Hello All Just a quick question to the members, I am sure this has been discussed to a great length, however I could not find any results after doing a forum search. So do I really need a moisture meter to determine if my firewood is ready to burn. If you were to purchase one what would the recommended meter be to be purchased.
Once you know what dry wood feels and sounds like, you won't need one. To learn what dry wood is and to put a numerical value on it, a moisture meter comes in handy.
Don't spend much. They are like electronic tachs for chainsaws to me...not exclusively necessary, but nice to have. 3 years is the sure bet wait time. Properly stacked and covered wood can come ready much quicker though.
Definitely don’t need one but if you’re at all in doubt or just curious, they are a good tool to have. I paid $30 bucks for a Tavool one and it’s been good. Sometimes it’s just interesting to track moisture loss.
Harbor freight has some for cheap. I’ve had a few over time and they all seem roughly consistent with one another- maybe within a couple percentage points, which should be good enough for firewood purposes.
There are various ways to answer this. Personally, I've burned wood for longer than most folks on this forum. For example I became involved with firewood and heat with wood since during the 1940's. However, I never felt a need for testing for moisture and have no problem there. However, there are some who feel the need to have a tool for every need and I have no problem with that. I'd just rather keep the dollars in my own wallet and bank.
As stated, if it's been stacked for several years, probably good to go. But if you are short on wood or have wood that takes a long time to dry, a meter is fine. We got ours at Lowe's, it's a General brand, about $30 or so. Works great. Also great to have if you sell wood, show the customer how dry it is.
