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Tool Talk Discussion Forum

Firewood storage

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PJW

07-25-2004 05:54:34




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I have been heating with wood for 25 years. During that time I have stored my wood uncovered and covered with plastic and tarp. I would like to build storage for the firewood but here is the situation. I live on ten acres of rolling hills in the woods (little sun), which is one reason the current method of storing firewood doesn�t work well. My wife does not want extra buildings all over like some farm areas. I already have outbuildings for a shop and small tool shed. I was considering building a wood storage unit into one of the hills, sort of hidden. I would dig out the side of the hill, line the floor with gravel and build a wood .06 womanized (permanent) construction. Only the roof and one wall would be visible. I know this is not a tool type question but the site always has good advice. What do you guys think, see any problems with the idea?

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Dale in WV

07-26-2004 17:56:37




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 Re: Firewood storage in reply to PJW, 07-25-2004 05:54:34  
BillDrew must have seen my sheds. Up on pallets, stored under a tin roof, with open weave sides to promote ventilation. Make you shed big enough to season your wood for a year or so so you can rotate your stock. My B-I-L uses tarps over his wood. Sorta like puttin Saran Wrap over a bowl in the fridge -- you ever see that dry out??



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BillDrew

07-26-2004 08:32:13




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 Re: Firewood storage in reply to PJW, 07-25-2004 05:54:34  
There are three key points to keeping fire wood dry: ** Off the ground ** Under cover ** Good air circulation

Old palets on the ground with some (old) roofing tin over the top seems about the best shelter for the price and effort.



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Chuck MI

07-26-2004 06:41:47




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 Re: Firewood storage in reply to PJW, 07-25-2004 05:54:34  
Digging into the ground is definately not going to speed up drying. My grandpa built wood corn cribs, elevated 2 feet off the ground. They don't grow corn on the farm anymore, so my dad utilizes these for firewood. I've never seen a better structure for drying wood (or corn).

Chuck



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Lee

07-25-2004 22:13:18




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 Re: Firewood storage in reply to PJW, 07-25-2004 05:54:34  
PJW inlaws burn a lot of wood got tired of crappy damp wood. They got a old 20ft sea container and put it out back out of sight. They put a turbine type vent on roof to move air. steel floor no moisture problems and they are air and water tight. these can be bought for $800 and up and are good cheap storage and you can put them anywere.



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ScottP

07-25-2004 17:51:15




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 Re: Firewood storage in reply to PJW, 07-25-2004 05:54:34  
PJW
I to have tried all the diffrent ways of storing fire wood. I used to burn five cords of wood a year. What a pain in the a$$ that was. Having to cut split and store all that wood. Last year I decided I had enough and I bought a pellet stove. Some of the best money I ever spent! I moved the stove from the house into the shop and threw the shop stove out the door. Now I burn about a tier a year. The pellets are alot easier to store. They come in forty pound bags. No cutting, no splitting,no stacking, no storage problems and no bugs! Scott

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txblu

07-26-2004 06:39:38




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 Re: Re: Firewood storage in reply to ScottP, 07-25-2004 17:51:15  
Have seen them but had no history.

What sort of cost relationship do you have with your pellets?

How big is your area to be heated?
What is the temp differential? How large is the stove and $$$?
Would you use one to heat your house?

I currently use a sealed wood stove, free standing on an open hearth with brick back wall. Stove sits about 3' into the room. Area to be heated is 1500 sq ft and dimensions are square. I currently use 1 to 2 cords of oak per year and winters are not all that cold; a few 20 degree days but mostly hang around 30. Inside the house at 70 to 72 is ok. Rest of the house is inaccessable to the stove and use propane heaters.

Thanks for you input.

Mark

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Scottp

07-26-2004 09:07:09




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 Re: Re: Re: Firewood storage in reply to txblu, 07-26-2004 06:39:38  
Mark
Pellets are about $100 a ton. A ton is equeal to a cord. I have over 1000 acres to cut wood on so the wood was free except my time and the cost of gas and oil, I sharpened my own chains. Here in the Bay Area a cord of oak is over $200.
The house is a 2 story A-frame that is 24'x40' And 24' at the peak. It's uninsulated except the end walls, all open beam. The roof is rought cut 2x10s with comp. shingles. We're at 2400' above sea level, with a large lake to the north and the bay to the south. we get snow a couple of times a year. My pellet stove isn't as hot as the old wood stove, but it heats very well. The propane wall heater doesnt run near as much now as it did with the wood stove. We keep the house in the low 70s in the winter. The best thing about the pellet stove is you fill it up in the morning and then refill it before going to bed. Both are free standing and on an open hearth.
As far as size and price, their like everything else. The more you spend the bigger and better the stove. I paid $1200 for my porcline Waterford stove. (my wife didn't want another big black box)
I got it used off Ebay. Luckly the person selling if only lived an hour away.
Hope this is helpful.
Scott

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txblu

07-26-2004 09:26:12




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 Re: Re: Re: Re: Firewood storage in reply to Scottp, 07-26-2004 09:07:09  
You bet it helped. Glad you got a good deal on it via ebay; and close to home too.

