Moisture Gauge

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boisblancboy

Member
Apr 26, 2009
149
Northern Michigan
Could you guys give me a recommendation on a moisture gauge for checking my firewood?

Thanks
 
i have a related question: let's say you have some wood which has been drying for months. Should you first cut a split in 2 before taking a moisture reading?
 
WoodNewbie said:
i have a related question: let's say you have some wood which has been drying for months. Should you first cut a split in 2 before taking a moisture reading?
Anytime I use a meter it is always on a fresh split. Got mine at Amazon...less than $30 and free shipping.
 
Mines a Harbor freight $20 special. Works good, don't use it much now, but it help me decide in what order to pile my wood. i was in the "/# range a couple of months ago, now getting below . Noticeable difference. Quite a difference testing the outside, than cracking the piece open, testing the inside.
 
So when checking wood that has been sitting awhile, you should always split it and check the side on the fresh split side?
 
Room temp? What is the reason for that? Im not questioning you, just wondering why. Thanks for the replies so far!
 
Electrical resistance (what most low-cost meters actually measure) is a function of wood temperature. Moisture meters are typically calibrated at, or around, 70 deg F. If you make a wood measurement at a colder or hotter temperature than the calibration temperature, you need to apply a correction factor to the meter reading.

Temperature effects can be significant. For example, a meter reading of 18% moisture at 20 degrees F represents a real moisture content of more like 22%-24%.
 
WoodNewbie said:
i have a related question: let's say you have some wood which has been drying for months. Should you first cut a split in 2 before taking a moisture reading?

Always, if the wood has been drying for longer than a few days... The outside will get down to below 20% very quickly, but this doesn't really matter, what counts is the moisture on the inside of the split... Use one of the bigger splits in a batch, split it again, and take the reading from the middle of the fresh split side...

Gooserider
 
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