Harbor Freight moisture meter high reading

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TvSteve

Member
Jan 10, 2010
17
Ballston Lake, NY
Out the other day checking my stacks after all the rain this year. Pulled a few 2 year old splits and got a center reading of 24-30. Edges were at 15-18. This wood felt and sounded dry. Measured some very dry pine and found the same center high reading. Meter must be off and it sure was. Changed the batteries and those same 24-30 splits now were 14-16. BTW batteries checked good and I re-split the wood before checking.
 
WoodNStuff said:
So you're saying that the batteries were the culprit in this case?
??? The batteries probably cost more than the tester!!lol I have one from last year - not looking forward to changing the bats. I Like having it as a reffence when cutting standing dead. I found out some of the stuff I thought was good to go still needs some drying.
 
IPLUMB said:
WoodNStuff said:
So you're saying that the batteries were the culprit in this case?
??? The batteries probably cost more than the tester!!lol I have one from last year - not looking forward to changing the bats. I Like having it as a reffence when cutting standing dead. I found out some of the stuff I thought was good to go still needs some drying.

Go to this site and search "LR44 Battery". You find them in a bulk pack of 50 batteries for $3.80 with free shipping.

dealextreme.com

I found this out from another Hearth.com member. Great info here.
 

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TvSteve said:
WoodNStuff said:
So you're saying that the batteries were the culprit in this case?

Yes, the batteries caused the high reading.
That's odd, mine read normal until the batteries were so bad it would not read at all.
 
oldspark said:
TvSteve said:
WoodNStuff said:
So you're saying that the batteries were the culprit in this case?

Yes, the batteries caused the high reading.
That's odd, mine read normal until the batteries were so bad it would not read at all.

As with all CE products coming from the orient there is no consistency in build. I see TV's with the same model# and a serial# a few digits off to be entirely different inside, one of the reasons this stuff is throw-away junk. Over there it's vendor of the hour.
 
you know, i have this same meter, and i thought i was in for a rough winter, even though the stuffs been sitting since last summer. Ill have to check the batts.
 
A weak battery makes my voltage meter act weird. One day i was getting 370 volts at my cousins house. Could not figure out why. I guess some devices act that way when batteries starting to fade...
 
TvSteve said:
oldspark said:
TvSteve said:
WoodNStuff said:
So you're saying that the batteries were the culprit in this case?

Yes, the batteries caused the high reading.
That's odd, mine read normal until the batteries were so bad it would not read at all.

As with all CE products coming from the orient there is no consistency in build. I see TV's with the same model# and a serial# a few digits off to be entirely different inside, one of the reasons this stuff is throw-away junk. Over there it's vendor of the hour.

Yes, everyone knows that products made by Apple, Samsung, Sony, etc., are all throwaway junk compared with Zenith, RCA, and GE products. Oops...those are made in China, too. I guess it's all throwaway junk.
 
I see the battery thing in my older moisture meter and my infrared thermometer both. When the reading looks weird I change the batteries and the moon and stars come back into alignment.
 
Actually, I keep an assortment of batteries, which are in different states of discharge, carefully arranged in a little old plastic fishing fly box. If I measure the MC of some wood I want to burn, but get a moisture reading I don't like, I can switch batteries until my meter indicates my wood is perfectly ready to burn. :p
 
fossil said:
Actually, I keep an assortment of batteries, which are in different states of discharge, carefully arranged in a little old plastic fishing fly box. If I measure the MC of some wood I want to burn, but get a moisture reading I don't like, I can switch batteries until my meter indicates my wood is perfectly ready to burn. :p

Bust a gut!! Hilarious!
 
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