What kind a moisture meter should I get? Should I even get one? What is a good brand? What is an average price? Where can I get one?
moisture meter quest
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Yes, you should get one. It takes the guess work out of figuring out how well seasoned your wood is. Once you get the hang of it you won't need it any more, or so I'm told. The old timers here scorn them but it helps with the learning curve.
I got mine from Harbor Freight for around $12-15, batteries included. It's a Cent-Tech digital mini.
There may be a difference of opinion on whether you should seek out the best brand. I don't think MMs are one of those things where quality matters. Accuracy is not a big deal and mine keeps bouncing around the wood pile and it's only a matter of time before its lost of broken.
I got mine from Harbor Freight for around $12-15, batteries included. It's a Cent-Tech digital mini.
There may be a difference of opinion on whether you should seek out the best brand. I don't think MMs are one of those things where quality matters. Accuracy is not a big deal and mine keeps bouncing around the wood pile and it's only a matter of time before its lost of broken.
I got the General from Lowe's. It's cheap but it's doing the job, which is finding dead standing wood that's dry enough to burn now. I'm going to be three years ahead soon, but I'll want to monitor the progress of my stacks to get a handle on what I can expect here when drying different species. I suspect that dead standing Oak will be pretty good after two summers. Time will tell...
NordicSplitter
Minister of Fire
! It works great.
split it in 1/2 and measure
me - dont think i need one as i'll be three years ahead and the oldest stuff should always be ready to burn
me - dont think i need one as i'll be three years ahead and the oldest stuff should always be ready to burn
Cut wood in winter. Split then or in spring. Stack wood in spring. Enjoy looking at those beautiful stacks of wood for a couple years. Then put wood in stove and enjoy the heat. Cost of this MM is $ 0.00
red oak
Minister of Fire
Backwoods Savage said:
+1. Just look at the wood. Is it cracked on the ends? Gray? Resplit a piece and see if it's still wet on the inside. Compare the weight of it to a piece of green wood of the same species. It should be significantly lighter. The bark should be coming off too. Also split a piece and throw it in the fire. If it hisses at you like a rattlesnake then it's angry you are burning it so soon and you shouldn't burn any more from that load.
NextEndeavor
Burning Hunk
Mine is the General, works well and is being used way more than planned as I move outside wood into a well ventilated shed. You must split the wood before testing. Being only my second year burning, I don't have the luxury of well aged wood, however will be much better now than last year and even better next year. The meter helps identify what has dried quickly and what needs more time.
mhrischuk said:
Jam the pins into the wood, with their positions along the grain.
I've found that, in a stack, grabbing a split a foot or so /+ from the top, and sticking the pins into the split at a position that was well in from the outside from the stack yields a reading very close to an after-resplitting reading. With top-covered stack.
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