Moisture Content Ratings.

[okotoks guy]

What moisture content would you consider for burning inside. I guess what I'm asking
is what is the highest MC you would burn in the stove. I'm not looking for: I only burn
stuff that's <14% because I am always 5 years ahead. Imagine you just bought a stove
and are starting fresh. Also at what percent would you consider it: fair(burnable),good,
very good,and Primo.

Also does MC matter depending on species for burnability. IE. Spruce should be no higher
than 20% but oak is OK at 25% type of thing.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Kenster]

I think you'll get answers over a wide spectrum but I would say no higher than 25%. Lower is better, of course.
Most of the basic Meters out there show about five percentage points high due to the fact that they are not calibrated for cord wood. So, if your meter is showing 25%, for example, you're really closer to 20%. That'll give you a good, ballpark reading.

Fair: 25 to 27%
Good 21 to 25%
V Good 18 to 21%
Primo 14 to 18 %

I'm not sure if there is a bottom end that is too dry to give productive heat. Seems like if it was so dry you could squash it with your hands it would be TOO dry. But I'll let someone else jump in on that.

 

[Wood Duck]

I guess I am like most woodburners in that I don't have a moisture meter. I'd burn any wood that burns fairly well and doesn't have too much water hissing out of the ends. I find a few splits in my three year old woodpiles that hiss a little, but only for a few minutes. I burn that wood without concern (I have to, since I often can't tell the difference between the hissers and the rest of the wood until I burn it). Another way to judge is how long the wood takes to ignite and get hot. Wet wood just sits there in the hot stove, dry wood lights so quickly it can be hard to fully load the stove.

My final answer is that if you're concerned about creosote buildup in the chimney, burn whatever you have but inspect the chimney often. You should be able to see creosote buildup before it becomes a significant danger, and I don't think a dangerous creosote buildup can happen in a couple of days of burning. Burn a few days then have a look and see how you're doing.

 

[gzecc]

I burn 98% prime hard woods. 20% is my magic #. If I had to I would mix in 25% (non oak) with 20% oak.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Once again I say have 2-3 years wood on hand always and you will never have a need for a moisture meter and you won't have the dirty chimney to worry about. The same with black glass. We've burned wood for 50+ years and have never owned a moisture meter nor have we ever had a need for one.

 

[pen]

My concern is this, I'm not convinced that all of the moisture meters on the market will read accurately enough to say that value X% is the magic number. In other words, I haven't seen enough work side by side on the same piece of wood to be certain that they all are truly going to give the same value.

Also, many times to find the true value variances need to be considered regarding different wood species and many devices don't do that.

With that said, saying that X% on ash as read w/ any moisture meter will burn great is like saying I can drive 30 miles in my vehicle once the low fuel light comes on so every vehicle should also go 30 miles once the low fuel light comes on.

If I were using a moisture meter I'd find some of the driest wood I have of a particular species, have a fire and see how it goes. Then experiment from there under the assumption that your moisture meter is precise enough (will read X value consistently) that when you've had good luck w/ 19% wood of a particular species that you always will have good luck at that value.

Be empirical in your process and simply use that tool as an aide to help guide you.

So long as you also apply some common sense and keep a good eye on the condition of your chimney it is really hard to truly screw up (burn the house down).

pen

 

[CTYank]

IMO, moisture meter is useful to calibrate your perceptions, similar to car's speedometer.

Typical splits coming into house would be in the 10-15% MC range. They burn pretty well.

After x weeks stacked near woodstove, they don't budge HF MM; yes, split, and checked near center. At that point, they burn very nicely (and cleanly);
a reload lights in seconds, and door can be closed tight in a couple of minutes. (Convenience factor besides.)

For reference, these splits are ~8" long, max 3" cross-section; sure doesn't slow down drying, enables managing fire for efficiency.

 

[BrotherBart]

20% or below is good to go for me.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

IMO, moisture meter is useful to calibrate your perceptions, similar to car's speedometer.

+1
I've been driving for 50 years and never "needed" a speedometer, or a fuel gauge, or an oil pressure gauge. Of course having those things does give you a bit more confidence in what's going on. Same as a moisture meter.

 

[oldspark]

IMO, moisture meter is useful to calibrate your perceptions, similar to car's speedometer.

+1
I've been driving for 50 years and never "needed" a speedometer, or a fuel gauge, or an oil pressure gauge. Of course having those things does give you a bit more confidence in what's going on. Same as a moisture meter.

Me too, I dont need a lot of things I have but that does not stop me from buying them and enjoying the "toys".

 

[Kenster]

We always hear the advise about having a two or three year supply on hand and you'll never have to worry about moisture content of the need for a MM.
However... very few of start out with a three year supply of wood. We all have to start somewhere. During that first couple of years, a MM might come in handy as a simple tool to give us a ball park figure.

And, of course, not everyone has the space to rack up three years worth of wood so, that's another possible case for having a Moisture Meter.

Myself, I now have close to a three year supply, all of which is oak, but much of that is pretty green and won't be ready for at least two more years. I'm trying hard to build up at least a cord and a half of dry wood for this coming winter. I'm hoping the smaller top branches of a standing dead water oak will be good to go this winter. I did, just this week, pick up two full pickup beds full of oak rounds that have been stack at a neighbor lady's house for several years.
I've already split most of it and it's definitely ready to burn right now. She has a bunch of downed water oak back along her creek and it looks pretty dry. My MM will come in handy in helping me determine if this can go into this winter's stacks.

