# Apparently all my firewood is over 30% MC - Safe to burn?



## Lantheaume (Nov 11, 2019)

Greetings!

Apologies for the novice question, but I'm in a bit of a pickle. 

I'm new here, new to wood stoves and new to buying firewood. I've tried to look through the forum for some answers first but didn't see any clear answers so wanted to post in case there's danger I'm putting my home and family in by burning the wood I'm burning.

A few things:

Just bought a house this summer with an Avalon Olympic stove. The stove sold the house for us and we were very excited to use it.  The stove was installed two years ago so it's relatively new.
Bought 4 cord of "partially seasoned" firewood that was delivered in August and September. It was all stacked by October (lots to do with a new home).  The first cord and a half was stacked by September 5th.
I knew it was a late start for firewood, but had no real other option. Bought 4 cord b/c the previous owners said they heated the entire house with the stove and they used 4 cord last year.
Bought a meter to test the wood (DR. Meter MD812) once I learned more about wood moisture. Originally I was testing the ends of the spit wood (it was mid 30s) until I learned that it's not a true reading - I've started to test after splitting and check the heart of the wood.
Since I had the first stack of firewood stacked by Sept, and I was planning on start burning around now, I was (naively) hoping we'd be in the marginally safe realm of low twenties by the time the winter hit.
I've done a few burns in the stove on cool days - mostly for atmosphere and to get used to it, but nothing really cranking.  I did notice on the last one that I just couldn't get the fire to stay going. I'd get a good start, but it'd always end up dark and not providing much heat.  It'd be really smoky when I'd open the door to adjust or add more wood.  (I'm used to fireplaces for atmosphere and just adding another log as I felt it needed it - I'm learning that's not the way with a wood stove..)
Anyway - we're heading into the teens overnight here in Downeast Maine in the next few days so was prepping to really take her out for spin and tried using only smaller logs (3-5" on ends) and that burned much better.  When I went out to split some of the bigger logs into smaller ones I remembered that trusty moisture meter and figured I'd see how my wood piles were doing.

You all know where this is headed - the reason the wood wasn't burning is because it's moisture content is way high. One log I spit was 48%.  I checked multiple other logs and the lowest I got was 32%.  I figured a large log from the last pile we stacked would be high, but the oldest set is still only at 30%.

I'm still waiting for the chimney sweep to give us a cleaning for the season - he's been booked out. The chimney is stainless steel and towers over the two story house so it's not really something I'm comfortable getting up there and doing myself.

So now's the question - what's safe?

Don't really have an understanding on how to manage what I have.  We have propane heat for the house so we can get through if we need to not burn - but it'd really like to use the stove (and the wood I bought) as much as I can.

I saw lots of threads about wood in the 20s, but couldn't find much for higher.  

Please help?

Thank you!


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## showrguy (Nov 11, 2019)

Lantheaume said:


> Greetings!
> 
> Apologies for the novice question, but I'm in a bit of a pickle.
> 
> ...


Can you burn it ?  Yes, but you’ll be wasting a TON of btu’s.. and require several cleanings throughout the winter..
Should you burn it ?  No...    top cover and save it for next year..

Also, your wood should be at about 70 deg. F when testing m/c..


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## weatherguy (Nov 11, 2019)

Get some bio bricks for this year to burn on the really cold nights, if you can get pallets you can bust them up and burn them too, maybe mix a couple of pieces of your wood per load. Next year should be better for you.


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## jatoxico (Nov 11, 2019)

There are many threads here about getting through the season with wet wood. Mostly it comes down to getting dry scrap and/or pallets to mix in with the wet stuff. Can also buy some compressed bricks. Re-split some of what you have into smaller pieces and feed plenty of air.

In the end it will prob be a struggle. Don't judge the stove based on this years results.


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## peakbagger (Nov 11, 2019)

You have great start for next winter .  Not sure if you have any sawmills or wood manufacturers in you area but it may be worth calling to see if anyone sells kiln dried board ends. If you try to burn the green stuff you are effectively throwing away 1/2 your wood up the stack. You didnt list your stove type but newer EPA stove just will not burn green wood well. Lot to be said for biobricks. Get them quick as dealer only stock a given amount when they are out they are usually out for the season.

It pretty much a rite of passage for new woodburners to get burned on partially seasoned wood. The tough part is you need to buy another 4 cords of green next summer after a tough winter so that you get in a two year drying cycle.


