So I'm still relatively new here, but I think I'm quickly getting up to speed. Here's a summary: bought this house in oot-five. When I bought it I stipulated the old guy had to leave his wood pile. Probably about 6 cords. I lit the New Yorker here and there until now, and probably started this winter with two to three cords left of his pile. I'll add here that his pile was split, stacked, open to wind, and under cover of a roof sticking off the back of the garage (three sides open on the stack for ventilation)....in my mind that means that the wood I am burning right now is as dry as I will ever get without "intervention". So I decide to get scientific about the whole thing, and I buy a moisture meter. The readings on the wood that I know is at least six years old in a stack under a roof with wind galore is 19%. Questions: that seems high to me given the age and protection of the wood. is my meter incorrect? Or, is that as dry as I can get? I'm in Southern CT about a mile inland of LI Sound. There is no way I'll ever get six years ahead to have 19% wood again. Plus I have read that "dry" wood is 19% and below, so I'm thinking the dryest days are quickly going behind me. On another note, I have a bunch of non-splits that have been out in the elements for three years, and when I just split them now, and take a reading on the newly exposed wood they are around 25%. With those readings, I think either my moisture meter is not accurate, or no matter what I do, my wood will never get below 19% MC. I mean I'm in a situation where if I go full bore from here on out on wood burning, without outside help, I'll never be able to have wood as dryer than I have now....if I'm lucky my wood will match the wood I have now, but I need to get ahead to make that happen. I sort of rambled on a bit, but I guess the final question comes down to whether or not 19% moisture is what would be expected of six plus year old splits that are properly stacked under a roof?