Please explain to my wife why moisture meters are not silly and useless

[atomichawg]

When I told my wife that I wanted to get a moisture meter to check the dryness of the wood, she laughed at me. She said that it was a pointless gadget and that the pioneers never had moisture meters and they got by just fine. Is there anything I can tell her to justify getting this tool?

 

[LLigetfa]

Tell her she's right but that the pioneer gene skipped your generation.

 

[Skier76]

Tell her that the pioneers would have seen the secondaries light if they had moisture meters.....

 

[stoveguy13]

tell her you can make Pizza with it

 

[fossil]

Tell her the Pioneers' wives were too busy to worry about what their husbands were off trading for. Rick

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Tell her the average life expectancy for a pioneer for that time period was 40 years old.
or
Tell her that early pioneers led to global warming by not using wood with a moisture content of 20% or less

 

[LLigetfa]

Tell her had they invented the transistor sooner the pioneers would have had them too.

 

[mellow]

Tell her it is quieter this way, you do not have to go through the stack smacking each piece together to see if you hear a thud

 

[thewoodlands]

When I told my wife that I wanted to get a moisture meter to check the dryness of the wood, she laughed at me. She said that it was a pointless gadget and that the pioneers never had moisture meters and they got by just fine. Is there anything I can tell her to justify getting this tool?

Give her some green wood and let her start the fire!

Zap

 

[oconnor]

When I told my wife that I wanted to get a moisture meter to check the dryness of the wood, she laughed at me. She said that it was a pointless gadget and that the pioneers never had moisture meters and they got by just fine. Is there anything I can tell her to justify getting this tool?

Give her some green wood and let her start the fire!

Zap

Ditto!

 

[Bigg_Redd]

When I told my wife that I wanted to get a moisture meter to check the dryness of the wood, she laughed at me. She said that it was a pointless gadget and that the pioneers never had moisture meters and they got by just fine. Is there anything I can tell her to justify getting this tool?

She's right.

 

[BrotherBart]

Sounds like time to toss that toaster oven and microwave.

 

[Highbeam]

Yes, she's mostly right. The majority of woodburners have no use for it. We oddballs know that there is green wood, dry wood, and a whole big grey area in between.

 

[zzr7ky]

She's right!

I had the 'hots' for one. I resisted temptation the first year and then I got over it. Have not looked back.

One less China made junk laying around! Get a year ahead and your wood will be dry. Case closed.

Mike

 

[quads]

When I told my wife that I wanted to get a moisture meter to check the dryness of the wood, she laughed at me. She said that it was a pointless gadget and that the pioneers never had moisture meters and they got by just fine. Is there anything I can tell her to justify getting this tool?

I agree with her. Technology and other gadgets (moisture meters, computers, cameras, phones, you name it) are really fun to play with and sometimes save time and work (sometimes not) in the modern world. But when it comes down to it, someday we may not have that technology to rely on. Life or death could be a matter of "know-how". Knowing when your wood is ready to burn (or even knowing how to get green wood to burn) could be a good thing to learn and keep in the back of your mind.

In the meantime, go out and buy that moisture meter and play, play, play! Let her shake her finger at you for doing it. She'll get over it.

P.S. I don't own a moisture meter myself and have never actually seen one. :red:

 

[mellow]

My reasoning on spending $30 on one was simple.

If I or any of my friends buy wood we can without a doubt prove BEFORE the truck gets unloaded if the wood is truly seasoned or not by taking random samples.

 

[weatherguy]

My reasoning on spending $30 on one was simple.

$30 sounds reasonable, where can I get one?

 

[BrotherBart]

Pioneers didn't have chain saws either. They let their wife buck up the wood with a bow saw.

Five thousand worth of stoves, fifteen hundred in chain saws, a thousand for the splitter, a grand in liners. two thousand for the tractor to haul wood out of the woods. $19.95 for the moisture meter is kinda like a rounding error. The kindling box cost more than the meter did.

 

[LLigetfa]

Pioneers didn't have chain saws either. They let their wife buck up the wood with a bow saw.

Five thousand worth of stoves, fifteen hundred in chain saws, a thousand for the splitter, a grand in liners. two thousand for the tractor to haul wood out of the woods. $19.95 for the moisture meter is kinda like a rounding error. The kindling box cost more than the meter did.

You can burn a lot of gas or oil for $10,519.95

How long is the ROI on all that?

 

[BrotherBart]

My reasoning on spending $30 on one was simple.

$30 sounds reasonable, where can I get one?

The new digital one at Harbor Freight is just thirteen bucks.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=67143

 

[Dix]

It's cheaper than therapy

And no, I don't have one

 

[mellow]

$30 sounds reasonable, where can I get one?

I got mine from this guy, it was actually $28 with shipping.

http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Carstens-Orchid-Supplies-and-Tools__W0QQ_armrsZ1

 

[BrotherBart]

Pioneers didn't have chain saws either. They let their wife buck up the wood with a bow saw.

Five thousand worth of stoves, fifteen hundred in chain saws, a thousand for the splitter, a grand in liners. two thousand for the tractor to haul wood out of the woods. $19.95 for the moisture meter is kinda like a rounding error. The kindling box cost more than the meter did.

You can burn a lot of gas or oil for $10,519.95

How long is the ROI on all that?

Replacing the defunct heat pump would be eight or nine thousand. No gas line and I ain't gonna ever burn oil. Walked away from a house I really wanted because it had an oil burner.

 

[Todd]

ask todd about blowing thru the wood bubbles method & think about it

Liquid soap is cheaper.

 

[DAKSY]

Let her burn 1/2 a winter with green wood & then have her brush clean the chimney.
I have one...It was a freebie for attending a trining seminar at Hearthstone in VT...