Storing firewood in your garage should be your last option, although more and more people store their firewood in the garage but for the most part, this is not ideal. There are a lot of problems with storing firewood in the garage and under certain circumstances, it can be fairly dangerous. With some careful planning, you can store firewood in the garage without any problems, but you will be better off storing the firewood outside rather than in the garage.
If your logs have already undergone the drying process, storing them in a garage is generally acceptable. However, if the logs are still in the process of drying, a garage may not provide sufficient fresh air circulation to aid in their drying. In such cases, it’s important to ensure that the logs are exposed to proper air flow and ventilation, which can help facilitate the drying process effectively.
No matter where you are storing your firewood you will need to chop them up in small pieces, my personal recommendation is to use a manual wood splitter as they are extremely reliable and easy to use Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
A lot of people think that storing firewood in the garage is ideal as the temperatures are fairly high which will allow the wood to fully dry, and they do not have to be worried about the firewood getting damaged by the elements. The problem with storing firewood in the garage is that you are inviting a lot of pests and bugs into your own home. A lot of bugs will lay eggs in and on top of the firewood.
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Once the temperature is favorable for them to hatch you will have a serious bug problem. In addition to this, a lot of rodents find firewood to be an ideal hiding and nesting spot. Even if you do not bring any rodents inside the house while getting the firewood into your garage, small rodents will still find the firewood in your garage as they often leave scent marks. Although storing firewood in the garage is doable but you have to be extra careful about what kind of firewood you get into your house.
The garage is just like any other room in your house, although it tends to have lower temperatures than the other rooms. A lot of people will store a lot of random stuff in their garages, and some of them might be extremely hazardous like fuel, and adding firewood to the garage can become rather dangerous. If you have wet wood then it will be fairly difficult to make a fire with them but not impossible for more information check out my recent article How to start a fire with wet wood? ( Fast & Easy ).
Storing Firewood In Garage
Storing firewood in a garage can be a convenient option, but it requires proper precautions to ensure safety and prevent any potential hazards. Firstly, it’s important to keep in mind that firewood can introduce pests and moisture into your garage. To prevent pest infestation, inspect the firewood for any signs of insects or eggs before bringing it indoors. It’s also recommended to elevate the firewood off the ground using pallets or racks to prevent moisture buildup and discourage pests.
Additionally, ensure proper ventilation in the garage to minimize the risk of mold growth. It’s crucial to keep firewood away from any ignition sources such as furnaces, water heaters, or electrical outlets to reduce the risk of fire. Regularly check the firewood for signs of decay or moisture accumulation and remove any damaged pieces promptly.
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1. Season The Firewood
Seasoning the firewood simply means that you let it dry out, as dry wood burns a lot better and easier than wet wood. No matter what kind of wood you are using as firewood you will still have to season it. Generally speaking, the seasoning process takes around 6-12 months, although this also depends on what kind of wood you are using and what the local temperatures and humidity are. In a humid environment, it will take significantly longer for the firewood to dry out.
Freshly cut wood contains a lot of water, and by seasoning it, you simply allow this excess water to evaporate. Generally speaking, seasoning firewood should be done outside, although some people season it in their garage. The problem with seasoning firewood in the garage is that all the excess evaporated water will condense on the walls, and behind the stack of firewood, you might have black mold growing.
If you are seasoning the firewood in your garage then make sure to pull out a couple of random pieces of wood and see if the other end of the wood is wet and if it is then you have a problem. You would be better off storing charcoal in your garage than firewood for more information check out my recent article Does charcoal go bad? ( Fact or Fiction? ).
2. Let Air Circulate Behind The Firewood
By far one of the biggest mistakes you could make with storing firewood in the garage is to not let it have plenty of airflow. Most people who store firewood in their home or garage will simply stack it right next to the wall, and in case not all of the firewood is completely seasoned, it will evaporate water. As I have mentioned before this water will then condense on the wall especially if the garage wall is an interior wall which means that it is hotter than the surrounding walls and makes the condensation effect easier.
