Can you store firewood in a garage?
Yes, you can store firewood in a garage. However, you need to check for bugs as firewood can be covered in them. So make sure to use pesticides but not too much as breathing it in can harm you. Be careful of any fire hazards like gas cans and stack the pile neatly.
Garages seem to be the ideal place to store firewood. There are many advantages. Close to the house with easy access and yet out of the way. Even dry firewood is heavy so, the less distance that it needs to be carried, the better.
If you have a fire wagon then you can drive straight into the garage and hey presto, the wood is stacked and ready for the fire.
Garages then do seem to be the ideal spot but there are some serious issues to consider before packing a pile of logs in the corner of the garage.
Check for bugs
Deadwood is an ideal home for a wide variety of insects. In nature, dead trees become a favorite dining area for a variety of insects including ants, and termites that can both eat and sleep in the wood.
The area between the bark and the actual wood is a favorite place for a multitude of crawling critters just waiting to savor the delicacies of your home and furniture.
Bringing in dead dry wood is dangerous but bringing in firewood that is still wet is raising the stakes to sirens and red lights flashing status. In short, bringing in wet firewood and hoping to dry it in the garage is not what you should be doing.
There are times when the wood is harvested from trees that have died and the wood has dried on the tree as it were.
An ideal situation as this would be instant seasoned timber but it is only ideal if you are going to burn the logs within a day or two because dead trees are high rise apartments for bugs and insects that would love a change of scenery that the interior of your house could provide.
Take care when using pesticides
Aha, you say, reaching for the can of insecticide. This will blitz any crawling nasty in the woodpile. Well, you would be right. A can of insecticide will take care of most of the wildlife in the wood, so that takes care of the insect infestation but sadly there is another problem.
Insecticides contain harmful chemicals. That is why they can do the killing for you but when the time comes, and the insect free log is neatly stacked on the fire it will be those very same chemicals filling your living area and you will be breathing them in.
When using pesticides, don’t go too crazy with it.
Make sure it’s dry before bringing it in
It is exceptionally difficult to create an indoor atmosphere that will surpass the drying ability of outside wind and sunshine. Yes, you can try with a dehumidifier but that will send your real cost of firewood unacceptably higher.
There are instances where storerooms can lock in a great amount of sunlight and with a free flow of air and high temperatures, they can produce conditions suitable for quicker drying, but these seem to be the exception rather than the rule.
Storerooms that have large openings that allow for a free flow of air through them are great for storing firewood, but garages seldom have this quality and consequently, they only offer appropriate storage for wood that is dry, or at a stretch, nearly dry.
Remember storing firewood that is still wet in your garage is going to introduce moisture into the room along with all the ancillary problems so save yourself a lot of trouble and only store dry firewood in your garage.
Stack it neatly
It may be the garage and it may be out of sight but if you are going to store firewood in the garage make sure you stack it neatly.
Firstly, a neat stack is space efficient, and secondly, if your stack of firewood is untidy and haphazardly packed it will also be an attractive accommodation area for rats, mice, and chipmunks as well as a myriad of other little creatures some of which you would rather not have as guests.
A neat stack will be less of an accommodation attraction for unwanted guests.
As space is limited in the garage there is the temptation to stack firewood as high as possible, but this could be dangerous particularly if the logs have not been split.
A stack will become unstable as the height increases so do take precautions to prevent injury. As a general rule do not allow your stack to grow higher than four feet.
Store the stack away from walls so that the ends of the logs are exposed to the flow of air as this will go a long way in promoting the drying of the wood. Remember that a stack made from split logs is always a far more stable stack.
Whenever possible store your stack of firewood off the floor. Evenly spaced bearers or a firewood rack will allow for good airflow and prevent any possible damp from the ground from seeping into your stack.
Avoid fire hazards
Garages normally house cars but along with the car, there is normally a collection of other items that share a common trait of using gas. Chainsaws, trimmers, perhaps a generator all have tanks of gas.
Adding to this a quantity of material designed to burn doesn’t appear to be the best of plans so take care and be aware of the risk associated with firewood in the garage. Pay particular attention to storing firewood far away from any heaters that operate in the garage.
