Apologies in advance for the newbie question, but is there any easy way to determine the moisture content (or seasoning) of wood?
Thanks,
Kevin
Thanks,
Kevin
Moisture Content
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Welcome to the forums. Please get to know the "Search Forums" function in the upper-left corner of every page. Most questions have been asked and answered before...
Here's one way:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/44360/
Here's one way:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/44360/
Welcome to the forums. Take a few minutes to peruse this section of Woodheat.org (broken link removed to http://www.woodheat.org/firewood/firewood.htm)
You'll find all sorts of good information on fire wood.
Unless you have an accurate moisture meter and take a reading from the inside of a fresh split, you're sort of guessing at moisture content. However, you can look for certain signs to see how well wood may be seasoned. For example:
1.) are the ends cracked/checked?
2.) does the wood "thud" or "crack" like a baseball bat when hit together?
3.) does the wood hiss and/or bubble when placed on a hot coal bed?
4.) dry wood weighs less than wet/green wood
5.) split a piece and see if the fresh, exposed surface feels damp
For a cheap moisture meter, check Amazon or Harbor Freight.
You'll find all sorts of good information on fire wood.
Unless you have an accurate moisture meter and take a reading from the inside of a fresh split, you're sort of guessing at moisture content. However, you can look for certain signs to see how well wood may be seasoned. For example:
1.) are the ends cracked/checked?
2.) does the wood "thud" or "crack" like a baseball bat when hit together?
3.) does the wood hiss and/or bubble when placed on a hot coal bed?
4.) dry wood weighs less than wet/green wood
5.) split a piece and see if the fresh, exposed surface feels damp
For a cheap moisture meter, check Amazon or Harbor Freight.
Hi Kevin many swear by $20 moisture meters if it's solely moisture content your looking for...there's supposed to me a good number I dunno for sure but see 20% mentioned a lot.
For those on a quest for good burning or 'seasoned' firewood goes the camp fire method is to throw some splits on an established fire ...that's one with a coal bed. Kick back with an adult beverage and observe for any moisture coming from the cut ends.
Experienced wood handlers can bang splits together and feel for the lighter resounding ping feel as opposed to the heavy thud of an unseasoned split.
Always plan on staying a full year or longer ahead with split wood always in different stages of seasoning.
Solicit the opinion of a wood burning neighbor on what they think...and check out that link.
For those on a quest for good burning or 'seasoned' firewood goes the camp fire method is to throw some splits on an established fire ...that's one with a coal bed. Kick back with an adult beverage and observe for any moisture coming from the cut ends.
Experienced wood handlers can bang splits together and feel for the lighter resounding ping feel as opposed to the heavy thud of an unseasoned split.
Always plan on staying a full year or longer ahead with split wood always in different stages of seasoning.
Solicit the opinion of a wood burning neighbor on what they think...and check out that link.
My method is to make sure it feels light compared to fresh wood of the same species (obviously not a precise method since no two splits are the same), make sure it looks greyish and checked on the ends (but some wood in the middle of the pile won't get very grey, and different tree species turn grey to different degrees), and to make sure it has been stacked in the sun and wind for at least a year (but some wood like oak takes more than a year). So, as you can see, I use several imprecise methods, adding up to a triple-imprecise assessment of my wood. Still, I think it works out OK. In the end, you can't expect your wood to season much faster than average, and usually it takes a year to turn live wood into seasoned firewood, or 18 months or more for a few of the most dense species like oak, hickory, and sugar maple. I think it would be fun to have a moisture meter for a few days, but then I'd get bored and go back to my usual method, so I haven't bought a meter.
As savage points out, keep at least a year ahead. If your just starting out with wood, buy/scrounge at least 2 yrs ahead. Suffer thru the first yrs with semi-seasoned wood, then the 2nd yr you'll be surprised how less you use. But i have a Harbor freight Moisture meter. Just a $20 toy, but it's helped.
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