Blaze King when to worry about overfiring

[begreen]

The ambient moisture level for fully dried pine should up around 11-12% I would think. Totally dried flooring which must be low moisture is about 8%. There are some variables that will affect wood moisture reading. How deeply were the probes pressed into the wood. Was the reading done with the wood at room temp?

 

[sprawlnstall]

I guess I have no logical explanation that’s what the meter says. I attached the pic because I knew no one would believe it.

 

[begreen]

Regardless, it's fair to say the wood was very dry and I'm glad the test was uneventful.

 

[bholler]

I guess I have no logical explanation that’s what the meter says. I attached the pic because I knew no one would believe it.

I beleive that is what the meter says i just dont beleive it is right. There is no way to get that far below the average relative humidity of your environment by air drying

 

[bholler]

But yes i am sure it was plenty dry.

 

[sprawlnstall]

If I stick the meter as far as I can into the wood it does have a little more moisture but no way near 11 or 12

 

[begreen]

Many years back when I got some flooring I stored it indoors for a couple weeks. Then I had different 2 flooring installers come to quote me for the installation. Both of them pulled out their pro gauge to test the wood. One found it around 11+% and said to turn on the heat and dry it out. The other said it was about 8.5% and good to go. I trust my senses and observation to tell when the wood is ready to burn.

 

[jetsam]

I have a foolproof test which works whether or not the wood is frozen:

If it hisses and spits while it's burning, it wasn't dry yet. Keep burning it until it dries out.

Works every time!

 

[begreen]

I have a foolproof test which works whether or not the wood is frozen:

If it hisses and spits while it's burning, it wasn't dry yet. Keep burning it until it dries out.

Works every time!

He says with a foaming mouth while typing away.

 

[jetsam]

He says with a foaming mouth while typing away.

 

[Ashful]

Well I answered my own question last night. It was 15 degrees so I loaded the stove up with some super dry pine. The pine was split already but I split it again before putting the moisture meter on it. It was at 3% the oak and popple I have been burning is at 9%. The stove hit 750 degrees and leveled off. The cat was through the the roof. Not worried about an overfire now.

How was your wood dried? Because i am pretty sure there is something wrong with your mm unless you dry in a kiln.

Minimum EMC recorded for MN is 11.7%, so no way you're getting to 3%. Even KD lumber runs 8%, when stored indoors.

Maybe the MM is broken, but are you testing on a freshly-split face (i.e. inside of the wood), or just on the outside of a piece that's been split a long time? Also, what is the temperature of the wood when tested? Cold wood measures low, but usually not that low.

 

[Highbeam]

Minimum EMC recorded for MN is 11.7%, so no way you're getting to 3%. Even KD lumber runs 8%, when stored indoors.

Maybe the MM is broken, but are you testing on a freshly-split face (i.e. inside of the wood), or just on the outside of a piece that's been split a long time? Also, what is the temperature of the wood when tested? Cold wood measures low, but usually not that low.

View attachment 230739

This pine was stored in his shop. The emc of a heated indoor area might be different.

 

[bholler]

This pine was stored in his shop. The emc of a heated indoor area might be different.

Yes but not 3% i would buy the 8 or 9% stored in a conditioned space. But 3 is just to low.

 

[lsucet]

Well this is 3 years pine. I put it inside Monday night and burn for two days straight except last night the wagon is just a few feet from the stove.

 

[begreen]

An EMC in New Mexico of around 6.2% sounds about right. It is very dry there with low outdoor humidity. The land o lakes is normally more humid. look at the contrast between Spokane and Quillayute WA.

 

[bholler]

Well this is 3 years pine. I put it inside Monday night and burn for two days straight except last night the wagon is just a few feet from the stove.

Well for starters you are in new mexico not mn very different climates.

Also did you guys check what the correction factor was for pine on your moisture meters?

 

[lsucet]

@bholler let's not make this a big deal it was just some pictures. Including the chart that @begreen posted, match so so my readings.

My post was not implying you or anyone was wrong or right. I just did it and posted the results.

 

[bholler]

@bholler let's not make this a big deal it was just some pictures. Including the chart that @begreen posted, match so so my readings.

My post was not implying you or anyone was wrong or right. I just did it and posted the results.

I didnt make a big deal out of it. I just gave some reasons why you getting those readings made sense. I didnt see begreens chart before i posted. He posted as i was typing. I would say your mm is probably right on looking at the chart and factoring in the correction for pine.

 

[begreen]

Sounds like this one has reached its natural conclusion. Lots of folks are testing the wood moisture tonight in their stoves as a big Canadian high dumps cool air across the country. Bet this weekend we're going to hear a lot of - "this stove's air control isn't working, the stove never gets hot" and "the fellow guaranteed me the wood was seasoned".

 

[lsucet]

That is the sad reality. I get questions from some people often about it and I feel at the end they think I am obsessed with the term of YOU NEED DRYER WOOD. But many don't care. After all, looks dry to them. It is an offense to tell them, buy a moisture meter.

 

[Ashful]

This pine was stored in his shop. The emc of a heated indoor area might be different.

Ahh... missed that.

Yes but not 3% i would buy the 8 or 9% stored in a conditioned space. But 3 is just to low.

You know, I wouldn't be surprised if we're just revealing the natural accuracy of these cheap meters, when you get this far down on the scale. I mean, they're likely optimized and intended for measuring wood in the 10% - 25% MC range, it wouldn't be completely surprising if their ability to report accurate numbers just doesn't extend into this range.

Remember, these things are just cheap ohmmeters. The resistance of wood around 20%MC is going to be roughly 1.5 - 3 Meg-ohms across 1-1/4" probe spacing, depending on species. That's a range of only 2:1, corresponding to an error of only +/- 3%'ish on the MC% scale. However, when you get down to 7%MC, the range opens way up to 12,000 - 700,000 Meg-ohms (ignoring Mahogany, which is just way off the scale). That's a range of 58:1, huge!

I have seen no data on resistance measurements below 7%, but just looking at the way they start diverging at MC% below 10%, it's very easy to see why it would be impossible to make any accurate measurement without species-specific correction.

(broken link removed)

 

[chemie]

Well this is 3 years pine. I put it inside Monday night and burn for two days straight except last night the wagon is just a few feet from the stove.

I was watching Knicks game with my son while trying to keep an eye on the thread. Let me divert the topic by asking the size of the splits seen in the pics. Aren’t they too slim?Or ideal size?

 

[lsucet]

Normally I do bigger splits as the one I am going to post but those are good to fill all the way up when you need. I splitted and it reads 6.9. it was with some that I keep in the side porch.

 

[chemie]

Normally I do bigger splits as the one I am going to post but those are good to fill all the way up when you need. I splitted and it reads 6.9. it was with some that I keep in the side porch.

This size looks like a better size like other folks recommending to get longer burn time.

 

[lsucet]

This size looks like a better size like other folks recommending to get longer burn time.

I am sure it helps with many stoves lncluding BK but it does very good on burn time regardless split side.