Moisture Meters

[woodjack]

Can someone recommend a good, cheap moisture meter that they have used?

 

[SPED]

Hi woodjack,

Here is the one I bought:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Digital-Moistur...oryZ1504QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Works fine, was pretty cheap, I've also heard of people having good luck with the harbor freight ones.

Here's the thread on my impressions of the one I got:

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/14106/

Definitely a handy little gadget, no regrets on the purchase here. And I always love a new toy....

 

[colebrookman]

Take two pieces of split wood, knock them together. If the sound is a dull thud it's wet. A nice ring like ? sound is perfect to burn. Try it on two pieces that you know are dry and you will never forget the sound. Life is simple, sometimes. :coolsmile:

 

[FatttFire]

I have bought the same meter, and it works great! No regrets!

 

[fugazi42]

I think most of the less expensive moisture meters will work OK for firewood. If I was testing lumber for cabinet making I'd want something more accurate.


I bought the Sonin 50211 Rapitest from Amazon. It does an acceptable job in my opinion, and wasn't terribly expensive.

Josh

 

[woodjack]

Thanks. I just ordered one from ebay.

 

[njtuna]

i just ordered the moisture meter from ebay as well. thanks

 

[woodjack]

What do you guys find is the cut off point for good burning wood - 20%?

 

[SPED]

woodjack,

The one gotcha with these meters is that they may skew slightly depending on the type of wood you are testing as they are only calibrated on one specific type. This year, the seasoned oak I was burning, which burned great, came up anywhere btwn 18-22% on the meter. My oak for next year that I just got is roughly 10% above that. And the pine I just cut comes in at about 35% just under the max. Oh and some borderline maple I was burning was about 25%, so from my experiences so far, under 20 is where you want to be, but I'm fairly new at using this thing so please take with a grain of salt....

 

[Bill]

I prefer 20% or under, just burns hotter, and is easier to start.

 

[glassmanjpf]

I bought the same meter on ebay last fall. Seems to read good. My only issue is that the prongs are difficult to push in and have a tendency to bend. Be careful pushing them in and you'll be satisfied.

 

[jadm]

An easy way to preserve the prongs: I have a small nail and hammer that I keep near my wood pile. If a piece is questionable I use the nail to get some depth into the wood before I insert the prongs. It's quick and easy to do.

 

[glassmanjpf]

Good idea, thanks