I was out back doing yard work and decided to test this year's wood so I grabbed the biggest easily accessible split I could from each rack. All 2-3 year old red oak and red maple. I love being prepared!
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MEngineer24
Burning Hunk
Diabel
Minister of Fire
I literally just had 2 cords delivered (ok it was shy 1/2 a face cord) for $400. Seasoned. The guy always says seasoned and it's usually 35% or greater.
Much to my surprised, I started sticking the pieces delivered and they were at like 15-16%. BUT half of the would is probably 22 inches in circumference or 10+" across so I have to resplit it. I hand split about 10 large pieces, and much to my surprise all but maybe 2 were below 20%. The other 2 (oak) were at 21.5% on my general moisture meter.
Much to my surprised, I started sticking the pieces delivered and they were at like 15-16%. BUT half of the would is probably 22 inches in circumference or 10+" across so I have to resplit it. I hand split about 10 large pieces, and much to my surprise all but maybe 2 were below 20%. The other 2 (oak) were at 21.5% on my general moisture meter.
RomanW
Member
I have the same one. It passes the smell test for me. I check moisture in a specific area, shut it off, wait awhile, come back, reads exactly the same. As I move from outside wall to inside wall, I get slightly different readings. When I test the floor vs wall, I get different readings. That's to be expected. I also test from week to week from summer on, and the differences between surfaces seems to change in line with the other tests as weeks go. So for example if my inside walls are (and I dont remember the numbers just wild guess), 8%, the outside wall be at 8.5. or 9%, next week Maybe the inside walls are 10%, and outside will be at 11%.
It also has a thing on the cap that tests to make sure your meter is reading correctly.
stoveliker
Minister of Fire
I have the same meter.
Whether it is accurate or not, I have no way of knowing as I don't have an independently calibrated comparison, and I'm not going to bake the chit out of a few wood pieces and do the weight testing to figure out how much moisture they contained. The only other option is to put nails in the wood and measure their resistance and compare to some tables you can find online (however, that resistance will be non-Ohmic, so you have to measure in the correct parameter range for it to be comparable to the number the moisture meter puts out).
For myself, the goal is for the meter to be consistent. And as GrumpDad says, it is. I have the same experience.
Then you can go two ways. either comparing the measured MC values to burning performance and find your own "maximum moisture content", or just trust the value and think it is close enough to how the values in the manual (or wherever) were measured (i.e. trust they are accurate).
I did the latter so far. I could see a good difference between 20+% and <20%.
I have slowly been getting drier wood, reaching 3 year old this year. So I'll see how that goes this burning season. Given my shed space, I won't be burning older wood, and thus whatever is achievable in 3 years will be my minimum moisture content...
Whether it is accurate or not, I have no way of knowing as I don't have an independently calibrated comparison, and I'm not going to bake the chit out of a few wood pieces and do the weight testing to figure out how much moisture they contained. The only other option is to put nails in the wood and measure their resistance and compare to some tables you can find online (however, that resistance will be non-Ohmic, so you have to measure in the correct parameter range for it to be comparable to the number the moisture meter puts out).
For myself, the goal is for the meter to be consistent. And as GrumpDad says, it is. I have the same experience.
Then you can go two ways. either comparing the measured MC values to burning performance and find your own "maximum moisture content", or just trust the value and think it is close enough to how the values in the manual (or wherever) were measured (i.e. trust they are accurate).
I did the latter so far. I could see a good difference between 20+% and <20%.
I have slowly been getting drier wood, reaching 3 year old this year. So I'll see how that goes this burning season. Given my shed space, I won't be burning older wood, and thus whatever is achievable in 3 years will be my minimum moisture content...
Something additional to add, Im also testing an oak wood flooring sample that I have. I measure the plank width wise to determine change in dimension with moisture content of the plank itself then chart moisture content of the internal walls and have been cataloging this for about 4 months or so.
There is only ONE time that the moisture content didnt jive for me. I tested moisture content of this plank of flooring that Ive tested many times, it was really high. Yet the size I expected was 5 1/8" wide (a little shy of), instead it was more like 5 1/16"w. So the only thing I can think of is that the moisture content rose up but the wood didnt adjust yet. Shrug. All other readings coincided with changes in width of this piece of wood.
Im doing this because Im going to consider moisture content with how far I space my flooring. Moisture/humidity is an issue there. I do plan on doing something to address such as adding mini splits and/or a crawlspace dehumidifier. But I would like to know that I have an accurate representation of how moisture affects this specific wood species and prefinished brand. Length wise, I had no changes what so ever throughout all moisture readings.
If I didnt trust this meter, I wouldnt be using it. I should also mention I compared to neighbors and we were both withing .5% of each others.
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
For the urban burner short on space don’t ignore the short seasoning time of softwoods. Sure it’s not going to get you an overnight burn but hot and fast is still heat. Had to look back this was split 13 months ago. Not gonna wait 3 years to burn this!
stoveliker
Minister of Fire
You can get an overnight burn with soft woods also if your firebox is large enough (and depending on how long your night is supposed to be...).
With my 2.9 cu ft firebox, I can easily get an overnight burn, i.e. 8-10 hrs on pine is no problem. And not only when running "low and slow", but in the medium output range as well.
The bigger danger with pine (vs oak) is that if you're an hour late to check on it (basement stove), there can be *very little* coals left. Being late with oak is not an issue, as the coals survive for a few hours longer.
I posted a few weeks ago that the pine I split and stacked in what I think was March, is already below 20% too. It's nice. If one has a cold winter, and one burns a bit from next years' stacks (I am on a 3 yr rotation), it's easy to refill that to be full again in spring with pine - it'll be okay that winter.
