Moisture in wood

[tinman1]

I just want to confirm with what all of us who keep asking about burn times ,temperature output , smoke , etc and we keep reading these possible answers, like ARE YOU USING A MM? And your answer is yes I am. Well with my experience over the weekend I decieded to crack open a split & and guess what ? The moisture content was much higher than when I measured it on the surface and was getting 18-19% ! Inside 26% 25%. WOW. SO yes there is a difference ! Now I just need this stuff to dry out & see next year if I'm going to get a much higher heat & most important if my burn time is extended ? Hoping for the best

 

[DougA]

If you split the wood smaller, I find it dries much faster. Burns faster too but it is worth it when you run low on dry wood.

 

[JayD]

Good deal Tinman, It really helps out. Same with me on my first year, It kinda opens your eye's a bit. Comes in handy if you buy any wood also.

 

[tinman1]

Yes. I do both , I scrounge , have some rounds from my own trees & now when I buy I'm going to really question these wood supplies,about there SEASONED fire wood because I AINT NO ROOKIE ANY MORES !

 

[branchburner]

The ideal scenario is to get far enough ahead in your supply that you never have to think about picking up the MM again. After years of burning I'm not quite as "ahead" as I wish, but a few years back a friend got his PE and learned his lesson the very first year, the hard way. He said "never again" and got all the following year's wood c/s/s that winter. The guy passed me in "getting ahead" his first year in!

 

[tinman1]

With the MM, that was my exact thought ! Only thing if you don't have the property to do so, then it seems like you would be in that scenario more than not. I'm on the boarderline of property size.

 

[mellow]

Same here, city lot. That is why I burn Maple/Gum/Cherry, stuff I can season in a year. I have some pine I use for starter but don't have the room to store that in bulk either. I have to move my wood quite a bit at the beginning of the season to make room for the new stuff and then this years stuff I cram onto my porch.