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Do the fall and winter make you excited about toasty fire pits and relaxing nights in front of a gently crackling fireplace? To make this happen, you need properly seasoned firewood that catches fire easily and burns evenly. After you obtain the right firewood, you need to store it in a place that will keep it dry, away from pests, and ready for use at any time. This quick guide will discuss how to properly store firewood, where it should and shouldn’t be stored, why it needs to be covered, and how to properly season harvested wood. When you have the right storage methods and accessories, it's easy to keep a fire going and enjoy the colder seasons. Check out these dos and don'ts of how to store firewood.

How to Properly Store Firewood

Proper firewood storage requires a few conditions to be met. Overall, firewood should be kept on an elevated rack that is covered yet slightly ventilated to allow airflow. Also, firewood should be stored a short distance from the home from your building's exterior. This ensures that any pests don't enter your home. Here are the specifics about firewood storage and where to find the best solutions for your setup.

What Makes Firewood Racks Special?

When you need to store firewood in the best conditions, just any rack won't do. The unique nature of firewood racks keeps wood safely ventilated and protected from moisture and pests. While basic racks and shelves just hold wood, one made for firewood comes with a ventilated waterproof cover to keep the rain away. The waterproof polyester cover should be adjustable to cover your wood rack as it fluctuates in height. Firewood racks are also high enough to keep all the wood off the ground. This ensures that moisture and pests from below don’t have easy access to your woodpile. Overall, this solution combines airflow and water protection, which is not typical of ordinary storage racks. It protects seasoned wood by keeping them dry and in optimal burning condition while protecting the wood from common wood-boring pests.

Where Should You Store Firewood?

Firewood racks should be placed at least three feet from home and never in the house; however, five feet is recommended. Placing wood too close to your house may invite pests into your home. Wood-boring pests especially like to tunnel from wood into a house, so stacking any wood against your home is a bad idea. This same rule applies to trees since many insects like to travel from trees to a firewood stack. Placing your rack away from any structures or trees makes it easier to find a place where your wood rack can get proper ventilation. This also avoids any areas with poor drainage. Being near the edges of a house or adjacent to gutter runoff can spell trouble for your wood during a storm. However, when your wood is covered and safely stored in a spot where it can stay dry and elevated from the ground, you can be sure that it’s protected.

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Avoid the temptation to store firewood in a garage, basement, or attic. Whenever wood is stored inside for a long period, insects and rodents are attracted to the stack. So, avoid any potential pest remediation fees by keeping wood stacks outdoors and away from your home. You should only bring in the required amount of wood for your indoor fire and not keep wood indefinitely inside your house.

Use a Foundation

It’s important to keep your wood dry from all directions. While you need a cover to keep the rain away, you should also protect your wood against moisture from the ground. There are several methods to keep the ground free from excess moisture. You may:

Put a vapor barrier underneath your firewood rack.

Place a few large patio stones under your firewood rack.

Create a concrete slab foundation.

Any of these foundation options can be good deterrents to ground moisture. Vapor barriers are the cheapest and quickest option, while concrete slabs require more work with lasting results. However, no matter the price point, all methods are effective.

Use the Old Wood First

When you store wood, it’s important to use the oldest wood first. This rule is called “first-in, first-out.” When stacking wood, put the newest seasoned wood on the bottom and the oldest on top so that you can be sure that you’re using the right selections. This method mitigates pests, preventing infestations that typically happen in wood that has been sitting too long in a stack.

shelterlogic.com - The Do's and Don'ts of Storing Firewood - ShelterLogic