Moisture content

[gyrfalcon]

I'm sorry I asked. I was just wondering because I had a load
Delivered and it had some elm in it with the bark already off
And I tested it with my new trusty meter. It tested around
20%. Will it dry out at all this winter and be useable late winter?
I split it down to about three inch splits.

20 on the moisture meter is just fine for burning. BUT that's the reading in the middle of a freshly split piece. Good luck splitting the elm if it's not real dry. Actually, just trying to split it will tell you whether it's dry enough to burn or not. Elm is utterly miserable to split when it's still fairly green. Dry, it's doable. Sounds to me like you should be fine if you've already been able to split it.

But be aware that although dry elm burns very nicely, it's not a particularly high-BTU wood, so how warm it's going to keep you depends on your winter temps and the size of your stove. Where I am and with my small stove, it's only good for shoulder season burning, and not really worth the effort it takes to deal with its stringy miserableness.

 

[oldspark]

What's getting old about these moisture threads is the whacked information in them, why are so many people thinking 20% is too wet? Where in the hell did they read that, tons of info on the net about the right moisture to burn wood at and its all around 20% give or take a couple of points.

 

[rdust]

What's getting old about these moisture threads is the whacked information in them, why are so many people thinking 20% is too wet? Where in the hell did they read that, tons of info on the net about the right moisture to burn wood at and its all around 20% give or take a couple of points.

Yep, less than 25% on the meter and it's ideal. I personally think a little lower burns better for me but you surely won't freeze at 25% on the meter.

 

[Heatmiser5]

As you can see below. I have the englander 30 and this is
My first year with a wood stove. I am just learning, and want
To be safe. Also will small cherry splits season fairly quickly?

 

[rdust]

As you can see below. I have the englander 30 and this is
My first year with a wood stove. I am just learning, and want
To be safe. Also will small cherry splits season fairly quickly?

No worries that's what this site is about. If we only talked about new topics we'd only have a new post ever couple days and everyone would get bored. Black Cherry seasons quickly, some have reported it being perfect after as little as 6 months.(spring/summer/fall)

 

[oldspark]

As you can see below. I have the englander 30 and this is
My first year with a wood stove. I am just learning, and want
To be safe. Also will small cherry splits season fairly quickly?

No problem helping out the new wood burner just wondering where do you get the idea 20% it too wet (you are not alone), I cut some live cherry trees in the spring and had it split and stacked by April 1st and it is below 20% or so and works great, starts easily and burns hot, great wood for some one who needs dry wood in 6 months or so.

 

[Heatmiser5]

After reading the posts here, for some reason I believe you
Want to have your moisture in the teens. The elm split pretty
Well with an axe. The cherry popped apart easy. The cherry
Was around 25%. Will that go down at all throughout the winter?

 

[Danno77]

After reading the posts here, for some reason I believe you
Want to have your moisture in the teens. The elm split pretty
Well with an axe. The cherry popped apart easy. The cherry
Was around 25%. Will that go down at all throughout the winter?

Yep, it will definitely dry out some more over the winter!

 

[Battenkiller]

Throw some of that 25% cherry in the 30 and see it you can get it to burn. :coolsmirk:

 

[cptoneleg]

What's getting old about these moisture threads is the whacked information in them, why are so many people thinking 20% is too wet? Where in the hell did they read that, tons of info on the net about the right moisture to burn wood at and its all around 20% give or take a couple of points.

Well you have to undertand that most of these folks wives wont let them stack too much wood on their patio

 

[soupy1957]

These endless threads about moisture are getting old. If I thought I was learning something in each new thread, then I'd be cool with it, but it seems to just be the same conversations over and over. Oh well. The search function doesn't seem to work well anyway. I typed moisture into the search box and it won't even come up with this thread. What's up with that?

Sounds like you are ready now to move on to another thread Forum, eh Grasshopper? (teasing)

Why get anal retentive about the moisture content of wood. It's not like you just cut a tree down/bucked it/split it/and into the stove it goes............

I'm willing to bet there ARE folks who do this.............

-Soupy1957

 

[gyrfalcon]

Why get anal retentive about the moisture content of wood. It's not like you just cut a tree down/bucked it/split it/and into the stove it goes............

I'm willing to bet there ARE folks who do this.............

-Soupy1957

Lots of folks around here do that. Need more firewood in January, go out and cut down a tree, cut it up and throw it right in the stove.

 

[Kenster]

I'm thinking that any thread that looks boring should just be skipped over and not commented upon. There are a lot of threads that do not interest me, such as discussions of Black Locust or Osage or whatever trees we don't have down here. Oak and Hickory,maybe a little pine. That's all I am interested in 'cause that's all I have.
I don't read about chainsaw repairs unless it involves Stihl. But I like to read about general topics like MOISTURE CONTENT, and chain sharpening,etc. Anything that teaches me, I'll read. Everything else I skip.