Newbie question about seasoned wood

[WhiteMike]

Wow thanks for all the replies! I have definitely learned a lot just from that. My original plan was to burn through the wood that has been seasoned and then start on the stuff that I've cut this summer but after this thread I've decided to just use my furnace if I have to. I'd like to not have to turn it on but I looked on Craigslist and firewood near me is going for about 200 for a seasoned cord and I can't bring myself to pay that when there's 100s of miles of wilderness and forest service land out my back door. So I won't burn any of the wood from this summer until the winter after next. I'll probably get back up into the mountains in April when the snowline gets high enough... So once I gather that wood and split it should I just leave it in piles out in the open? (I have plenty of room to do so) and then stack it all in my wood shed towards the end of summer? The wood I've been cutting I haven't been letting it sit out, I split it and stack it in the wood shed immediately. It sits on pallets and isn't stacked tightly so there is room for air movement but I haven't been letting the sun get to it. here is a picture! The darker wood on the left is the seasoned wood, on the right its 5 rows deep of what I split this summer. Thanks for the help!

I also wanted to add that i have a guy coming next week to do an inspection and cleaning on my stove and flue for 150$. Does that seem like a reasonable price? He comes highly reccomended for this area

 

[capetrees]

Picked up a Stihl moisture meter and got some interesting results. Cherry was around 30%, oak was about 25-30% and locust was 18%. All of this was cut between January and now.

Question though. When checking the moisture, a couple of times the meter came back and read "OL". Any idea what that meant? It was a greener piece of wood so I assume "outside limit"? Couple of times later it came back as 33%

 

[svk]

Picked up a Stihl moisture meter and got some interesting results. Cherry was around 30%, oak was about 25-30% and locust was 18%. All of this was cut between January and now.

Question though. When checking the moisture, a couple of times the meter came back and read "OL". Any idea what that meant? It was a greener piece of wood so I assume "outside limit"? Couple of times later it came back as 33%

Never seen that with my meter. It either measures or if the MC is too low it doesn't read at all.

 

[CaseyForrest]

Some meters will only read up to a certain percentage.

Most of your wood is considered green, not seasoned or even partially seasoned.

sent from a field

 

[mohick]

Oh glad to see you got a tinker toy m m now you got something else to F with and prove absolutly nothing at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[CaseyForrest]

That was productive.

sent from a field

 

[farmer steve]

Oh glad to see you got a tinker toy m m now you got something else to F with and prove absolutly nothing at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i thought everyone here had a MM. mine was the best $20 i wasted in a long time. it's great to show pics of 10% hickory or locust on here and get a bunch of no way from the guys here. BTW @WhiteMike .welcome to AS.

 

[Big_Al]

Living in the same general area as the op, you should be able to find some standing dead tamarack, red fir or lodgepole. Cut & split it up asap and it will be fine for winter.

 

[WhiteMike]

OL means overload on my electrical meters. Meaning trying to measure voltage/amperage/resistance etc was too high for the meter to process which also happens when you have a bad reading/connection. Your wood was either too wet for the meter to measure or just had a bad connection

 

[svk]

That was productive.

sent from a field

Par for the course for that guy. Check out his post history, its all garbage and insults.

 

[svk]

i thought everyone here had a MM.

Even @Whitespider has one!

 

[Whitespider]

Even @Whitespider has one!

That's a lie‼
That's a lie‼
That's a lie and you flippin' know it‼


But you did manage to get my attention

*

 

[svk]

That's a lie‼
That's a lie‼
That's a lie and you flippin' know it‼


But you did manage to get my attention

*

Bout time. Your wasting all your time in Political these days trying to get those left wing boys to see things your way.

 

[CaseyForrest]

Par for the course for that guy. Check out his post history, its all garbage and insults.

Thanks for the heads up.

sent from a field

 

[farmer steve]

Even @Whitespider has one!

yes we all know that SVK. he probably runs radial tires on his truck too.

 

[fiasco]

That's a lie‼
That's a lie‼
That's a lie and you flippin' know it‼


But you did manage to get my attention

*

Whitespider only uses bias ply moisture meters...

 

[Whitespider]

Nope... don't have a moisture meter.
Personally I've never really seen the need for one... but that's me. I don't sell firewood, and I'm normally 2-4 years ahead in my cuttin' so I don't need to be measuring moisture content... just burn the oldest first. This year is a bit different, I've been lazy the last couple years and my supply is down to less than one cord (it ain't helped that I'm not sure how much longer I'll be livin' here neither). Anyway, there's at least a dozen barkless dead elm standing withing eyesight of my front porch and I figure on converting them into firewood as soon as the weather cools... likely be cuttin' and tossin' into the basement on a month-to-month, even week-to-week bases this winter. If some of it ain't perfectly dry... it-is-what-it-is... I'm gonna' burn it anyway, so a moisture meter still means nothing to me.
(shrug)

Oh... and to the new guy... most all the guys here will give you good advice, but they won't always agree 100% with each other. For example, some will say oak requires two or even three years to season, while another will say one summer will do it. In all seriousness, that's because we all do things our own way... the way that works for us... and we all live in different mini-climates. I don't put my firewood in a shed, and I don't cover the stacks. My firewood gets stacked out in the open, uncovered, in full sun and wind... it always burns.
So, you'll need to weigh the advice you get, allow for what works for you and where you live.
*

 

[Streblerm]

OL is over load or over limit. It means the moisture is above the maximum reading of your meter. Probably in the 40% range. Better save that wood for next year.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

Stupid question - Do you have the manual for the meter? It might tell you what OL means. I suspect that it means over limit, but I bet the manual knows for sure.

 

[capetrees]

Not a stupid question and yes I have the manual and yes I looked in there and no it doesn't explain it so no, not a stupid question but it WAS a stupid response.

Nothing positive to add?? ****.