that is mainly bark pieces over dirt. Smart suckers.
Won't bring the nested wood inside except right into the box. Otherwise we have a two load+
large tote and that remains nearly bugless and is refilled almost daily. Sits in the stove room.
We too, prefer an extended cycle of tossing in extra splits during the burn.

CheapMark

 

[Simonkenton]

I get a lot of dead locust from the forest floor. I often encounter bugs, particularly ants, living in the hollowed out pieces of wood.
I hate to disturb the forest creatures, I really do I am an animal lover to a ridiculous extreme, but the big Jotul has got to have wood!

So I cut the wood and stack and split it.
Thing is the ants want that intact, hollow, long piece of wood. They don't like it so much when it is cut 19 inches long and split. They have to find another home.
As much wood as I bring into the house every year I swear I don't recall a single bug on the wood.

 

[sportbikerider78]

If you buy a Blaze King, it'll leave her with nothing to do all day.


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Depends on the day. You don't always want it blazing if it is only 40F out and sunny.

I load it at 7am, cut the air down at 7:10-20. Leave for work. She loads it at about noon and she might do a half load before I get home.

 

[velvetfoot]

I store 4 cords in the garage that's attached via a breezeway and bring it into the house via a decorative, sort of, log carrier that stays near the hearth.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001D5HNH4/?tag=hearthamazon-20

I do load the garage in summer and there are powder post beetles, which I'm not crazy about. Spraying well in advance of burning seems to help. I've agonized over it, but walking out to the garage, sometimes in my socks, to get wood really beats going outside.

 

[tarzan]

If you buy a Blaze King, it'll leave her with nothing to do all day.


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Maybe that's what he's trying to avoid

 

[Ashful]

Depends on the day. You don't always want it blazing if it is only 40F out and sunny.

I load it at 7am, cut the air down at 7:10-20. Leave for work. She loads it at about noon and she might do a half load before I get home.

Same schedule on a warmer day with the BK... it's just that the noon reloading will be on the following day.

 

[mikebinthesky]

i have found that if you only store bone dry wood indoors the bugs are minimal.
Bugs seem to enjoy moisture,preferably with bark on.Makes sense if you think about it.
I got this "thing" about centipedes so i watch very very close

 

[sportbikerider78]

I do load the garage in summer and there are powder post beetles, which I'm not crazy about. Spraying well in advance of burning seems to help. I've agonized over it, but walking out to the garage, sometimes in my socks, to get wood really beats going outside.

I have them as well. My plan was to put all the wood in my walkout basement,,,but rejected that plan as soon as I found the wood with holes in it.

I since changed the location I dry my wood into a more sunny location...and now the beetles seem to be few and far between. Almost nonexistant.

I'm hoping I can go back to my original plan. I have a lot to risk...hardwood floors in the entire house.

 

[tarzan]

i have found that if you only store bone dry wood indoors the bugs are minimal.
Bugs seem to enjoy moisture,preferably with bark on.Makes sense if you think about it.
I got this "thing" about centipedes so i watch very very close

I agree. My stacks are left uncovered until close to Fall when I will cover this seasons wood. Moisture gets trapped between loose bark and the splits. This is where I find most bugs.

 

[mikebinthesky]

I agree. My stacks are left uncovered until close to Fall when I will cover this seasons wood. Moisture gets trapped between loose bark and the splits. This is where I find most bugs.

I store a cord or so year round in my attatched garage.This wood is made up of my better,barkless splits.I add on top of this with my uglies as shoulder season hits and the outdoor bugs have calmed a bit.By the time my uglies are gone im set up with premium cold weather splits.

 

[Sprinter]

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I gotta try that app. Syrup or jam?

 

[Ashful]

Pennsylvania maple syrup, of course. ;-)

 

[willoweep]

We were audited by our homeowners insurance this spring and they wanted firewood 30 ft minimum from the house, due to forest fire mitigation. This is the standard that the local firefighters use as well, we just had a large forest fire two miles away that claimed eight homes. We moved to town last year onto a 1/4 acre lot, 30 ft is right to the property line. So into the garage it goes. Have about a half cord inside so far, it'll be tight to get the 3-4 cords we'll probably need inside, but outside storage is for next years wood. As the moisture content of the live, green trees in the forest is about 15-18%, bugs are a non issue. And when it's -10 outside, sure is nice to fetch another load of wood in slippers.

 

[Ashful]

Garage is attached or detached?

 

[willoweep]

Garage is attached, with a mechanical closet that has our furnace and hot water heaters. Wood is stacked by the south facing garage door