Moisture meter

[Coldfront]

Ok I finally broke down and bought one, mainly just out of curiosity. General Tools MMD4E Digital Moisture Meter for $34.99 with free shipping off Amazon. So do I understand this correctly, you need to split the piece of wood and stick the probes in the middle of the fresh split piece? Not the ends? And about 20% or less is considered seasoned?

 

[Medman23]

Yes, split the piece and then put the pins in the fresh-split face of the wood. And yes, 20 % and lower is well seasoned. In my gasifier boiler anything above 25% gives me lots of trouble.

 

[Hedgerow]

Ok I finally broke down and bought one, mainly just out of curiosity. General Tools MMD4E Digital Moisture Meter for $34.99 with free shipping off Amazon. So do I understand this correctly, you need to split the piece of wood and stick the probes in the middle of the fresh split piece? Not the ends? And about 20% or less is considered seasoned?

Take some readings on different species you cut at the same time and have seasoned for a while... Would be interesting stuff if you posted some of the findings from your wood pile...

 

[blackdogon57]

20 % is ok but in my opinion 15% is what you should be looking for really good, long lasting heat in a wood stove.

 

[Coldfront]

It will be fun for me to play with, I have wood in log length that has been sitting in piles for 2-3 years some ash, white oak, red oak, and pine. I will see what some of the middle wood is like. I also have quit a few standing dead birch, and pine I want to check. I'll report back when I get the meter. Now I can't wait for my new toy.

 

[Hedgerow]

It will be fun for me to play with, I have wood in log length that has been sitting in piles for 2-3 years some ash, white oak, red oak, and pine. I will see what some of the middle wood is like. I also have quit a few standing dead birch, and pine I want to check. I'll report back when I get the meter. Now I can't wait for my new toy.

I think a lot of folks will be shocked at how much moisture there is in "dead" wood!!!

 

[Steve2910]

I think a lot of folks will be shocked at how much moisture there is in "dead" wood!!!

Especially Oak!

 

[Circle B MN]

20 % is ok but in my opinion 15% is what you should be looking for really good, long lasting heat in a wood stove.

15% is some pretty darn dry wood.....:msp_thumbup:

 

[anymanusa]

I just got mine from lowes for $30. I've been going crazy checking my piles. I wish I'd 've done this sooner.

 

[clinchscavalry]

I posted this in another thread recently, but I just tested my freshly cut and split pecan which came from trees that blew down about a month ago.

The ends averaged about 25%, the split surface 30%, and under the bark 35%. This is a few days after sitting on a trailer in triple digit temps. I would estimate that the interior of the wood, impossible to reach with the probes, might be 40% or maybe more.

FWIW, here in the humid SE (central GA) my lumber, air dried and covered outside on just the top, will stabilize around 13%. Under normal conditions, it just won't get any drier than that sitting outside. I imagine firewood would be about the same. You folks in the dry SW region might be able to get single digit readings, but I've only been able to achieve that by stacking the lumber indoors, in the house with central heat and A/C. If I want to make a piece of furniture or similar, I bring the lumber inside and let it stabilize to the moisture content of the house itself, which varies tremendously by season.

If I can get less than 20% on my firewood, I'll be a happy camper:msp_rolleyes:

Make sure your meter is calibrated properly. I don't know about the various models specifically, but my relatively expensive unit is settable for outside temp, species and what type of probe or pins is being used. For firewood, I use the long pins on an optional unit that are driven into the wood with a built-in ram. For lumber, it's just the short pins included with the meter.

 

[CTYank]

"Seasoned" has as much meaning as "pretty." The parameter of interest is MC or the converse air-dried (to %MC.)

20% MC is starting to get there. 10-15% is about ready. Bring it in for a couple of weeks near the stove and get it down into the single-digits, and it's good-to-go. You can only get it so dry outdoors; in winter additional moisture indoors is a Good Thing. Experimenting with how different MC wood burns will help you get along with your stove.

With a little use, your MM can calibrate your internal wood-moisture-sensor so you can mostly tell MC by inspection.

 

[Hedgerow]

"Seasoned" has as much meaning as "pretty." The parameter of interest is MC or the converse air-dried (to %MC.)

20% MC is starting to get there. 10-15% is about ready. Bring it in for a couple of weeks near the stove and get it down into the single-digits, and it's good-to-go. You can only get it so dry outdoors; in winter additional moisture indoors is a Good Thing. Experimenting with how different MC wood burns will help you get along with your stove.

With a little use, your MM can calibrate your internal wood-moisture-sensor so you can mostly tell MC by inspection.

You do realize most of us don't bring wood in and set it by the stove for weeks... Right???

 

[logbutcher]

If you need a toy to play with, have time to kill, find a sidearm or long gun while logging mandatory :tongue2:, or, NEED to check your milled lumber for sale or use, then the MM does the job.

Remember, the meter only reads the depth of the pins, nothing more, calibrated (to what ? ) or not.

Firewood seasoning 101:
1. Many deep cracks in the ends of the splits.
2. Gray to dark gray color of the wood.
3. Two splits knocked together make a 'ringing' sound. Dull thud = wet wood.
4. The split in a fire sizzles = unseasoned.
5. The wood ignites with little kindling = seasoned.
and....
6. Compare two splits, one newly split, one sitting around for say 3-6 months. Weigh them. The heavier one is not ready to burn.

JMNSHO

 

[Circle B MN]

If you need a toy to play with, have time to kill, find a sidearm or long gun while logging mandatory :tongue2:, or, NEED to check your milled lumber for sale or use, then the MM does the job.

Remember, the meter only reads the depth of the pins, nothing more, calibrated (to what ? ) or not.

Firewood seasoning 101:
1. Many deep cracks in the ends of the splits.
2. Gray to dark gray color of the wood.3. Two splits knocked together make a 'ringing' sound. Dull thud = wet wood.
4. The split in a fire sizzles = unseasoned.
5. The wood ignites with little kindling = seasoned.
and....
6. Compare two splits, one newly split, one sitting around for say 3-6 months. Weigh them. The heavier one is not ready to burn.

JMNSHO

I agree with your guidelines, how ever wood that has been seasoned out of the sun will have a bright clean look to it. It will ring like bowling pins, just not look weathered.

 

[Coldfront]

If you need a toy to play with, have time to kill, find a sidearm or long gun while logging mandatory :tongue2:, or, NEED to check your milled lumber for sale or use, then the MM does the job.

Remember, the meter only reads the depth of the pins, nothing more, calibrated (to what ? ) or not.

Firewood seasoning 101:
1. Many deep cracks in the ends of the splits.
2. Gray to dark gray color of the wood.
3. Two splits knocked together make a 'ringing' sound. Dull thud = wet wood.
4. The split in a fire sizzles = unseasoned.
5. The wood ignites with little kindling = seasoned.
and....
6. Compare two splits, one newly split, one sitting around for say 3-6 months. Weigh them. The heavier one is not ready to burn.

JMNSHO

Well thats the way I have been doing it for years, I just want a new toy. And no I do not have room to keep much wood inside near the stove maybe 10 hours worth of wood thats it. And I know to get a accurate reading you need to fresh split a piece and measure moisture in the middle. As humid as it has been all summer I doubt you could get it much dryer than 20% most of the summer has been almost tropical humidity. I think the best drying will be from the dry air of winter outside. This summer we have very rarely gotten below 60% humidity outside.

 

[TermiteBuffet]

It'll be cool to see your findings , been toying with the idea of one myself just to see about the time it takes under shed vs outside and leaving in rounds vs split or even log length . Keep us updated