One stove load at a time. (No I don’t store it on the top of my stove either) When I fire it up first thing in the morning, I’ll have the next load on the hearth ready for when I get home from work. Before going to bed at night it’s the same thing. Stage the following morning’s load so that it’s room temperature when I’m ready to burn it.
None. It is kept on our covered front porch. I never keep wood inside. That keeps my wife happy and you know what say about that; happy wife happy life! Oh my! Did I really say that?
Thatis why after I bring all of my wood in, I set off a whole box of those Raid bug bombs right next to my stacks you wouldn't believe how many spiders are dead curled up on the floor or hanging from the basement ceiling.
Back in the day when we heated 100% with wood back in Ohio, I never kept much wood in the house because the bugs would migrate out of the warm wood and crawl around everywhere.
Well, I guess I will be the first one so far.... I know I will hear all the gruff. Been doing it this way for 5 years now. The side of the stove doesn't get above 200 degrees. I have never had a problem with any spiders, bugs, etc. When fully stacked, the stack next to the stove lasts about2 or 3 days. Then I have about 3/4 of a cord in the root cellar.
No wood no more, well, processed wood as in pellets and corn. Excess fuel in a 5 gallon bucket, next to the stove if that counts. That reminded me. Today is clean the stove day. 32 here and overcast. Typical Michigan day.
And I'll be the first one to say what a terrible idea that is...you are just asking for trouble...yeah your stove "never" gets more than 200* on the sides normally, but things happen...and sure pyrolysis isn't going to happen in 2-3 days, at least not to the degree that it would take to get things burning, but there have been documented cases of fires being caused by hydronic heat pipes, which would have been under 200*F...many years of old wooden beams being exposed to 180-200* heat can get wood to the point of lighting up like newspaper...would you stack newspaper against your stove? Doesn't take much for the wood pile to get bumped, or just shift from the kids or dog running around, and then the wood is touching the stove! Like I said before, just asking for trouble..."been doing it this way for 5 years now" no problem...until there was. Nice stove/hearth though
I keep maybe around a dozen splits inside at a time. The wood stove is on the main floor (up one story due to the raised basement) and the firewood shed is about 70-plus feet from the bottom of the deck stairs so it's a lot of steps to bring firewood in. However, I'm out many times a day with the dog or working outside anyway so I just bring in a few pieces at a time as needed. If I get low, I fill up my LL Bean log carrier and bring that in for the night. I've tried racks on the deck and other methods over the last 12+ years living here but this works for me (and I heat 95% by firewood). As the body continues to wear down, I have considered rigging up some kind of hoist system to bring firewood up to the deck.
Like I said, back in the day I did keep some in the same room as the woodstove was in, but the bugs were awakened by the warmth and migrated out and into the living space. Nothing better than bugs in the winter. Bad enough in the summer. No bugs in my corn and pellet mix that I've ever seen that is. Anything is possible today I guess. Wife says I have 'bugs in my belfry' whatever that is, but I probably do. Never contradict the wife. Happy wife, happy life.
Someone here did that...and it was up a ways too ... seems to me that it was 2nd or 3rd story...it was pretty slick too...who was that...hmm...hafta think about that for a minute...
If I did, I don't but I sure use one of my Kubota's to lift 4 full Rubbermaid plastic garbage cans full of pellets and corn (which is around 600 pounds, give or take) up on the deck in front of the sliding patio doors. As handy as I can get for them...
Too close in my humble opinion. If I did that when I heated with wood, would be bug heaven here and I'd be living full time in the garage and it ain't warm out there...
Not a fan of combustibles kept in the combustibles protection area (aka=hearth). And put a cover on the breakout box on the ceiling in pic #3.