With my 2.9 cu ft firebox, I can easily get an overnight burn, i.e. 8-10 hrs on pine is no problem. And not only when running "low and slow", but in the medium output range as well.
The bigger danger with pine (vs oak) is that if you're an hour late to check on it (basement stove), there can be *very little* coals left. Being late with oak is not an issue, as the coals survive for a few hours longer.
I posted a few weeks ago that the pine I split and stacked in what I think was March, is already below 20% too. It's nice. If one has a cold winter, and one burns a bit from next years' stacks (I am on a 3 yr rotation), it's easy to refill that to be full again in spring with pine - it'll be okay that winter.
So I decided to get moisture meter to speed up some wood analysis I've been doing with my digital multimeter. The mmd4e seems to be a very popular model so I decided to go with that one. It arrived today.
Well, my wood has been drying all spring and summer css. It's been a dry hot summer and I'm in a very breezy are. In fact it's the perfect spot here.
My findings with my dmm seem correct. My wood is in the 20% zone. I have about 70% birch and then ash, oak, maple and the odd other species. But having to split, hammer nails, measure nail distance, press multimeter etc can be kinda time consuming albeit fun. You never get a true percentage either. Just resistance in Mega Ohms.
My General DDM4E Came with no instructions but it seemed to work. All my wood came in lower than I thought. All lower than 20%. I assumed I would be in the 20-25% zone but I was in the 15-20 zone. I really pushed those prongs in too. I jammed them in because my previous method was using nails and the could be really driven in. (I hope my readings are correct).
What I've learned about my wood. Half of my stacks are out on the open and the other 3 cords are under an overhang with plenty of room between the stack and the roof. Both turned out dry but the stuff that was under the overhang seems to be just slightly drier. Also, the stacks that weren't covered look more 'seasoned' and the middle of the stack is drier than the top sunbaked part. I thought it would be the opposite. Perhaps the top part acted as a cover for the rest of the stack. Not a huge difference though.
If my wood is this dry in a single season I can't imagine how dry it could be in like 2-3 years. Overall the MM seems like a good investment. The prongs bent pretty easily though. I had to straighten them with pliers already so just a heads up: straight in and then straight out! I was kinda pulling them out on and angle.
I wish I knew the equation to decipher the Mega Ohm reading and the % in moisture. Also, if all wood is different.... well there is that.
What I noticed about drying wood this season was how fast it seemed to dry. I noticed quit a substantial difference in weight and sound in just the first few weeks. It just got better as the months went on. Having wood css outside made me realize how important that method is.
Well, my wood has been drying all spring and summer css. It's been a dry hot summer and I'm in a very breezy are. In fact it's the perfect spot here.
My findings with my dmm seem correct. My wood is in the 20% zone. I have about 70% birch and then ash, oak, maple and the odd other species. But having to split, hammer nails, measure nail distance, press multimeter etc can be kinda time consuming albeit fun. You never get a true percentage either. Just resistance in Mega Ohms.
My General DDM4E Came with no instructions but it seemed to work. All my wood came in lower than I thought. All lower than 20%. I assumed I would be in the 20-25% zone but I was in the 15-20 zone. I really pushed those prongs in too. I jammed them in because my previous method was using nails and the could be really driven in. (I hope my readings are correct).
What I've learned about my wood. Half of my stacks are out on the open and the other 3 cords are under an overhang with plenty of room between the stack and the roof. Both turned out dry but the stuff that was under the overhang seems to be just slightly drier. Also, the stacks that weren't covered look more 'seasoned' and the middle of the stack is drier than the top sunbaked part. I thought it would be the opposite. Perhaps the top part acted as a cover for the rest of the stack. Not a huge difference though.
If my wood is this dry in a single season I can't imagine how dry it could be in like 2-3 years. Overall the MM seems like a good investment. The prongs bent pretty easily though. I had to straighten them with pliers already so just a heads up: straight in and then straight out! I was kinda pulling them out on and angle.
I wish I knew the equation to decipher the Mega Ohm reading and the % in moisture. Also, if all wood is different.... well there is that.
What I noticed about drying wood this season was how fast it seemed to dry. I noticed quit a substantial difference in weight and sound in just the first few weeks. It just got better as the months went on. Having wood css outside made me realize how important that method is.
I agree with all the comments above on the MM. It's always done well by me.
Another budget way to check the MM if you're not sure if it's off you can always measure a 2x4 inside or other processes lumber that should have consistent readings and see what it says. If it gives some wild reading you'll know it's off.
Another budget way to check the MM if you're not sure if it's off you can always measure a 2x4 inside or other processes lumber that should have consistent readings and see what it says. If it gives some wild reading you'll know it's off.
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
Lowes associates dont mind you walking around jabbing their wood. But make sure you wear a tshirt that reads "Moist inspector". (not a typo)
Helpful hint : dont be surprised if you get a reading of 33% or greater on Lowes kiln dried framing lumber. They're the best! That mold is just an extra protective layer. It's great when you frame up a room and come back a week later to warp/twisted 2x4s. Thankfully I have an Ace near me that has a very expansive lumber yard, it's only a few cents more expensive per linear foot, and well worth it to me. Oh and they will deliver as small as 10 , 2x4's and 2 sheets of plywood for $35 bucks 30 minutes away. I love this place and hope they always stick around. I ordered ALL my windows and doors from them as well. Great pricing, couldnt be beat.
So I saw in a video online that it reads 18.5%. Mine does as well. I have no way to truly know what it's supposed to read cause there was no manual with mine. But I guess that's right.
stoveliker
Minister of Fire
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