Moisture Readings - GOOD NEWS :)

[toddnic]

I just purchased a moisture meter and starting checking the wood on the outside of my stacks as well as the yellow birch that I cut down (it was dead and had no bark on it). The yellow birch is all around 20% moisture which is probably the best moisture reading I am going to get in my area (about one cord). The red oak on the outside of the stacks is all in the mid-20's. That is much better than what I expected. It looks like I have a minimum of 2 cords of wood that is ready to go. It will be interesting as winter gets here to see what the moisture content of the red oak in the middle of the wood pile is.

 

[basod]

Are you resplitting the pieces you're measuring?
The outside of the oak will dry pretty quick, the inside not so much

 

[ScotO]

yeah, what he said......
Especially with oak....if you took a moisture reading on a surface of that oak that's been exposed to air for a while, it's gonna read low. Resplit it and measure the inside.....ain't gonna be pretty, unless it's been seasoning for 2 1/2 to 3 years.....

 

[toddnic]

Good point....I did not resplit the wood before taking the moisture reading. Hopefully I won't be too surprised when I split it.

 

[toddnic]

The red oak was on the ground for a couple of years but was not split until about 6 months ago. Glad I was able to get the yellow birch last month. It is totally dry!

 

[ScotO]

The red oak was on the ground for a couple of years but was not split until about 6 months ago. Glad I was able to get the yellow birch last month. It is totally dry!

I hate to be the bearer of bad news (and let me tell ya, we've all been in your 'spot' before) but that oak is NEVER going to be ready by this year. Oak needs to be split and stacked before you can even begin to say it has 'started seasoning'. And oak (get ready for this) needs at LEAST 2 and usually 3 years AFTER YOU SPLIT AND STACK IT (sometimes even longer, depending on the size of your splits) to be optimal. Yes, you CAN burn oak after two years, but you are wasting a TON of good BTU's as it just isn't ready to burn at that stage. Years of experimenting, countless people trying, countless frustrations have led up to this discovery. Do yourself a favor, give that oak a couple years to season. Go out and get some non-oak species of wood (preferably some maple, ash, cherry, etc) that will season quickly and give yourself some more time for the oak...you'll be glad you did.

This is why, after you are on here for a while, you see us preach the "3 year plan"......try to get three years ahead on your firewood stash and you'll never have a problem with less-than-ideal wood...

 

[Woody Stover]

Hopefully I won't be too surprised when I split it.

We wouldn't but you might. On the Oak, anyway.... I've only had River Birch but that was some of the fastest-drying stuff I've seen.

How much of the Birch did you get? Get as much dead standing with little or no bark as you can find. Split it on the small side, stack it single-row in the wind, and hope you have enough dry wood to give the rest some time....

 

[toddnic]

I have about one cord of yellow birch. Thankfully it is really dry. Wish I knew where some more standing dead birch was....

 

[toddnic]

Just split one of the red oak splits. It was 34% moisture inside. ARGH.....

 

[Woody Stover]

Know anyone with some land you can ransack for dead wood? You would be surprised you much you can stack up in a short time, even if the trees aren't that big. Actually, the smaller dead trees are usually the driest.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Just split one of the red oak splits. It was 34% moisture inside. ARGH.....

I think we all saw that coming, that stuff just needs time even when processed properly...

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Good point....I did not resplit the wood before taking the moisture reading. Hopefully I won't be too surprised when I split it.

Todd, it also makes a difference in timing. You need to check it immediately after splitting and not wait an hour or so. Naturally temperature can make for some interesting reads. Point is, do not take that moisture reading as gospel. It is only a guideline. It can be close but so long as you use it as a guide you will be okay. So if you want 20% I would not take a 20% reading as being exact. Best to get it lower to be sure. After a couple years you won't even need it. Shoot, I've been at this game a few years now and have never used one. I do go by the 3 year rule though and then some.

 

[oldspark]

"And oak (get ready for this) needs at LEAST 2 and usually 3 years AFTER YOU SPLIT AND STACK IT (sometimes even longer, depending on the size of your splits) to be optimal"
You forgot to mention the your results may vary, no absolutes in drying wood.

 

[schlot]

Just split one of the red oak splits. It was 34% moisture inside. ARGH.....

Don't sweat it just live and learn...we've all been there.

 

[red oak]

Hey toddnic - sorry to hear about the wood being a bit higher than you thought it would be - many of us have been there for sure. Are you buying or scrounging your own? If buying, maybe you could ask around for some of the types of wood that Scotty mentioned that dry faster. Standing dead, especially the limbs would be what I would look for if scrounging. Not ideal at this point but would work. And to add on to what others have said, if you do decide to burn that oak this year, have some dry starter wood on hand as it will have trouble getting going. I remember blowing on the fire many times during my first year of wood burning. Also check the chimney often and clean as needed.