wood storage question

allen levine

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new york city burbs
I have a 4 foot crawl space under my home.
Its a large area. Its maybe 1/4 used for storage of old stuff we never take out of there, and some old chairs and tables, bikes. etc.
Ive been here 20 years, its always been dry, never had a water problem, but everything is lifted a few inches off ground that needs to be just in case a sewer pipe breaks or water pipe goes.
Im thinking about moving alot of wood down there. I believe the temps are more moderate, warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer, and I cant imagine the humidity being any less or more than the garage.
Are there some reason/s why I shouldnt put the wood under the house?
 
I dunno, Tod. Every crawl space I have ever seen has been damp, or at the least, humid. Mebbe in Arizona they could be OK.
Methinks that where Allen live, only with constant air circulation would he avoid having a spalt factory.
 
boy allen, using my expeiernce with crawl spaces what looks dry isnt nesacarrly dry..i know tod is more up on this than me but i got to differ here in your neck of the woods if yu arent pressed to move it right now put a little down there first and test it..better to be safe than loose your stash..without any air movement your asking for trouble i think
 
boy allen, using my expeiernce with crawl spaces what looks dry isnt nesacarrly dry..i know tod is more up on this than me but i got to differ here in your neck of the woods if yu arent pressed to move it right now put a little down there first and test it..better to be safe than loose your stash..without any air movement your asking for trouble i think

Me Too, what he said....
 
I cringed when I read your post too, but maybe you should just do a test first. Lay a piece of plastic down and see how much moisture is trapped underneath? A easy to do plastic test will tell you for sure, in your crawl space and in your locale...that's the best advice I can give you!
 
I agree - I beleive there will be a humidity problem.

It may not be so bad that stuff will rot or anything like that. But, I think your wood will absorb the moisture. What do we want in furniture quality stuff - something less than 10%.

My guess is that you will raise the moisture in the stored wood up to undesirable levels.
 
I spoke with my contractor neighbor, he told me theres no way I should store anything worth value down there.
I told him I never have a moisture problem, and with that, I opened the door.
All the extra quik mix I had left over from the garage floor repair was solid rock, not powder. It was too heavy for me to even lift the bag. I believe the moisture got into the bag and made it cement.
Ok, maybe its not a good idea at this point.
 
Back in the old days, when a house was being built, the flooring for the new floors were stored under the bed for up to a year, that way they were out of the way but acclimated to the room they were going to be eventually laid down in.

Perhaps some of your wives are a bit more understanding in the ole tyme ways then mine and they might let you carry on this tradition. Mine won't no matter how many cutting boards I make her. (LOL)
 
I spoke with my contractor neighbor, he told me theres no way I should store anything worth value down there.
I told him I never have a moisture problem, and with that, I opened the door.
All the extra quik mix I had left over from the garage floor repair was solid rock, not powder. It was too heavy for me to even lift the bag. I believe the moisture got into the bag and made it cement.
Ok, maybe its not a good idea at this point.


allen,
when i said you`d be okay with wood stored down there i was basing my advice on your statement that the crawl space was warm and dry with no higher humidity than your garage.
wood is much more affected by humidity than temperture, if quickcrete has set up in the bag it sounds as though you have a humidity issue in your crawl space?
 
Today my son went under the crawl space of my aunt's house, Dry as a Popcorn Flatulation... when he removed the shovels and hoes and other yard tools, he found them quite rusty and the wood handles grooved from the deteriation of the wood handles... Any suggestions there? Although the floor of the space had vapor barrior and all about was dusty and dry, the conditions were not conducive to store Anything, let alone woods that you want to use for projects, I suggest you seek out another solution. And on Long Island as well???? This ain't Arizona or the Mohave Desert
 
I never noticed any damage to anything Ive stored down there.
Years ago, back in early nineties, I purchased a full size air hockey table, bowling table, from a chain store that went broke and its been down there ever since. We took it out last year, it seemed fine, the wood didnt seem warped or anything, so I was thinking its ok, but the cement thing has me a bit concerned, so I think Im going to export any excess lumber to the basement of my business. Theres hundreds and hundreds of linear feet of pine shelving, been there since before the 50s, and it still looks perfect. Ive been storing alot down there for 32 years. Never had an issue with anything, including quik cement weve used for minor cracks, and other powdered chemicals for mixes.
Eh, probably saving my back alot of issues anyway.
 
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