When you are stacking your firewood make sure to leave a couple of inches between the wall and the firewood, this way air can circulate without any problem and you won’t be having a problem with black mold forming on your wall. If you do not have a lighter at hand then you have several options to start the fire for more information check out my recent article How to make fire without a lighter? ( Top 16 Methods ).
3. Prepare Your Garage For The Firewood
No matter what you want to store in your garage, if it is coming from outside then you have to take a couple of steps to make it easier for yourself in the long run. Clear the area where you want to store the firewood in the garage and make sure that it is clean and dry. Dry firewood tends to be fairly brittle and in order to avoid bringing wood splinters into your home, you should never place the firewood directly on the ground.
You can use a tarp and place the firewood on top of it, this way you can easily clean it, on the other hand, you can also use a couple of large garbage bags, double fold them and you will get the same results.
4. Inspect The Firewood
Ideally, you should season the firewood for 6-12 months outside before bringing it inside. This way the firewood is ready to be used and it will have a lot lower water content than fresh wood. Make sure to check the firewood before storing it in your garage, the firewood should be dry, and not rotten. Remember that the garage is just another room in your house so make sure to store only seasoned and high-quality firewood in your garage.
If you have a couple of rotten pieces of wood, then do not bring it inside your house, it will take ages until it dries out and as it is already rotten it could contain fungal spores which are not good for your health.
5. Don’t Use Pesticides
If you store a lot of firewood in your garage you will inevitably bring in a couple of bugs as well. Now you might think that spraying it with a pesticide is a good idea, but the truth is that this is an extremely bad idea. Pesticides contain dangerous chemicals that will evaporate when you start burning the firewood and you will inhale some of the vapors from the pesticides. Even environmentally friendly pesticides are not ideal as the same thing will happen although with less dangerous chemicals.
If you have a couple of bugs in your firewood then use bug traps instead of chemicals. If you have rodents living between your firewood then use traps to catch them, this way you avoid accidentally burning rodent poisons. Termites can be extremely hard to get rid of, so make sure that the firewood which you bring in your garage doesn’t have any termites living in it. In case you have termites in your firewood then check out my recent article Termites in firewood ( How to get rid of them? ).
6. Stack The Firewood Correctly
Ideally, you should stack the firewood no taller than 3-5 feet high, any higher than that could be potentially dangerous. If you have small children then you should stack the firewood no higher than 3 feet, even if your children are well-behaved they might still injure themselves if the stack is too tall. Your main goal with stacking firewood is to stack as much of them as you can in as a small place as possible.
If you have uneven sizes of firewood then make sure to place the largest pieces of wood at the bottom of the stack, if you place them on top of the stack then it might tip over as the weight is not evenly distributed. In addition to this leave a couple of inches between the wall and the firewood, this way air can circulate without any problem.
7. Fire Safety
Firewood splinters can easily catch fire with just a couple of sparks, so if you often use power tools in your garage then you have to protect the firewood from accidentally catching on fire. In addition to this if you store different kinds of fuels in your garage you have to make sure that they are properly sealed. Some fuels evaporate and create fumes, these fumes can ignite with a single spark, so make sure that everything is sealed properly.
8. Regulations For Firewood Storage
For the most part, you will find either no or very relaxed regulations on how you should store the firewood. Although this depends on the state for the most part, so check with your local authorities what are the actual regulations and if you can store the firewood in the garage https://www.fdacs.gov/Consumer-Resources/Protect-Our-Environment/Firewood-Regulations
Key Takeaways
- You can store firewood in the garage by seasoning the firewood before, letting air circulate behind the firewood, preparing the garage for the firewood, inspecting the firewood before storing it in the garage, not using pesticides, stacking the firewood correctly, keeping fire safety in mind and by checking for local regulations for storing firewood in your garage. The biggest problem with storing firewood in the garage is that you might have a couple of pests like bugs and rodents making the firewood their home.
- Stack the firewood off the ground using pallets, blocks, or a firewood rack. This helps to prevent moisture absorption and allows air circulation.
- Leave space between the stacked firewood to promote airflow and prevent the buildup of moisture. It’s also important to keep the firewood away from any potential sources of ignition, such as heaters or electrical appliances.