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## MissMac (Nov 11, 2019)

Save that wood until it’s <20% on a fresh split at room temp.  Think of it as an investment in your future wood burning, and then get a start on your wood for subsequent winters.  Use your furnace this winter, or get some biobricks like others have suggested.  Trying to burn wet wood will be a waste of the wood, and can lead to creosote issues.  Try to stay ahead on your wood, so that it’s seasoned a couple of years on your property so you know it’s actually being seasoned.  Once you get your set up and your wood dialed in, you will enjoy the rewards of your forward planning.


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## ABMax24 (Nov 11, 2019)

Don't do it.

Start scrounging to see if anyone has dry wood for sale, otherwise pallets, dry lumber cutoffs (not pressure treated), compressed logs. etc.


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## Woody Stover (Nov 11, 2019)

What species wood do you have?
Your better half probably won't let you get away with it upstairs (like I did, with 1/2 cord) in her new house, but get some dead Pine split, stack it in the basement, and turn on the fan. I got small White Ash splits from 25% down to 20 within two weeks.


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## Sawset (Nov 11, 2019)

Lantheaume said:


> what's safe?


Moisture content effects your ability to get flue temps up to safe levels and keep them there. If the question were solely "is it safe to burn wet wood", then the answer is yes, with the same requirement as used any other time - is the flue temp up, and kept up where it should be. The problem then becomes, am I willing to tend to the stove enough to make that happen. That would be up to you.
 My first year, I had a new stove, similar to you, and some purchased wood (late), and some that had been stored outside in the elements. I made it work. But the work any other time would not have been worth it. It would take me an hour to get to the point where I could leave the stove unattended. Give it air, shut it down, open it back up because the fire is smothered, oh joy. But I was in heaven, new stove. Find your tolerance level and go with it. You can burn wet wood, with flue temps kept high, and end up with a stove and chimney that is just as clean as any other that is run properly. 
#2 - get a flue temp gauge. And be diligent about getting it above 250f, preferably higher, pronto. Don't let it linger below that. Once at the coaling stage it's not a concern, but initially, when wood is offgassing, it's thee concern.  Creosote can form in minutes. It's easy to avoid that with dry wood. Doable, but tougher to do with wet wood. With 48% wood it may not be doable at all. Get a gauge, monitor it, rest easier.
#3 - if you're finally off cloud 9, and have had enough, pallet wood or other dry source may be the answer. I never got to that point. The second year I was in heaven all over again - dry wood.


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## Woody Stover (Nov 11, 2019)

Lay in a supply of split soft Maple, Cherry or other fast-drying wood for next year..it'll be dry enough by next fall if stacked now. Oak or other dense woods take longer to dry, two or three years split and stacked.


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## Lantheaume (Nov 11, 2019)

Thank you all for your responses!!

This is a wonderful forum.

I guess I’m headed to the hardware store for some biobricks in the AM. Also need to put a call in to the brother-in-law who often gets pallets at work. [emoji51] (He got me some to stack my wood on top of)

I’ll reply more when it’s not almost midnight but wanted to at least say thank you so much for your insights!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Simonkenton (Nov 12, 2019)

My stove just won't work with 30 percent wood.  Good luck.


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## Simonkenton (Nov 12, 2019)

My stove just won't work with 30 percent wood.  Good luck.


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## Woody Stover (Nov 12, 2019)

Lantheaume said:


> I’ll reply more when it’s not almost midnight


Soon, you won't care _how_ late it is. We don't sleep any more; We stay up and think about wood.


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## EatenByLimestone (Nov 12, 2019)

Woody Stover said:


> Soon, you won't care _how_ late it is. We don't sleep any more; We stay up and think about wood.



That's what she said!


Lol




But back to the topic...  pallets got me through the first year.   I never got the biobricks to burn well,      but I seem to be the only one.   Lumber yards often have slab wood that's thin and dries fast.   It's kind of like a pallet in tree form.


Buy next year's wood now, if you can and have the room.   Break the cycle of wet wood!


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## Sawset (Nov 12, 2019)

EatenByLimestone said:


> ... pallets got me through the first year


Where I work, it's a part time/full time job getting rid of a mountain of pallets that show up and accumulate.  They can be a hassle and time waster. Contact manufacturers and distributors, like box stores, fabricators. I'm sure you will get their attention.