Hear what you say about the "black box".

Mark



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KURT (mi)

07-25-2004 16:55:24




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 Re: Firewood storage in reply to PJW, 07-25-2004 05:54:34  
I live in a wooded area and I burn about one full cord per winter. What I do is make racks out of 2X4s and that way the wood is not laying on the ground and I cover it with a plastic tarp. In late summer I move about 2 face cords into the garage for storage, I treat the wood with insecticide a few times in the summer to kill the carpenter ants and other bugs. Of course I would love to have a small shed or pavillion to store the wood, but I dont want the eyesore.

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Hanovertom

07-25-2004 10:00:30




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 Re: Firewood storage in reply to PJW, 07-25-2004 05:54:34  
I built a lean-to type shed on the side of my tractor shead, about 8 ft wide.Used 4x4's and cinder bloce to make a level base. then laid 2x6 on that, spaced by a 2x6.Wood is stacked perpendicular to wall, that way as I enpty a section , I can start loading with green wood for next year. Having tthe wood off the ground really helps with air circulation
Hanovertom



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Ron

07-25-2004 06:18:47




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 Re: Firewood storage in reply to PJW, 07-25-2004 05:54:34  
The sun doesn't dry wood, dry air does. Which is why I went from outside storage many years ago to storage in a pole barn. It never sees the sun (nor rain) but the air circulation dries it far faster than it would ever dry outside. The floor is dirt but I have a continuous ridge vent so the building stays dry. This setup has worked so well I just cut felled trees to length and store them. I don't split them until I need to in the winter. The splitter is in the barn with the wood. This gives me something to do in the winter besides plow snow!

In your case, assuming you can properly ventilate your hillside storage building, it should work perfectly. You can tell easily; get a cheap temperatrure/humidity gauge for the building. The indoor humidity should always be very close to the outdoor humidity. If it's much higher in the building, you need more ventilation.

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pjw

07-25-2004 06:42:34




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 Re: Re: Firewood storage in reply to Ron, 07-25-2004 06:18:47  
Ron, I have to disagree a bit with your response. At previous residence I stored wood in a location that was in direct sun. The wood dried quicker. Sun / heat with good ventilation accelerate the drying process. Thanks for your comments I like your idea of splitting the wood as you need it, in the shed during winter. If I proceed with the building I will make an area for splitting the wood.



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txblu

07-25-2004 06:06:16




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 Re: Firewood storage in reply to PJW, 07-25-2004 05:54:34  
Let's define basics.

Wood dries out over time. Amount dependent upon type wood, sap, moisture content at time of cutting, time in storage and humidity. Water is self defeating.

Critters like to attack stored wood and bore into it. What was a 3 lb piece of oak winds up a 1.5 lb piece. Seems obvious to me, you just lost half your BTU's. Fewer critters, better wood.

[Try 20 Mule Team Borax (laundry section of grocery store) sprinkled around the area.]

Water absorbed in storage has to be driven out to get the wood to kindle. BTU's are required to do that and that goes up the stack as steam or condenstaion, not heat (per se) to get your iron hot. So it needs to be stored dry.

So, if your hillside meets these criteria looks like you have a solution.

Only problem I can see with that type storage is the dampness associated with earth. Maybe if you install plastic vapor barrier between the box and the dirt you will solve this problem.

Mark

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david - OR

07-25-2004 06:52:06




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 Re: Re: Firewood storage in reply to txblu, 07-25-2004 06:06:16  
Amplifying the above comments a bit: bare earth, or even dirt covered by concrete, is a tremendous source of water vapor. This will tend to retard drying of the wood. You should use a vapor barrier between all areas of your building (walls and floor) exposed to the earth.

On the other hand, dirt and concrete will not allow air to circulate through them. If you build your woodshed into the side of a hill, you will be cutting off the flow of drying air into the building. You should consider having at least one wall exposed to the open air, with plenty of ventilation openings. And, as the others have said, a continuous ridge vent or some equally effective way to let the humid air out.

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