Whats your guess at the MC

[eujamfh]

So I am burning from a pile I thought was split three years ago (red oak). With my absence last year..I am not 100% sure I have not miss counted my years.

The wood burns well when laid on a bed of coals. I would say 20% has a little moisture bubble for the first 10 minute, usualy from the edge (splits are 3-5 inches in diameter - bubbles on the first inch). It is harder to get going then I think it should be from a cold start...for example, tonight it took some coaxing...but no moisture bubbling out at all. (Course, I started this season with poplar and pine...so maybe my benchmark is warped.)

I unfortunately loaded a cord in the garage and am not really interested in humping it back to the wood pile...but the next load is coming off the other stack (which I think is 3-4years since I split it).

I figure maybe I am dealing with two year old red oak. I do not have a MM but an wondering...but what do you think it is on average - right about 20-25%?

Cheers,
Matt

 

[tfdchief]

Well, I have a moisture meter, now, didn't for 35 years. I find it is a neat toy. Other than that, it "ain't" worth much. The best gauge, if you don't know it is "Dennis Seasoned" IMO, is how it burns......you will know. In fact, I think you have already figured it out. ;-P

 

[bogydave]

Red Oak is notorious for that. A porous wood. Was it out in a rain & get wet before it went into the garage ?
Drying method & location have a big influence on how long it takes to be ready to burn. VA is pretty humid.
What I've learned here about Red Oak:
Best: Outside 2 years, off the ground single rows, sunny location. Then when you get a dry hot sunny spell with no rain on it, get the top covered . Be ready the 3rd year.
Great wood when dry, just the hardest to get "good & dry." (wish I had dome here to burn)
Now if you lived in Arizona, 1 year , good to go.

Is a MM reading going to matter if it don't burn well?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

If it sounds like a steak frying (sizzling), it still has not cooked enough. Wait one more year and it will be just that much better. If you do insist on burning it this year, then maybe put in one split per load.

 

[gzecc]

So I am burning from a pile I thought was split three years ago (red oak). With my absence last year..I am not 100% sure I have not miss counted my years.

The wood burns well when laid on a bed of coals. I would say 20% has a little moisture bubble for the first 10 minute, usualy from the edge (splits are 3-5 inches in diameter - bubbles on the first inch). It is harder to get going then I think it should be from a cold start...for example, tonight it took some coaxing...but no moisture bubbling out at all. (Course, I started this season with poplar and pine...so maybe my benchmark is warped.)

I unfortunately loaded a cord in the garage and am not really interested in humping it back to the wood pile...but the next load is coming off the other stack (which I think is 3-4years since I split it).

I figure maybe I am dealing with two year old red oak. I do not have a MM but an wondering...but what do you think it is on average - right about 20-25%?

Cheers,
Matt

The oaks (unless dead and barkless for many years) take forever to dry. I would guess 27%.

 

[Cascade Failure]

So I am burning from a pile I thought was split three years ago (red oak). With my absence last year..I am not 100% sure I have not miss counted my years.

The wood burns well when laid on a bed of coals. I would say 20% has a little moisture bubble for the first 10 minute, usualy from the edge (splits are 3-5 inches in diameter - bubbles on the first inch). It is harder to get going then I think it should be from a cold start...for example, tonight it took some coaxing...but no moisture bubbling out at all. (Course, I started this season with poplar and pine...so maybe my benchmark is warped.)

I unfortunately loaded a cord in the garage and am not really interested in humping it back to the wood pile...but the next load is coming off the other stack (which I think is 3-4years since I split it).

I figure maybe I am dealing with two year old red oak. I do not have a MM but an wondering...but what do you think it is on average - right about 20-25%?

Cheers,
Matt

The oaks (unless dead and barkless for many years) take forever to dry. I would guess 27%.

Exact number I had in mind when I saw 10 minutes of little bubbles. I have burned too much oak before it's time. This year, and many to follow, should change that.

 

[lukem]

Hmmm. Red oak. Couple 3 years old. I'd guess 400% MC.

 

[oldspark]

They are shipping Oak to to the drought areas as we speak.

 

[Kenster]

I'm thinking a lot higher than 20% to 25%. At 20% you're in 'the zone' and it should be burning quite nicely. I'd say you've got closer to 30%. Have you only recently moved it into the garage? If it's been there a long time that would be part of your problem. It's not going to dry out very well in there. If you can't burn it this year, much as I'd hate to do it, I'd take it out and stack it in the sun and wind for at least another year. Bring in your 3-4 year old wood. It should be great.

 

[oldspark]

I'm gonna say it again, it does not take me "forever" to dry oak, but it is burr oak not red.

 

[Kenster]

I'm gonna say it again, it does not take me "forever" to dry oak, but it is burr oak not red.

Nor me, but my climate is a little different from most folks. I'm currently burning some post oak from a large tree that snapped off in a wind storm Thanksgiving week 2010 . It was cut and stacked in early December of last year. By August it was measuring around 17% MC (yes- fresh split!). It's giving me some of the best fires I've ever had.

I took down a standing dead Water Oak in February. The trunk was dripping/oozing water when I bucked it and it measured off the scale of my meter. It also measured below 20% in late summer, a little over six months after I split it. Now it's showing 16% to 18%.

Severe drought, over a hundred days of temps well over 100 degrees, and strong hot winds all summer did a number on the numbers!
Unusual circumstances, true. Just shows, though, that there are no hard and fast rules about drying time. Don't let people scare you off of oak.

 

[Wood Duck]

I have some oak that is many years old and a few pieces sizzle a little. It is hard to start a fire with this oak from a cold start, but when added to hot coals it starts up very quickly. I don't know the moisture content, but I know it is old, so maybe you're burning the old wood too.