How to check if your firewood is dry enough to burn - Using Moisture Meter
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.ย. 2024
- Taking a look at how a moister meter can help you with your firewood. As well as which ones I have been using.
General Moister Meter: amzn.to/2wyiyeZ
MD814 Moister Meter: amzn.to/2BKSdhM
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Just moved into a place with a new wood stove, it’s been a long time since the last time I had one, and it was an older style so I needed to refresh my skills. Cue your videos! I really can’t say how much I appreciate your knowledge. I just lost my dad last year, he would have loved me going back to wood heat. When I need advice, I can’t go to him anymore. Now, I’m coming to you.
After watching your video last year I purchased the General Meter. Have used it ever since. I don't have the luxury of getting two to three years ahead as I have a day job that requires much travel.
Our farm gets hit with a number of rain and windstorms along with the usual ice storms. So cleaning up the blowdowns, breakage of limbs, and clearing dangerous bent, tangled, and spring loaded trees, I end up with a supply as I cut and clear. It is a mix of dead & green. Yep, of course I sort as I cut. But some trees have had me fooled and I don't care for a smokey fire.
The General meter has proved to be WELL worth the cost. I reviewed you vid this eve to make certain I understood your tips. Thanks a GAZILLION for your postings.
Need to next upgrade my old log splitter. The old 3 point hitch unit ties up my J.Deere. Also, the hitch lift hydraulics require disconnecting to allow connection of the hydraulic splitter into the valve control. A pain in the aft section as the tractor is now dedicated to splitting.
The Tractor Supply units look enticing and can easily be towed with a smaller tractor or ATV.
Thanks again ! Wood Heat Weds helps a lot of folks!
I love how you smirked for a while after the second wet looking piece came back dry. You really got a kick out of tricking us haha.
PS your movies are awesome. I have watched almost every single one. I'm almost done my timber frame cabin on 21 acres and I really appreciate how in depth you go with wood heat. The only other person I have seen that really is a wood heat scientist about it is Ben Falk. You should check out his book "the resilient farm and homestead" it has a whole chapter on wood heat and I (A fellow woodheat nerd) really found it interesting.
when you banged them both together I thought maybe that wasn't a good test anymore because the cleaner piece looked like it would be wet but then when it turned out to actually be drier, the sound made more sense. good video, thanks, Chuck
Way back there when you posted the first video on moisture meters, I bought one and have used it ever since. After a job promotion, and the new job was demanding, I ran out of wood. The next year I used the meter constantly to determine what would burn before I took it in the house. Now I mastered the new job, and have been free enough to cut almost ten years of firewood ahead. So using the meter for observations.
It would have been interesting to see what readings you got from the other meter. Good video, thanks.
In the lumber business at saw mills moisture content is very regulated . Nice to have .
I have that same General meter. I picked it up after seeing a moisture meter in one of your previous videos. So far, so good. Keep the Woodheat Wednesdays going ! As a wood burning newbie, I find the information perfect.
Thanks for pointing out how the moisture is measured. I always get confused on which way to orientate, with the grain or against. With for the win!!
Finally bought one of the General’s using your link. It works great! 👍🏻
proud to say i have a meter...and love it....great vid tkx!!!
We are so looking fwd to heating with wood some day soon so these videos are a huge help in squashing all the unknowns. Thanks for sharing!!!
Why did you stop your videos? Get back at it. You do an amazing job helping others.
Excellent video. Those are great tools to have, I like mine. They can tell you how your wood will burn and the heat you will get. Dry wood is good wood. Thanks for sharing.
The moisture meter I have always used is a stick using the “ping” test. On another hand I operate Flesh and moisture sensing Tablesaws in the Woodshop. This would be helpful for kiln dried lumber, Thanks, Joe
Awesome video my goal is to use the meter and feeling the wood together learning the feel of good dry wood
I bought one of the General meters so now I know the moisture content before burning as opposed to just guessing like I did before. Right away I used that meter to check all the wood I was going to burn to be sure it was 20% or lower. It has a warning beep (on 'firewood' setting) for anything at or above 16%. I thought that was odd as the generally accepted percentage is 20 or under. So, even though I got the warning beep, if the reading was 20 or under I put it in the burn pile.
