Seasoning time aside, what moisture percentage is your cut-off for burning? Not talking about outdoor furnaces.
Indoor only, please.
Indoor only, please.
What's dry enough for you to burn?
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I don't have a moisture meter and never had an urge to buy one. I can tell just by the weight if it's going to be too wet. If I'm picking through dry wood, looking for select pieces for starter, I will feel it with my bare hands and smell it.
I don't have a meter either, so I wait until it's as dry as a popcorn fart in the desert. I keep one by the pile for reference.
Adios Pantalones said:
How the heck do you catch it for comparison??? A net surely wouldn't work.
Carbon filtration my man, carbon filtration.
Nice chair you got there. I can't wait to see your "Lark" scooter when you get old.
Nice chair you got there. I can't wait to see your "Lark" scooter when you get old.
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Even though we only have softwood to burn. I still like to be at 20% or slightly less. Seems to work for me.
EG-clean glass once a month,that`s it!!
CREOSOTE is EVIL
!
EG-clean glass once a month,that`s it!!
CREOSOTE is EVIL
!
Just tonight I bought a cheap moisture meter from harbor gone bad freight and I tested it on a few splits.
Some oak that I have been having problems getting any heat out of tested at 25%
Some ash that has been marginal tested at 19%
Ash from my storage site that has been split for three years test at 10% and it burns the best.
I paid $15 for the meter and it seems to operate in direct comparison of how my wood burned. The wet stuff was terrible. The 19% burned OK but the 10% really put out the heat.
I have some ash outside that is from a tree I cut down this summer that has been split since I brought it home and I will test some of those pieces to see what they read tomorrow.
I do not buy into that split ash and burn it three months later after the reading I got tonight from the marginal stuff as it had been seasoned for 6 months.
Some oak that I have been having problems getting any heat out of tested at 25%
Some ash that has been marginal tested at 19%
Ash from my storage site that has been split for three years test at 10% and it burns the best.
I paid $15 for the meter and it seems to operate in direct comparison of how my wood burned. The wet stuff was terrible. The 19% burned OK but the 10% really put out the heat.
I have some ash outside that is from a tree I cut down this summer that has been split since I brought it home and I will test some of those pieces to see what they read tomorrow.
I do not buy into that split ash and burn it three months later after the reading I got tonight from the marginal stuff as it had been seasoned for 6 months.
The moisture meter is a good guide.. It is not the be and end all.
Discussion on a different post. smoke still coming out of the chimney. well, you may split a dozen or so pieces and they may all measure 20% moisture or less.. doesn`t mean that a piece or two may not sneak into the stove/insert that is well above that reading.
Mostly, when you get to know the wood you are burning and how much it weighs wet as opposed to dry-that is your best guide.
Nothing wrong with moisture meters, I have one and wouldn`t be without it. but it is not a panacea..
It is simply a tool to help you get to the right place--that is all it is..
Discussion on a different post. smoke still coming out of the chimney. well, you may split a dozen or so pieces and they may all measure 20% moisture or less.. doesn`t mean that a piece or two may not sneak into the stove/insert that is well above that reading.
Mostly, when you get to know the wood you are burning and how much it weighs wet as opposed to dry-that is your best guide.
Nothing wrong with moisture meters, I have one and wouldn`t be without it. but it is not a panacea..
It is simply a tool to help you get to the right place--that is all it is..
mattrookie said:
No idea. I've never worried about moisture content. Fir needs 4 months in the woodshed, maple needs a year. The end.
Zen question of the week. If you burn fires and window stays clean, does that mean you are burning seasoned wood?
carl spackler said:
on a related note, can a split be wet and not hiss/sizzle/foam like a rabid dog?
carl spackler said:
No. It just means that you have the temp of the stove high enough to keep the glass clean.......Oooohm!
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