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## EatenByLimestone (Nov 13, 2019)

Yeah, it was a pool company that did me the favor.  

They had a mountain out back.   A sawzall would make quick work of them.


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## maple1 (Nov 13, 2019)

A bit uncertain from the original post - it sounds like this wood wasn't split before it was stacked? Is that right?

Some points for the future:

-Wood doesn't start drying much if any at all until it is split. So - buy it, and split it & stack it right away. At least a year before you plan to use it. Or more, depending on species & drying conditions.
-Assume any and all wood you buy is unseasoned. And that it is up to you to get it right for burning.
-Save the wood you have now for next year. Trying to use it this year will be a waste. If it is not split, you need to do that as soon as possible. Or it might be on its' way to rot by next year.
-Good suggestions above about the biobricks and pallet wood.
-Buy more wood ASAP, try to get 2-3 years ahead. You will be more than happy you did so, this time next year and every year after.


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## Lantheaume (Nov 13, 2019)

I owe a longer response to the thread, but...

The clear consensus is to not burn this wood this year and be happy that I'm prepped a year ahead.
Also happy I got the service plan for my propane furnace this winter, I'll be using it a lot.

Track down pallets, Biobricks, and other dried wood for burning this year.
Buy my next 4 cord in  spring and stack it, split, so it can be ready for winter of 2022.
The wood I have stacked now will be for 2021
(Pallets will be for 2020  )

There is a ton of useful information in this thread and I have a bunch of thank yous and questions to get back to.  I didn't want to let another day go by without responding and thanking everyone again for their advice!


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## SeanBB (Nov 13, 2019)

Lantheaume said:


> I owe a longer response to the thread, but...
> 
> The clear consensus is to not burn this wood this year and be happy that I'm prepped a year ahead.
> Also happy I got the service plan for my propane furnace this winter, I'll be using it a lot.
> ...



If you make a simple solar kiln the wood you have now will be fine for next winter.


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## kyguylal (Nov 13, 2019)

I like bio bricks and other compressed wood bricks. I picked up about 20 packs of them and threw them in with my semi seasoned wood last year. Burnt well enough. They really do burn well alone too. I can load my stove up with just bricks and get an overnight burn. 

Surprisingly affordable too.


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## FaithfulWoodsman (Nov 14, 2019)

If you are willing and have access to wooded areas, you can find dead ash and cherry that can be quite low in MC. Normally only the drier tops will be able to be burned this year, some of it immediately, but the rest of the tree would be ready by next if CSS this winter.


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## Woody Stover (Nov 14, 2019)

FaithfulWoodsman said:


> If you are willing and have access to wooded areas, you can find dead ash and cherry that can be quite low in MC. Normally only the drier tops will be able to be burned this year


And if you find <8" dead standers with the bark off, that should burn pretty well.


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## johneh (Nov 14, 2019)

If you can't find dry wood pray for  warm weather 
As others have said blocks, pallets  and dead standing (maybe) 
Good luck If you were close I have 10 cord 3-year-old very 
dry hard maple and oak  I would give you


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## Lantheaume (Nov 14, 2019)

showrguy said:


> Can you burn it ?  Yes, but you’ll be wasting a TON of btu’s.. and require several cleanings throughout the winter..
> Should you burn it ?  No...    top cover and save it for next year..


Heard.  I have a bunch stacked on the porch already and the rest on the side of the house. The side of the house is covered with a tarp and 90% of the porch stuff is covered.



showrguy said:


> Also, your wood should be at about 70 deg. F when testing m/c..


I saw that after I posed - I did bring a piece inside to warm up but haven't had a chance to split it and take a reading yet.  From those other threads it might be even higher in moisture then it read when it was 40º.


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## Lantheaume (Nov 14, 2019)

weatherguy said:


> Get some bio bricks for this year to burn on the really cold nights, if you can get pallets you can bust them up and burn them too, maybe mix a couple of pieces of your wood per load. Next year should be better for you.


Just picked up a few packages and am on the hunt for pallets.  Looking forward to next year.


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## SpaceBus (Nov 14, 2019)

I'm also in Downeast Maine and had a rough winter last year due to unseasoned wood. As mentioned bio bricks will get you through this winter. I think we spent around $300/pallet at Hammond Lumber for bio bricks.


