BEST Moisture levels for Firewood

Checking the moisture content of cut firewood is worth doing, especially with mixed hardwood loads.
Ideally don't buy anything with over 20% moisture, whatever the wood, you're paying for a lot of water which will have to be dried off before burning. Some firewood is sold unseasoned or part seasoned, fresh cut wood can be up to 60% water, but most hardwoods cut for burning are 35-40% when cut.
No stove manufacturer suggests burning anything with over 20% moisture content and the ideal to aim for is 15% Some softwoods will over-dry to below 10% and while good for kindling, as logs, these will burn too fast for a good fire. The dryer the wood the faster it will burn. Anywhere between 10 and 20% is where to aim for, on large logs it is worth splitting one and testing the central moisture content, because how a log seasons is dependent on volume as well as the storage conditions, and as we show there can be a 10-15% difference between the old cut surface and the center of the log when split.
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[@wayneberry8703]

Great review, I was just looking at getting this very same unit.
Cheers 🍻

[@gardenerscottageblakeney1316]

Glad I could help we find ours very useful

[@eddieryan7639]

Great video man

[@gardenerscottageblakeney1316]

Thank you Eddie

[@juspickin]

nice one mate cheers

[@gardenerscottageblakeney1316]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@MurraySuid]

Very helpful video. What was the brand of the moisture meter?

[@gardenerscottageblakeney1316]

I have checked and there is no branding on it. Its a generic Chinese unit I suspect, widely available on the internet. The test I guess is in the burning as so far its given a really good indication of moisture content and seasoning.

[@DannyV1973]

i got same meter on amazon was like 25$

[@ivormiler8163]

Hi what the make and model of the meter good video thanks

[@DoubleMonoLR]

MT-10 seems the most common model number, they're sold under multiple brands, and are all over aliexpress. They aren't necessarily all exactly the same though.

[@gardenerscottageblakeney1316]

You're very welcome it's a great little gadget. We like it so much we bought a second one to keep in the wood store. We found it an Amazon

[@racenuke]

Good info thanks.
Ps: even using the imperial system your British accent didn’t scare me away because I knew this would be % and not the metric system. 😂 I cut my logs to 16 inches. Cheers.

[@gardenerscottageblakeney1316]

Glad you enjoyed it and found it helpful

[@Invis_Space]

Great video! Thank you. Out of curiosity, are pallets treated with chemicals so they last in weather? If so is it ok to burn them?

[@gardenerscottageblakeney1316]

I don't honestly know.

[@Invis_Space]

@@gardenerscottageblakeney1316 me too 😂 thanks for the reply. I broke one down for kindling.

[@briana1371]

Pallets branded HT are heat treated only to kill insects. They are safe to burn or use on other projects as they contain no chemicals (unless they have been contaminated after manufacture). Pallets marked MB have been treated by methyl bromide, a nasty chemical that should not be burnt as there will be chemical residue in the smoke. Clean, unmarked pallets are usually safe.

[@tommytippy4448]

would like to know what setting for an unknown wood(a,b,c,d.)

[@Boost_Addict]

I leave mine on A

[@tomskimcdouglegaming806]

If unknown leave it on D as that will show the maximum moisture content.

[@Boost_Addict]

@@tomskimcdouglegaming806 thanks good to know !

[@gardenerscottageblakeney1316]

there are newer meters which use the same setting for all wood, but not sure if this reduces accuracy? I suspect it must do.

[@nickguthrie9309]

Please give the difference between 'dryness and 'seasoning'

[@gardenerscottageblakeney1316]

OUr understanding is that seasoning is the process that gets the wood dry enough to burn well. The wood structure changes with time as it dries out and it burns much better.

[@bobikdylan]

It's not important to "push down really hard" to get a good cntact. In fact you'll end up damaging the meter that way.

[@gardenerscottageblakeney1316]

Thank you for the feedback

[@tomskimcdouglegaming806]

You'll get a false reading unless you measure on a freshly cut face, regardless of how 'seasoned' the wood is.

[@gardenerscottageblakeney1316]

Thank you for the feedback. You are of course correct. That's very helpful

[@nickmarrow2645]

What’s the solution to this testing ready cut wood that’s been seasoning?

[@tomskimcdouglegaming806]

@@nickmarrow2645 split it before testing.

[@b3gr33n]

The wood needs to be resplit and tested on the freshly exposed face of the wood. End grain readings are meaningless.

[@gardenerscottageblakeney1316]

Thank you for the feedback

[@dickdungfork8334]

Why not just ban logs, how can anyone check the moisture like this for every log

[@gardenerscottageblakeney1316]

Its a valid point but its worth checking if you think they may not be seasoned

[@dickdungfork8334]

@@gardenerscottageblakeney1316 This isn't just seasoned it's moisture and not everyone can store them in a dry place. I have logs that are a few years old and the moisture in the air even takes them over 20%

[@JJamJ]

Why ban logs? Why not ban gas, coal, electricity, cars, trains, plastic, boats, all products that contains oils! 🙄

[@br6145]

Can't tell if you're serious or not but what's with the spineless culture of wanting to ban everything?

[@markjones336]

Most stupid comment ever!