However, I quickly learned that wood at or near 20% barely burns, smokes a lot, and creates a ton of creosote. I don't know where the universally accepted 20% or lower figure comes from, but even wood at 19% or 18% moisture content is iffy.
That meter has a warning beep at 16% or higher for a reason as that's the starting point (at least per my observations) where wood burns better and cleaner. Now that I'm only using wood under 16%, checking the content is much easier, too, as I no longer need to look at the display to know if it is under 16, just listen. If there's no beep, throw in the burn pile. If there is a beep then let it season longer.
Big thumbs up happy Wednesday 👍💞💗💕
I store a good portion of my wood under cover and out of direct sunlight so a moisture meter is almost mandatory since there are very few of the outwardly tell tale signs of seasoning.
The tool used to pick up logs bl and orange or red....so u don't bend over.......great on my back...thank you so much for everything mrsdaryl
Always wondered why the wood I purchase from a local source burns poorly. Now I know why, measuring 30 to 35% on the inside after splitting... Thinking about maybe letting it sit for another season, and getting dryer wood somewhere else.
I bought a cheap one when I was just getting started heating with wood. It was very useful for me as a newbie. After a few years, it's not nearly as necessary. You know what it takes to properly season wood, and can kinda just tell whether it's ready to burn by looks, weight, and the time-tested method of knocking two pieces together.
Great video! I still need to get one of these. Thanks again for WHW!! Stay Warm
I bought a General moisture meter to test moisture in green rough cut saw mill lumber for proper moisture content before using the lumber for building projects, it also doubles as a fire wood tester even though my wood is stacked under a shed and dried 3 -5 years before burning.
thanks for sharing the advice and information on why a moister meter is a must have if your using firewood !!
Nice ... Mine doesn't have that nifty calibration built in. I'll have to check if I can get one in the UK. Cheers chap!
These meters have gotten much easier to use. One I have would give a reading that had to be compared to a chart... just to get the % moisture content. I stopped using it. Trickster on the more dry white wood! :)
I really need to get a moisture meter🔥
Good videos - but this time I feel you overcomplicate it. After watching, I did some tests. And really, there is no significant difference between measuring along the grain or across the grain. As for splitting the log before measuring: For reasonably dry wood (less than 20% water), I don’t see much difference. For fresh wood: Yes, the inside can be a lot more wet than the outside. But if you measure at the end of the log, the difference is not that big. So, my advice would be: Don’t bother about grain direction, just measure at the end of the log. And, yes, if in doubt, by all means, split the log. Anyway, thanks for the videos, and keep safe and warm ;)
Just had to watch this again to become reaquanted with my meter. Missing your videos brother, get well.
Another informative video .
Great work 👍
I've got on my wish list for Santa!
Thanks for the informative demo.
THANKS, great video!
Great informational video. Thanks a bunch. 👍
Great information - thank you
With as much wood heating we do, I probably should get one
Helpful and informative video. Thank you.
Thanks for all the great videos and info!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge! Very helpful.
Everyone loves a good piece of ash.
Missing your videos!! Where ya been?
Wood Heat Wednesday rocks
I notice that sometimes taking a reading from the bark end of a log that it can have much more moisture than taking a reading from another part of the log. Is it best to avoid taking a reading from the bark on a log in this case?
no, bark holds water and has very little energy content compared to wood.
if the bark is wet you should not burn it.
I wonder if it would work on a tree before its cut down?
Thank you sir!
My moister meter does'nt have a mean to test it's calibration.
But I can check it by holding the two needles between my thumb and my index finger
If I get a close to 22% moister, the meter is reliable.
Hi Eric :-D
I really enjoyed this informative video. A moisture reader is on my *wish list*.
Thank you!!!
Love & prayers
I have a meter which lists 4 categories of wood and their desirable moisture readings . I don't see that type of differentiation with other meters. Not sure why it is important to have moisture levels for different kinds of wood. Do oak and ash burn better at different humidity levels for example ?
