I picked up a moisture meter, now what?

[VAfarmer38]

I grabbed a moisture meter from Harbor Freight yesterday. I noticed that several members use one. I burn with an OWB so I'm looking for some advice on what I should look at for moisture content. I've read that there is an ideal amount to look for but I'm sure it varies. An oak that I cut up and split earlier this week had a moisture content that ranged from 13%-17% on the meter I just got. I'm not sure how accurate it is since it only cost $15. Thanks for any guidance. I'm still fairly new to this whole thing.

 

[JSeery]

I grabbed a moisture meter from Harbor Freight yesterday. I noticed that several members use one. I burn with an OWB so I'm looking for some advice on what I should look at for moisture content. I've read that there is an ideal amount to look for but I'm sure it varies. An oak that I cut up and split earlier this week had a moisture content that ranged from 13%-17% on the meter I just got. I'm not sure how accurate it is since it only cost $15. Thanks for any guidance. I'm still fairly new to this whole thing.

I think the conventional wisdom around here is that you want 20% or less, measured from the middle of a fresh split. At least, that's what people need for an EPA stove. Not sure what your OWB needs since I have no experience with that.

I would split another piece of that oak, and check the moisture on the freshly split part of the wood right away to get a more accurate reading.

 

[VAfarmer38]

I think the conventional wisdom around here is that you want 20% or less, measured from the middle of a fresh split. At least, that's what people need for an EPA stove. Not sure what your OWB needs since I have no experience with that.

I would split another piece of that oak, and check the moisture on the freshly split part of the wood right away to get a more accurate reading.

I was taking it from the wrong place it appears. I'll check some more when I get back work on it.

 

[CTYank]

IMHO 20% is getting there, but low teens burns much better & cleaner, and can be gotten to steady-state condition quicker.

I bring wood in indicating low teens, then give it a few weeks next to the stove. Getting it really dry enables burning larger chunks, requiring less attention.

Indoor drying does wonders for my sinuses. Not so good for a super-tight house, but then the RH wouldn't be that low to start..

 

[bags]

Ideally 20% moisture or less. Lower is better. Here is where you possibly get a break. OWB's are not finicky at all unless they are newer cat models. Not saying to not use seasoned wood but you can burn some pretty wet junk in many OWB's. Holds true in older models anyway. You just will not get the most heat from your wet wood. I have a Woodmaster 5500 I installed 10-11 years ago. I'll admit I have burned a decent amount of "wet" wood over time. Hell, one time I tossed in a nice size nut busting root ball in with some good stuff that still had some dirt attached. It burned. I just wanted rid of it. Not good wood burning practice but an example of what the older smoke dragons can and will eat.
Catalytic models are not as forgiving from what I understand. I'm sure they would tolerate more than a cat wood stove though.

Is your OWB a cat? If so then you do need a 20% or lower moisture content. FYI I have the same meter and I guess it is somewhat accurate. You will get to a point where you can look at wood and handle it and know whether or not it is good to go. These moisture meters are somewhat of a novelty IMO but that is my opinion. That's why I went cheap seats for one. They will read and ball park a moisture content but in all reality each piece can differ and the same exact piece could as well in various locations.

What I am getting at is that they are simply kind of like a guide or a guess-timator to go by. Not really a precise scientific study or anything. Hit the search bar above and look up moisture meters. There are many threads about them and their use.

 

[Poindexter]

To get a reliable estimate split open a split, measure on the freshly split surface near the bark and near the point. The average of those two readings is usable.

$15 meter is fine, its a mature technology. Mosr of them are valaibrated for Doug Fir at +70 dF. Do look up species and temp corrwction factors... at +25dF all wood measures zero percent mc.

 

[Monaco]

I just ordered a $20 meter off amazon. looking forward to seeing what my different stacks of wood are at.

I have a friend who says because his re-burning stove, he gets away with burning wood that was split in the summer or early fall... We'll see

 

[aeblank]

Gets away with and getting lots of heat out of are two different things.

 

[VAfarmer38]

I started checking some pieces yesterday fresh off the splitter and got readings from 17% to 24%. I checked the sides in different locations of just split pieces. Stuff that I've had sitting in rounds since last year are measuring 13% to 18% after splitting.