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## Lantheaume (Nov 14, 2019)

jatoxico said:


> There are many threads here about getting through the season with wet wood. Mostly it comes down to getting dry scrap and/or pallets to mix in with the wet stuff. Can also buy some compressed bricks. Re-split some of what you have into smaller pieces and feed plenty of air.
> 
> In the end it will prob be a struggle. Don't judge the stove based on this years results.


Thanks @jatoxico!  If there are any particular threads on getting through the season with wet wood worth reading I'd appreciate the pointer - but sounds like the rule is "Find dry wood, burn it instead" :-D.

I have started to split the wood I have into smaller pieces - I know they'll dry quicker, but also when I do want to burn "something" they are easier to keep lit then the larger logs.


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## Lantheaume (Nov 14, 2019)

SpaceBus said:


> I'm also in Downeast Maine and had a rough winter last year due to unseasoned wood. As mentioned bio bricks will get you through this winter. I think we spent around $300/pallet at Hammond Lumber for bio bricks.


Thanks @SpaceBus!  I have one down the street from me so will check 'em out.  How long did the pallet last you?  Do you burn a brick at a time? Put a few bricks in and let 'er rip for a while?


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## SpaceBus (Nov 14, 2019)

Lantheaume said:


> Thanks @SpaceBus!  I have one down the street from me so will check 'em out.  How long did the pallet last you?  Do you burn a brick at a time? Put a few bricks in and let 'er rip for a while?


I did about half wood and half bio bricks by weight (not volume!) and burned it as if it were normal cordwood. We used the one pallet for most of winter. There was maybe 3/4 of a cord of somewhat seasoned firewood that came with the house we burned at first. That ran out pretty quickly. I think I ran out of Bio bricks right at the end of the season and I'd guess we would normally use four cords.

Can you post some photos of your stove and chimney setup?


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## jatoxico (Nov 14, 2019)

Lantheaume said:


> Thanks @jatoxico!  If there are any particular threads on getting through the season with wet wood worth reading I'd appreciate the pointer - but sounds like the rule is "Find dry wood, burn it instead" :-D.
> 
> I have started to split the wood I have into smaller pieces - I know they'll dry quicker, but also *when I do want to burn "something" they are easier to keep lit then the larger logs.*



Yes that's the idea, lots of surface area. IMO there's no need to totally abandon burning some of the wood unless you do find that the wood is truly 40%. That just may be too much.  Pick through and find the lightest/driest stuff and go ahead and make some fires. Bring as much as you can into the stove room. A few days indoors next the stove will help some too.  Its all pretty much common sense

It will be more work building small airy fires since they won't burn too long but you'll get some heat while your willing to feed it.

It does tend to work out that if you have half load 30% wood and half of 10% bio brick or dry pallet wood (I prefer pallet) then the total moisture content is 20% and you'll be OK more or less. Get a stove thermometer and burn as hot a you can to keep the creosote in check.


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## coutufr (Nov 15, 2019)

You can burn high moisture wood anyway you want but in the end not much heat will come out of it.


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## weatherguy (Nov 15, 2019)

The good news is your all set for next year but get more wood now for the year after


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## nathan125 (Nov 15, 2019)

Scrounge or buy some dry firewood from someone who isnt a crook.


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## Chas0218 (Nov 15, 2019)

EatenByLimestone said:


> That's what she said!
> 
> 
> Lol
> ...



I wish that's what she said! haha


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## Woody5506 (Nov 15, 2019)

I'll burn wood in the mid 20's but anything higher than that is a no go for me. If you burn what you got this year it's basically just gonna be a waste of money. As other said, save it for next year! The first year with a stove was tough for me, I got lucky a few times and scrounged some good dead maple but I did end up burning a lot of unseasoned ash.


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## Zack R (Nov 15, 2019)

Lots of good advice to be found here..... don't waste next years good wood supply by trying to burn it this year when its wet.


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## firefighterjake (Nov 16, 2019)

You've pretty much got most all of the advice you need to know already.

-- Best advice: Save the wood this year to burn next year. Burning the wood this year will result in less heat, more creosote and more heart break . . . plus you'll burn up a lot more, a lot quicker.

-- Bio-bricks or logs can help.