It rained today i had half seasoned half unseasonal oak fire wood on my terrace. It got rain like 20 mins. Will it be a problem? I have a similar device the unaffected wood has 16 17 percent readings
Thanks !
Thanks it really does hep
Help
The wood .... fooled me!
So, the optimum should be 15-20%. Any bit more or less and it's too wet or too dry. My meter came without any tips of what numbers should be or how to actually measure the moisture content. Was surprised that the fresh cut wood under the rain was only 26% (I thought it'll be 60+% lol!) and old well seasoned wood about 15% (thought it'll be much less then a wet one).
The only question is how deep to insert the pins - will it be enough to just firmly touch the surface with them without trying to forcefully get them in as far as possible? Thank you
I have same meter and also some freshly cut live Ash. 2 months cut down and this meter reads 19%. Also with the HIGH moisture light on. It has been split and stacked for 2 months.
If anything under 20% is good to burn then this should be OK? I do not believe that!! Im thinking anything under 15% is dry not 20%
Dealing with lumber almost a necessity. Flooring amust. Fire wood eh!. Burn an learn. Know your trees know your weights by feel by species and looks. Aint got time to probe ten cord or better.
Best bet is to know What you are burning and try to stay 1 to 2 years ahead. Depending on size of stove and heating requirements.
Personal preference is well seasoned non split. I callem all nighters. Simple round logs well driedand depending on stove and adjustments wil last you through the night.
Bottom line been doing this for over 40yrs.
You want to be at least 2 years ahead especially on oak. But know the finer you spli
Hi, nice video, I have the same cheap moisture meter you have here in the UK. I always think is it accurate as you can't calibrate it? How much of a difference is there to your more expensive model and would you say there is a big enough difference to recommend buying a more expensive meter?
Thanks
Rich
Ive just bought a moisture meter because my wood isnt burning. i tested 10 pieces of wood and the worst is 20%. unless I tried to burn the wettest ones first, why arent they burning?
I love your WoodHeatWednesdays!! :-)
New video coming out
That piece of wood is soo dry, you could probably light a match and it would ignite!!
I purchased some firewood that is not seasoned as much as I would like. Is there a way to get it to burn better. Spent all my money buying the wood. I cant afford more dryer wood. My husband is not able to chop out own any more.
Here are a few tips I can offer. Not perfect but hope they can help you out. The smaller you split it the quicker it will dry. The downside is it will burn quicker as it dries out. (Will need to pack the stove a little tighter for longer burn times.) The sooner you can get the wood inside the quicker it will dry as well. Since wood heat is a dry heat. You don't want to bring your hole winter supply in since it will degrade the quality of your air, but if you can bring in a weeks worth and set it close to the stove. It will make a big difference.Specially after sitting for a few days. (Just make sure you keep your minimum distances to combustibles from your stove.) If you are in a real pinch and have a place that you could control the climate a little and store the wood. You could try using a dehumidifier to help dry it out a little. Just take caution not to dry the house out to much. A good way to test your humidity is poor yourself a glass of ice water. You should see moister forming on the glass within a few minutes. If not might want to use make some adjustments. I hope this helps.
get a log spliter
@@LifeinFarmland you said its recommended less than 20% for fire wood but how about if you using split wood to smoke food?
@@GaryORiveraSr The moister is really only an issue when used to heat a home with wood. Creating creosote in the chimney and becoming a fire hazard. If you are just smoking meats outfoors or using it to cook with. Most people will actually soak the chips or chunks in water before using. If you want to get pretty nerdy into it for smoking meats, check out this link on idea %. www.smokinlicious.com/moisture-recommendations-and-table.html
MOISTURE*****
Lol
FGS!!! Just tell us the percentage!!!!!
One thing no one seems to mention, is the rule of thumb: for every 1% percent of moisture, you loose 1% of energy.
Seems a low number - any science to back it up?
Useless demonstration. Why didn't you show a truely green peice For comparison ?
How do you turn the Metter off ?????
Thanks. Good stuff.