I hope my moisture meter is wrong!

[muncybob]

How can you tell if a mm is giving an accurate reading?
I tested a fresh split of some maple that's been in a split stack for 11 months and it's at 28%! Tested some ash that's been split/stacked for 10 months and if I just touch the probes to the freshly split exposed wood with the grain I get low 20's but if I push the probes into the wood it reads 28%. Touched my dry skin and 33%.

Wood that's been c/s/s for 10+ months still at 28%??!!

 

[711mhw]

Somewhere I read that a mm should read around 30% on the palm of your hand. (it may have been here) It's a cheap test, if it's true.
Oops, just read your whole post! I guess you could to the scale and oven thing.

 

[HittinSteel]

How can you tell if a mm is giving an accurate reading?
I tested a fresh split of some maple that's been in a split stack for 11 months and it's at 28%! Tested some ash that's been split/stacked for 10 months and if I just touch the probes to the freshly split exposed wood with the grain I get low 20's but if I push the probes into the wood it reads 28%. Touched my dry skin and 33%.

Wood that's been c/s/s for 10+ months still at 28%??!!

I'd start a fire and see how the wood burns

 

[Joey]

Bob,,,are you using fresh battery's??? If not,,change them and give it a try. Your readings on the Ash dont sound right. Unless it was stacked under a tarp for 10 months,,,then I would believe them. Best of luck to ya....

 

[smokinj]

How can you tell if a mm is giving an accurate reading?
I tested a fresh split of some maple that's been in a split stack for 11 months and it's at 28%! Tested some ash that's been split/stacked for 10 months and if I just touch the probes to the freshly split exposed wood with the grain I get low 20's but if I push the probes into the wood it reads 28%. Touched my dry skin and 33%.

Wood that's been c/s/s for 10+ months still at 28%??!!

I'd start a fire and see how the wood burns

+100 ;-)

 

[pen]

I tried telling you not to use that old in-ground pool as a wood rack! :shut:

I agree with burning it and see how it does. I don't care what the moisture meter says, if it lights easily and gets the stove up to 550+, you are good to go.

pen

 

[muncybob]

Well, it's getting burned no matter what....it's what I have for this year. The few maples that I checked I was not surprised at the reading as they seemed a bit heavy for their size, but the ash has me stumped(pun intended). The piles were uncovered except for the recent weeks of wet weather as I knew they would be going into the shed so was trying to keep them as dry as possible.

 

[HittinSteel]

Don't worry..... I fell in to the moisture meter trap when I first started burning. Sampled my splits and got very nervous. The wood burned great that winter and I had very little creosote build up when I cleaned in the spring. Haven't used the moisture meter since and never will again.

 

[EJL923]

Try the mm on a couple 2x4's, maybe some joists in your basement. I would think they should be around 15% or so. I am not home right so i couldnt try mine on a couple. If you are getting over 20 with standard lumber (not pressure treated), something is wrong.

 

[gzecc]

How can you tell if a mm is giving an accurate reading?
I tested a fresh split of some maple that's been in a split stack for 11 months and it's at 28%! Tested some ash that's been split/stacked for 10 months and if I just touch the probes to the freshly split exposed wood with the grain I get low 20's but if I push the probes into the wood it reads 28%. Touched my dry skin and 33%.

Wood that's been c/s/s for 10+ months still at 28%??!!

Is it possible the ash (1) isn't ash or (2) is a little punky? Has it be stacked in single rows out of the shade?
I sold monitoring equipment for years and tend to believe monitors. Our $10 MM are probably accurate to 10% which is a lot of variance. They are great for reference.
I always remember the Doctor that turned off his (beeping)CO monitor on the way to work one day(because he thought it wasn't working right) and returned home to a dead family.

 

[muncybob]

1. yes 2. no Stacked on a pallet in mostly sunny/windy area. May go to the single row concept this year since it will dry better and appears to be much easier to stack. Tried the mm on frech cut hemlock(that's basically what the shed is made of) and wa high 30's...I'll try the basement joists tonight as they should be about as dry as you can get.