-- Pallets can be burned. They are often free, but the disadvantage is disassembling them can be tedious (depending on how you do it), you have to be careful of nails (both in the disassembly and in the disposal of ashes) and one must be careful to not over-fire the stove by stuffing it full of broken up pallets.

-- Standing dead trees might be of use. In my first year pallets and standing dead elm saved my butt . . . but not all standing dead wood is the same. Make sure it's not punky or rotten and be aware that some standing dead trees may still be too high in moisture content to burn well.

-- If you ever make your way up to the Bangor-Brewer area you might want to check with Peavey Manufacturing (they're the ones who still make Peaveys). Last I knew they were selling white ash "trimmings" pretty affordably. These may be small pieces though so you would most likely not want to stuff the firebox full of this and then touch it off.

-- You'll most likely have a tough time finding truly well seasoned wood on Craigslist, Uncle Henrys (does anyone still use this anymore), Facebook Marketplace, the poster at the local store advertising "seasoned" wood for sale, etc. around this time of year. Heck, even folks selling "seasoned" wood often don't have wood that is seasoned enough for the modern woodstove. But you never know . . . you may get lucky and strike on that one home owner who just sold their house and the new owner doesn't want the firewood.


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## NoGoodAtScreenNames (Nov 16, 2019)

If you have the space then stack your wood in single rows a few inches off ground. I season oak down below 20% no problem that way in 1.5 years in a seasoning rack that totally protects it from rain. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Lantheaume (Nov 17, 2019)

SpaceBus said:


> I did about half wood and half bio bricks by weight (not volume!) and burned it as if it were normal cordwood. We used the one pallet for most of winter. There was maybe 3/4 of a cord of somewhat seasoned firewood that came with the house we burned at first. That ran out pretty quickly. I think I ran out of Bio bricks right at the end of the season and I'd guess we would normally use four cords.
> 
> Can you post some photos of your stove and chimney setup?


Looks like someone is selling kiln dried locally so we’re going to try and grab some (not sure where to store it!)

have a power outage and used some bio bricks to get our stove going.
You asked for photos so I grabbed some.


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## peakbagger (Nov 17, 2019)

Great news! Hard to match kiln dried wood to learn on with a modern stove.


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## coutufr (Nov 17, 2019)

Btw most people buying a wood stove for the first time don’t have dried wood that they can burn right away. It is my 4th winter with my wood stove and I am just starting to feel like I have enough dry wood for the whole winter. Last year I was also thinking that but I ended up building another wood rack last spring... we are having extremely cold temperatures for November here in Montreal so this winter could potentially be even colder that last year


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## johneh (Nov 17, 2019)

coutufr said:


> Btw most people buying a wood stove for the first time don’t have dried wood that they can burn right away. It is my 4th winter with my wood stove and I am just starting to feel like I have enough dry wood for the whole winter. Last year I was also thinking that but I ended up building another wood rack last spring... we are having extremely cold temperatures for November here in Montreal so this winter could potentially be even colder that last year


You may be right about being a long cold winter. We are breaking records all over the place 
I have 5 1/2 cords of seasoned wood that I usually use in a year. I had 10 but gave 4 1/2 away 
to people in need hope it doesn't come back to bit me in the rear


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## MissMac (Nov 18, 2019)

johneh said:


> You may be right about being a long cold winter. We are breaking records all over the place
> I have 5 1/2 cords of seasoned wood that I usually use in a year. I had 10 but gave 4 1/2 away
> to people in need hope it doesn't come back to bit me in the rear


Selflessly helping people never hurts.  That is very generous of you.


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## hickoryhoarder (Nov 23, 2019)

Even without the moisture meter I wouldn't have tried burning that wood.  I've never encountered firewood for sale that is fully seasoned.   When they say "seasoned" it's been stacked for month or two.  You need six months to three years, depending on the type of wood.

Cherry can be ready in as short as six months. Tulip poplar maybe 9 months. White pine maybe 6 months. Up in Maine maybe there's some white pine for sale? Also, there may be a firewood dealer that sells kiln dried wood, ready to burn. It'll cost you more, but could be the way to go this winter.

The smaller you can split it, the faster it'll season, if you stack it in a sunny, breezy place, not touching the ground.


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## Chas0218 (Nov 25, 2019)

I have had Ash season in 6 months CSS in June and left uncovered until end of October. The wood I'm burning the following year stays uncovered until the next October so it stays uncovered for close to a year.


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