 

[JRHAWK9]

I started checking some pieces yesterday fresh off the splitter and got readings from 17% to 24%. I checked the sides in different locations of just split pieces. Stuff that I've had sitting in rounds since last year are measuring 13% to 18% after splitting.

sounds awfully dry for fresh splits. Heck, I have oak that has been c/s/s for a few years which don't read that low....lol

 

[EJL923]

I have that meter and it seems fairly accurate. However, just cut and split at 13-17% seems way to low. I have oak thats been cut and split for a year that can be 20-24%. I always measure a split by splitting again, and measuring in the heart of that new area. Press the pins in fairly firm for a good reading. Once i start seeing 17-18% with oak it usually corresponds with a good burn

 

[VAfarmer38]

THis was a standing oak that was fairly dead. Would that make a difference? Wondering if I got a bad meter?

 

[EJL923]

burn it and you'll know, at that MC it should burn fine

 

[JSeery]

THis was a standing oak that was fairly dead. Would that make a difference? Wondering if I got a bad meter?

Like others have said, it is pretty suspicious that you are getting readings that low considering how recently that oak was processed. Purely anecdotal, but I processed some standing dead red oak last winter (I think the tree came apart during Hurricane Sandy) and I don't think it will be ready for this season as I'm still getting moisture readings in the high 20s to low 30s. On the other hand, I found some hanging dead white oak limbs this weekend that had clearly been dead for a while. Fresh splits were reading around 19%, but these were relatively thin limbs. I guess it depends on how long it was dead, but it might make sense for you to burn a piece now to check the honesty of that meter.

 

[VAfarmer38]

I'll try to make a YouTube video and post the link in the next couple days of me splitting and checking to assure I'm not doing anything wrong or suspect. Then we can see how to correct it if I'm not doing it properly or if the meter is bad.

 

[mass_burner]

MM's are fine, but i can usually tell by weight when grabbing from the pile. Its a different type of MM, muscle memory.

 

[maple1]

Ideally 20% moisture or less. Lower is better. Here is where you possibly get a break. OWB's are not finicky at all unless they are newer cat models. Not saying to not use seasoned wood but you can burn some pretty wet junk in many OWB's. Holds true in older models anyway. You just will not get the most heat from your wet wood. I have a Woodmaster 5500 I installed 10-11 years ago. I'll admit I have burned a decent amount of "wet" wood over time. Hell, one time I tossed in a nice size nut busting root ball in with some good stuff that still had some dirt attached. It burned. I just wanted rid of it. Not good wood burning practice but an example of what the older smoke dragons can and will eat.
Catalytic models are not as forgiving from what I understand. I'm sure they would tolerate more than a cat wood stove though.

Is your OWB a cat? If so then you do need a 20% or lower moisture content. FYI I have the same meter and I guess it is somewhat accurate. You will get to a point where you can look at wood and handle it and know whether or not it is good to go. These moisture meters are somewhat of a novelty IMO but that is my opinion. That's why I went cheap seats for one. They will read and ball park a moisture content but in all reality each piece can differ and the same exact piece could as well in various locations.

What I am getting at is that they are simply kind of like a guide or a guess-timator to go by. Not really a precise scientific study or anything. Hit the search bar above and look up moisture meters. There are many threads about them and their use.

I have never heard of an OWB that uses a cat. Or an indoor one for that matter. Or a furnace. Do you have more info on that?

 

[bags]

Pretty sure the new Empyre OWB's have some sort of cat. Some have after burners I know for sure. I have not looked at any but was told this by a dealer. He contacted me trying to sell me a newer model and also was very interested in the 5500 Woodmaster for a trade in. I was offered about $700 less for it than I paid for it new.

Maybe I misunderstood him about a cat or whatever because I really was not interested in a new model at all.

 

[jotul?]

Glad I got out of the OWB game when we moved last year. Thought I would miss the convenience of having all wood outside, but I don't. The mass quantities of material needed to feed one lower the convenience level by a lot IMO, now that I've done both.