In any case, it's all going into the shed for this winter.

 

[gzecc]

1. yes 2. no Stacked on a pallet in mostly sunny/windy area. May go to the single row concept this year since it will dry better and appears to be much easier to stack. Tried the mm on frech cut hemlock(that's basically what the shed is made of) and wa high 30's...I'll try the basement joists tonight as they should be about as dry as you can get.

In any case, it's all going into the shed for this winter.

Post a picture of the ash in question. It could be norway maple. It sometimes gets mis-identified, and it takes longer than 1 year to dry in my experience.

 

[Battenkiller]

I tried telling you not to use that old in-ground pool as a wood rack! :shut:

:lol:

I agree with burning it and see how it does. I don't care what the moisture meter says, if it lights easily and gets the stove up to 550+, you are good to go.

pen

Pen is right about the burn test... the only one that matters. I tested Savage's white ash and got a 28% MC reading on the inside. Burned just fine in the Woodstock Progress Hybrid, though.

For most people in the U.S. cutting your wood in winter/early spring, splitting and stacking it in the breeziest and sunniest spot you can find, covering the very top of the stack and burning it in the fall is the minimum time most stove manufacturers recommend. Got more time? Let it go a whole other year and it will burn even better, but the 9 month wood will have lost all of it's free water and will burn OK. At least good enough to get your stove up to proper temperature.

FWIW an accurate meter reads about 35% when stuck into the palm (depending on how far you stick the prongs lol), and about 10% when stuck into unfinished interior woodwork at this time of year. The finish on furniture is an insulator and can give a false low reading (and your wife will send you to the doghouse for snake-biting her china cabinet), so look around for bare wood. Floor joists are probably not the best place since some basements can get way up there in humidity and give you a high reading. Bare wood in the living space is the best to test. Try the tops of hollow core doors. No one will ever see the bite marks there.

 

[muncybob]

I tried the mm on the top of an interior solid wood door.....6%
So, I guess my drying leaves something to be desired. I'm now considering restacking all my wood into single rows as mentioned. Currently all wood is stacked on 3' and 4' pallets...most stacked at around 5' tall. I'm not looking forward to this but at this rate the oak I have won't be ready for 3+ more years. I was really looking forward to what good dry wood will do for us.

 

[HittinSteel]

Before you go to all that trouble, how did it burn?

 

[gzecc]

Oak is a pita. I do all I can to stay away from it. It is very hard to do so with all the oak around. I have had oak that has sizzled after 3 yrs. I also have chestnut right now that after two years is also 25%. I prefer locust, ash, cherry.

 

[thewoodlands]

How can you tell if a mm is giving an accurate reading?
I tested a fresh split of some maple that's been in a split stack for 11 months and it's at 28%! Tested some ash that's been split/stacked for 10 months and if I just touch the probes to the freshly split exposed wood with the grain I get low 20's but if I push the probes into the wood it reads 28%. Touched my dry skin and 33%.

Wood that's been c/s/s for 10+ months still at 28%??!!

I bought a moisture meter about a year ago, I hardly use it anymore. If it has been cut,split and stacked for a year or more we flame it up.


zap

 

[muncybob]

Before you go to all that trouble, how did it burn?

Have not lit a fire yet but looks we will soon. The mm is not by any means my be-all/end-all, but I was just very disappointed in how high it read after almost a year c/s/s. The cherry seems to have dried the most(low 20's) with my maple and ash somewhat higher mc. I know of some deaed standing maple and cherry nearby that I will be felling soon and if they are as dry as I expect them to be they may be the first wood we burn.

So, for single row stacking to dry do you folks doing this use pallets? I would imagine I could line up some 4' pallets and put 2 rows on each since most of our wood is cut around 18"....or do you look for more space between rows?

 

[gzecc]

IMO its tough doing single rows on pallets. I can't go over 3' high, because of stability. I stack on unstable grass and dirt. If you stack on pavement, stability issues will be minimized.

