Open or closed wood storage

[james]

I received a photo of a good-looking oven in Birmingham, AL today -- which has a wooden door over the wood storage. It looks really nice.

This brings me to a new poll. Did you enclose your wood storage or leave it open?

What was your logic? Bugs, snakes, rodents, design considerations, water, cleanliness?

After you vote, let us know what motivated you.
James

[Les]

Re: Open or closed wood storage

I left it open. It just seemed to me that the darker it was, the more inviting for spiders

Les...

[RTflorida]

Re: Open or closed wood storage

I had to put doors, too many critters to deal with here (snakes, squirrels, coons, dillos, rats, mice). The bugs still get in on occasion, but I do a pretty heavy perimeter treatment of isecticide to eliminate that threat for the most part.
Did I mention the horizontal rains we get daily in the summer? The doors do a very good job of keeping the driving rain out.

RT

[CajunKnight]

Re: Open or closed wood storage

I do not yet have an oven but I would not put doors on the wood storage. The closed in area would hold moisture and cause mold growth. This taste really bad when cooking and you have moldy smoke.

If blowing rain is a problem just wait till oven has cooled and store enough wood inside for next firing. Besides rain water will dry out quite quickly, where natural moisture in fresh wood is a different story.

[Ken524]

Re: Open or closed wood storage

I haven't added my door yet, but I plan to so I voted that I enclosed it. I want to keep the critters out.

[thebadger]

Re: Open or closed wood storage

Agree with Ken, that's my plan.

I'm going to use the same woos stain from the pergola on both the outer oven door and woodstorage door...

Dick

[RTflorida]

Re: Open or closed wood storage

Cajun, I don't buy fresh wood - everything I get is seasoned at least a year - pretty darned dry and I aim to keep it that way. During the summer, rain does not dry up quickly here, it stays wet from June thru Sept so leaving wood exposed will make it soggy (I found out the hard way last summer - leaving part of my first cord stacked behind my oven on an ucovered rack. Those logs are just now dry enough to burn smoke free after a very dry winter and spring, they were perfectly seasoned last June when I bought it). Humidity alone is more than enough to grow mold and mildew on anything and everything - as I'm sure you can attest to in LA. My biggest concern is the critters...I detest snakes (several venomous species) and rodents...brown recluse and black widow spiders are a big issue here as well.....thats why I go heavy on the insecticide around the perimeter.
Living in surburbia, I don't have the space to store wood ideally - out in the open (but covered) or in large quantities. The only space I have is below or directly behind the oven.

RT

[PizzaJNKY]

Re: Open or closed wood storage

My wife told me that I will build a locking door for oven. I guess she's afraid our kids will try to play under the oven and that it could fall on them. I'm not sure, but I get the feeling she doesn't quite trust my construction skills just yet. Maybe after I tile our bathroom she will develop that trust.

[james]

Re: Open or closed wood storage

My wife told me that I will build a locking door for oven. I guess she's afraid our kids will try to play under the oven and that it could fall on them. I'm not sure, but I get the feeling she doesn't quite trust my construction skills just yet.

I remember that. My wife had no faith that any of it would actually stand up. That was right before the bomb shelter comments. :-)

James

[gjbingham]

Re: Open or closed wood storage

You all know I have doors on mine. It's a pretty pittyful wood storage area. I only store wood in there that has been kiln dried in the dome from previous firings. I've got at least 5 plus chords of wood seasoning. I'm going to build a real wood storage area adjacent to the oven/patio so that I can grab more when I need it.

Kindling storage is another topic. Where do you keep your kindling? I'd like to have another designated spot that held about 4 cubic feet/ 1 cubic meter of kindling. What a pain it is to chase those little guys around amongst the real wood.

[Frances]

Re: Open or closed wood storage

Reminds me of this thread (one of the first I participated in... )

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/6/wo...rs-2411-2.html

I think it rather depends on how agressive your local wild life is - pretty tame around here, so no door on mine.

The kindling is stored in a metal bucket just inside the door, and whenever I run out I just collect a couple more fallen branches from the woods.

[egalecki]

Re: Open or closed wood storage

I left it open. It just seemed to me that the darker it was, the more inviting for spiders

Les...

Oh, I hate spiders. Really, really hate them. I will be spraying the crap out of my wood storage underneath the oven. I don't think I'll be having doors, though.

My stand is open on 3 sides, and I think I'll have the larger pieces on the two sides facing out, and the kindling on the short angled side.

Here's hoping that 3 big dogs will keep the rest of the critters away from the oven and the woodpile!

[CajunKnight]

Re: Open or closed wood storage

If I were to install a door I would have to use the louvered type with a mesh screen on the inside. Looks very nice from the outside and keep critters on the down low. Also keeps fresh air circulating. My bigger concern would be heat build up under the hearth. It may be minimal now but if the area is closed off the heat would build with no escape. If you put a 60 watt bulb inside a box you can hatch eggs with an easy 100+ degree temps
Now for another question... Many have stated temps on the outside of the dome, has anyone ever measured the heat below the hearth? I still have to vote no doors or vented doors. Darn it... every post gets me wondering other things. Now I am thinking about a ventilation system under the dome lol.

[biondoli]

Re: Open or closed wood storage

I do not have it yet but I plan to put one; I do not want to be a nest for rabbitts or mice, regarding the moisture, I plan to keep it open when I am around. On top, a door will add a nice look to th entire structure.
I measured the temperature under the dome after few hours the oven was running at 500 celsius and it was no more then 45-50C in a warm day.

[trockyh]

Re: Open or closed wood storage

Just ran across this thread. I did not read all of it so this might have been mentioned already. We will put a door on ours to keep rattle snakes out of the wood storage. Don't want to reach in and pull one of them out.

Tom