 

[firefighterjake]

What moisture content would you consider for burning inside. I guess what I'm asking
is what is the highest MC you would burn in the stove. I'm not looking for: I only burn
stuff that's <14% because I am always 5 years ahead. Imagine you just bought a stove
and are starting fresh. Also at what percent would you consider it: fair(burnable),good,
very good,and Primo.

Also does MC matter depending on species for burnability. IE. Spruce should be no higher
than 20% but oak is OK at 25% type of thing.

Thanks in advance.

I'm getting the sense that the question you're really asking is . . . will I be able to burn this wood I've __ srounged __ bought __ cut and split (check one) in ___________ (month)?

As mentioned I suspect most folks will say 25% is a good starting point for moisture . . . however like Wood Duck and others I have not succumbed to the lure of buying yet another wood "toy" . . . by getting at least a year ahead I'm good to go . . . with an occasional spitter in my big splits or rounds.

To answer the question I think you're really asking . . . if you have wood now it may or may not be ready . . . if you're buying wood, buy now vs. waiting until the Fall . . . and see if you can find someone that has had the wood cut and split for longer than say yesterday . . . if you're scrounging or cutting your own wood I would target standing dead wood (bark falling off is a good sign) or wood species that tend to have a little less moisture from the get go such as cherry, white ash, etc. and split as soon as possible, split on the smaller side and stack loosely in single rows in the sun and wind.

Wood gathered now -- by buying or getting your own -- will not be perfect . . . but you can burn safely. Getting some pallets on hand to help start the fire and "drive" the excess moisture out of the firewood will help. You may also find that your glass gunks up more, the fire is sometimes a challenge to get started and you will want to inspect and clean your chimney more frequently -- say once a month. That said, you will survive. You will not freeze to death. You will learn from the experience . . . and if you are lucky you will think you did pretty well . . . at least until you start burning next year with wood that has been seasoned for over a year . . .

Which brings me to the final point . . . don't just get wood for this upcoming heating season . . . buy, scrounge or cut enough wood for next year as well . . . you'll notice a big difference in lighting the fire, heat output, clean glass and clean chimneys if you do so.

 

[Cascade Failure]

This will be the first year of being close to two years ahead. Just burning some second year wood changed my outlook. Forget the MC and get a few years ahead. You won't regret it.

 

[jimosufan]

well said FFJ.

 

[ruserious2008]

Well my first year burning (and I keep hoping it will come to a close but I'm still lighting a fire each night to take the chill off and I've learned a lot here but I bought my wood in the fall, before finding these great forums, from someone calling it "seasoned" and not knowing any better I was puzzled as to why it hissed worse than a mean wife fighting with a boa constrictor! I like toys and data and numbers so I bought a moisture meter for about $30 from Lowes (and compared it on a piece of wood with a home inspectors big buck one and it was within 1%) and that "seasoned" stuff I bought was in the 30-35% range. Seems to me may be worthwhile if I ever bought "seasoned" wood again to go visit the providers site first to measure a few splits and then measure again before I let him dump it on my lawn. But...I seem to be doing quite well scrounging so probably won't be buying any but I still like having the meter to give me some data to track. I stack on pallets so I write with a marker the type of wood, date split and the moisture content at the time it was stacked. As others have said it doesn't help it season or anything and if I just let it sit for 3 years It'll be good to go but I think I'll enjoy using the meter from time to time to see its progress Just the techy in me
So.... I think a meter can help if you are buying wood to see what you are getting......and its fun and perhaps slightly useful if you like numbers but the best "meter" for wood aging I've concluded is the calendar
Good luck

 

[pen]

well said rus

pen

 

[Woody Stover]

"seasoned" stuff I bought was in the 30-35% range

Maybe it was "seasoned" with salt, and absorbed moisture. :lol:

I also picked up the Lowe's cheapie to help me gauge my wood to be burned this year. I cut some dead standing Oak and it burned well right away. 15% on my meter...

 

[okotoks guy]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I am fairly new to burning but I also sell a bit of wood
in order to pay for the hydraulic splitter I purchased. The wood I was selling was <10%
so I know it was as good as it gets. I'm not sure on the other end of the spectrum though.
I CSS some apple,spruce,green ash,birch and box elder last year. When fresh cut, the spruce
actually sprayed water upon splitting. A few months later it was what I used to consider "dry"
but upon putting a MM to it,I found out it was still wet as it buried my MM which only goes to 35%.
Now it seems "really" dry and the MC is about 20-22%. Some of the birch I got last year was
fresh cut and I put a few pieces in the fire pit a few weeks after CSS and it seemed to me to burn
well. I also threw in a couple pieces of green ash and they burned great after only a couple weeks.

I guess what I'm saying is that until I joined this forum I thought that wood at 35% was quite dry.
I assume that a few others might be in the same boat if they are new to burning and could use some
more knowledge.( There's still plenty for me to learn) We use to cut fresh wood out camping and burn
it. I just thought that smoldering piles of smoke with the odd flicker of flame was a camp fire. Lots
still do as they will come over to my campsite and ask what "kind" of wood I'm burning. I just tell
them it's dry wood! Also,if I am selling wood to people, I want to know that I am indeed selling them
a good product if that's what I'm telling them I'm selling.

Thanks all for the help. I appreciate it.

 

[wendell]

well said FFJ.

Jake is always well said!! ;-)