 

[Thistle]

I bought a moisture meter about a year ago, I hardly use it anymore. If it has been cut,split and stacked for a year or more we flame it up.


zap

+10

 

[CTYank]

How can you tell if a mm is giving an accurate reading?
I tested a fresh split of some maple that's been in a split stack for 11 months and it's at 28%! Tested some ash that's been split/stacked for 10 months and if I just touch the probes to the freshly split exposed wood with the grain I get low 20's but if I push the probes into the wood it reads 28%. Touched my dry skin and 33%.

Wood that's been c/s/s for 10+ months still at 28%??!!

Bob,
You're not telling where and how it's been stacked. Exposure to wind and sun, protection from rain, that sort of stuff. Especially with the wet summer/fall we've had in the region, covering to actually protect from rain would seem to have been a real + for you.

Time, in and of itself, would not really tell you much here.

 

[ScotO]

Before you go to all that trouble, how did it burn?

Have not lit a fire yet but looks we will soon. The mm is not by any means my be-all/end-all, but I was just very disappointed in how high it read after almost a year c/s/s. The cherry seems to have dried the most(low 20's) with my maple and ash somewhat higher mc. I know of some deaed standing maple and cherry nearby that I will be felling soon and if they are as dry as I expect them to be they may be the first wood we burn.

So, for single row stacking to dry do you folks doing this use pallets? I would imagine I could line up some 4' pallets and put 2 rows on each since most of our wood is cut around 18"....or do you look for more space between rows?

muncybob, where are you at in central PA?.....I live there too, and the wood is esp.damp this year, considering all the friggin rain we had here for the past three months (seems that way).....I agree with the guys who said to try it and see how it burns...I am using some maple, oak and ash, all of which have been split, stacked, and semi covered (top only) for two to three years, and it is slightly high on the moisture content (some sizzles a little bit).....but it is what it is, and I am using it either way.....still gettin good temps out of my Napoleon 1900P, and really haven't loaded it up yet...I check the flue and clean it every two months, so I am not as concerned about the creasote buildup as I am the heat output......those out there who DO NOT check and clean their flue more than once a year should be a lot more adamant about making sure their wood is as dry as it can be.....I plan on building a big 'ol woodshed next summer if the "chore gods" see it fit.....they seem to keep me busy with a lot of other things....

 

[muncybob]

Scott...we are near Williamsport.

Wood has been sitting in a pasture that gets at least 8hrs/day of sun(when it actually appears around here!) and except for a small wooded area next to the pasture it gets a fair amount of wind too. We live near the top of the hilly area here so we do get a lot of windy days. Stacks were uncovered until about a month ago when I decided to cover them after a nice dry spell.

No matter, it's getting burned...as I said, I was just let down by the fact that they have not dried much except for the cherry, that seems to have dried well but if I remember correctly those cherry trees were dead for awhile when I cut them up. Maybe with the cover of the shed and the southern exposure they will get in there they'll dry a bit more before I burn them.

So. seems the mm is working accurately and I need to consider single row stacking and hope for less rain next year.

 

[ScotO]

Wood has been sitting in a pasture that gets at least 8hrs/day of sun (when it actually appears around here!) and except for a small wooded area next to the pasture it gets a fair amount of wind too.

I hear ya there!! Seems like we live in the Pacific Northwest anymore (no offense to those that do).......your reasons are all well founded, and I am definately building a nice woodshed next summer that can house at least 20 cords, and going to put some fans on a thermostat in the eaves to assist the air movement on days when it is dry and up around 80+ degrees....we're near Altoona/State College so we've been in the same boat as you.....

 

[ScotO]

I bought a moisture meter about a year ago, I hardly use it anymore. If it has been cut,split and stacked for a year or more we flame it up.


zap

+1 Zap.......If you need it, and it is burning good, what are you gonna do?...yer gonna use it and that is how I see it too.....