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High moisture meter readings?

Discussion in 'The Wood Pile' started by DNH, Sep 11, 2017.

  1. DNH

    DNH

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    Im not quite tall enough to water my stacks that well! :emb:
     
  2. HDRock

    HDRock

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    Yep sounds like your meter is not right, every time I have ever checked a meter in the palm of my hand it goes up to 34 35%.
    I can't check the Harbor Freight meter cuz the batteries are almost dead, I stopped using that because of those little batteries, much easier to pop in a 9-volt.
     
  3. Eric VW

    Eric VW Moderator

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    Yes...not including your shweaty palms.:rofl: :lol:
     
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  4. Horkn

    Horkn

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    Try the MM in a piece of cake. :whistle:
     
  5. Paul bunion

    Paul bunion

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    Was your first test on wood that sat on top of your stack and the second with wood from deeper in it? The top row can dry much faster because they get the direct sun on the entire piece heating it up that much more. But then rain can negate much of that advantage. All depends.
     
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  6. DNH

    DNH

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    I never check moisture from the top or sides of a stack only middle.
     
  7. EnglishBob

    EnglishBob

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  8. CoreyB

    CoreyB

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    I just bought a mm off Amazon. So what should the wood read if it is ready to burn. 15% 10%
     
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  9. HDRock

    HDRock

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    If you split it open and check it inside, a reading of 20% is good 15% is real good, 25% will burn but not very good
     
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  10. rdust

    rdust

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    Well stated!
    One thing to add, go for average just not middle of the split. An inch or two in on each side and middle, add them up and devide by 3.
     
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  11. HDRock

    HDRock

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    :yes:
     
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  12. CoreyB

    CoreyB

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    Well looks like i have at least 2 cord in the 11-15% range and at least one cord of hickory that is like 30%
    I do have at least three more cord to check. Lol
    I wonder how dry a dead standing tree can get?
     
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  13. TurboDiesel

    TurboDiesel

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    there are many factors that will affect this, Like the size, species, surroundings...I burned a lot of dead standing last year with varying results. I cut quite a few 12"+ oaks the last couple years and was very surprised to find the first 7-8 logs off the stump were still wet enough for water to squeeze out of the wood when splitting them. One of the worst trees had half or less of the bark still on it and no branches at all. Just one stick standing straight up.
     
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  14. HDRock

    HDRock

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    I have had standing dead, ash tops and pecker poles at 12%
    I split open a 20" white oak round that was sittin in a guys driveway for 3 or 4 years that was 20%
     
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2017
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  15. Horkn

    Horkn

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    Yes, dead standing is the way to go if you need more wood for the current year, but yes, the first 6-8 feet of trunk will typically be too wet unless the trunk was cut away from the stump. The roots will wick moisture up the trunk to a certain point.
    Do you have any elm that's dead standing?
    Dead standing elm that has lost all of its bark and cracking vertically, will yield a lot of usable wood even that same day.

    With so much dead standing elm like this around here, I feel obligated to cut some down each year and put in my stacks to keep it from falling and rotting.
     
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  16. Pyro24

    Pyro24

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    Might just depend on the size of the splits you're measuring. I got some Mulberry this spring, and I took the moisture meter to it a week ago...I used it on several different fresh splits - all from the same Mulberry tree - and got wildly varying results. Anywhere from mid thirties to "so wet the meter laughed at me, and refused to display a number."

    Any chance you took a reading from some smaller diameter splits last year, and some fatties this year?
     
    Last edited: Sep 15, 2017
  17. DNH

    DNH

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    Pyro24 not only do I try to take 3-4 pieces off the top before selecting a couple to check but since I'm splitting it smaller anyways I grab the largest piec I can find easily.
     
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  18. Chris F

    Chris F

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    While I was splitting today I dragged up a couple of pieces of Red Oak from my pile downstairs to check them with the MM. These are representative of most of my wood for size and I was careful to get pieces that had full bark on them.

    picture 084.jpg


    After splitting they both read 19% on the freshly split inside and 14% on the outside.

    picture 087.jpg


    picture 085.jpg

    So the one year plan that I'm on is working for me, the numbers don't lie. :D
     
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