The importance of seasoned wood - Dry vs Wet

[bigealta]

Who wants to do the "They Lied to You" video about seasoned wood?

 

[qwee]

A pinned video on how to properly check moisture with a moisture meter would be nice. Seeing is believing. The no-no's and the yes-yes's. We need an expert. Maybe there is one?

 

[bigealta]

Already did this last year.
But it is more about sinking the pins vs a tutorial.

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[stoveliker]

In the end, just read the manual that you get when you buy the meter....

 

[bigealta]

In the end, just read the manual that you get when you buy the meter....

Ha good luck with that.

 

[all night moe]

You'll have to get ahead. Bite the bullet once, spend some $$,.but if you buy enough for three years now, you'll then only have to buy what you burn each year - which then can dry for three years. You'll be a much happier burner.

I wish I could do this. 30 cord is a lot of coin.
Luckily I'm in the tree business. Unfortunately, every time I get 2yrs ahead, something financial happens and I fall behind due to no wood intake.

Sigh.....

Hopefully, an efficient outdoor unit will save me wood and labor, which also equated to time.

 

[weee123]

Th

It sounds like a few youtube videos are being talked about. This one is where the outer wood is checked and called the moisture content. This guy is nice and appears to be trying to do things the right way. But ya he is testing wood in the wrong way. The inside and the outside of firewood can be really different in terms of moisture. We all have to learn. People just don't know much about firewood. Moisture meter check starts at around 5:10 mark.

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Thats the one i was talking about

 

[Nordicbynature]

How bad is 27% MC?

Sold 1.5 cords unseasoned wood (aspen / populus tremula ) to a guy and told him he can use it winter 26/27. It had 27% MC when I split it.

Got a message, that the wood is drying well (we have a golden autumn) and he wants some more. Got the feeling he might want to burn the wood already this winter.

Went to his house re-split some pieces and measured 27% MC. The outside surfaces had in fact dried to around 15%.

So how bad is it to burn a cord of 27% MC wood? The guy has a good and efficient secondary burner.

The guy actually ran out of dry firewood beginning of January. 😭

But we found a solution for the issue with the wood I sold him in September and I reckon is not dry for burning.

Sold him another 3 cords of bone dry firewood from the stack I planned to use up next myself. 😊 Lucky guy.

 

[VirginiaIron]

Thank you for the very important information. This YouTuber shows a comparison of two pieces of wood people in his area would typically burn. They are Elm and Birch with a moisture content at 22 and 15% and he calculated that amount of moisture to a glass of water. He didn’t mention the dangers of creosote build up but he does mention the amount of energy that is wasted and not felt in the stove heat output because that wasted heat is required to remove that amount of water/[moisture ?] from the log.

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[cbscout]

I have seen veteran wood sellers testing their firewood on the ends and claiming those numbers. It's surprising how many do not know how to test wood moisture content.

I know this is late to the conversation, but I had the people who sweep the chimney and check my wood insert (I burn for heat all winter) out. While they did the normal stuff I had them check for an issue that I'd been having, it had been running hot and seemed like the insert had been leaking air, even though I'd replaced both gaskets myself. It wasn't that. He went out and checked my wood, some of which was older. Came in and said the wood was way too dry - readings were around 9% and up, topping to around 12. There were a few below 9%, but it was older wood from a couple seasons ago I use for outside fires. Anyway, I noticed how he'd been testing, and I said you need to test on a fresh split. He told me that you test on the end and in the middle using the outside of the split 😑. This is a guy who sells woodburning stoves and knows a lot of people who burn for heat all winter long. I couldn't believe he didn't know this and argued his method, even put it down on his report that my wood was burning too hot because of this. He's supposed to be a pro. For insurance reasons I have to go measure last year's wood myself (because I know the moisture of a lot of the wood has to be higher, it's always 14% and up at the beginning of the year) and send him a note back. Ridiculous.

 

[brenndatomu]

Anyway, I noticed how he'd been testing, and I said you need to test on a fresh split. He told me that you test on the end and in the middle using the outside of the split 😑. This is a guy who sells woodburning stoves and knows a lot of people who burn for heat all winter long. I couldn't believe he didn't know this and argued his method, even put it down on his report that my wood was burning too hot because of this.

They live among us...and some even have "certifications"

 

[begreen]

They live among us...and some even have "certifications"

There's a difference between being certified and certifiable.

 

[bigealta]

There are those open to learning and those closed to it.
I much prefer the Critical thinkers.