I have at least two cords of wood that wildly differs in moisture level and species. Some is 10-15% and some is 25% or more. I've been splitting every piece that goes into my stove and checking it but that takes a lot of time. Is there a better way for checking the moisture level of a lot of wood? Without splitting it? The main reason I ask is I don't generally mind the added effort but I'm putting together an "heirloom" pile for the deep winter of nothing but A+ splits--mostly osage, and for a lot of these pieces I would prefer to not have to split them down too far for overnight burns.
Splitting every single piece to check MC sounds like a lot of extra work, plus you end up going through your stash faster, burning smaller splits. You can generally tell how dry a piece is by the weight, but this is a subjective measure that comes with experience. Since different species have different densities, there is no formula for “a piece of such and such dimensions should weigh ___ pounds”. If you were to knock a couple splits together and it sounds almost like a wooden bat hitting a baseball, it’s a good indicator that the moisture content is low enough to burn decently. A dull thud sound indicates it’s still full of water.
Certain species take longer to dry to below 20% moisture content. Oak and hickory are the most common. If all the wood was cut and split at the same time these will be the "wetter" of the group. Do you know what species are in your stacks cezar
When I started burning wood, I burned whatever mix that was delivered. Since being able to get my own wood, I generally stack by drying times. Basically, oak stacked by itself, then a mix of other stuff. I wish I had a trick to determine moisture, but the 3 year plan is the way to go
The best way is to separate out your wood by species or at grouping types with similar drying times together. I just usually random test a piece or two from through out the stack as I move it if I am in doubt about it.
I wood probably sort by species. If you mixed red oak with silver maple, should be easy to do (just an example). I too sort stacks when splitting so when it comes time to burn, you can check mc per stack/score and use accordingly. If all your stack is osage and you're finding above 20%, I'd pull from a stack that's drier on the meter. I can't think of a way to check it without splitting. Some of the dense species like osage retain a bunch of the weight.
In over 60 years of heating with wood I have never checked firewood for moisture. If handled right, you don't need to check; you will know. Primer on Woodburning by Backwoods Savage | Firewood Hoarders Club
I can definitely tell where a split is in a range, but I can't tell the difference between 20% and 25%. Not good enough for an EPA stove unfortunately. I'm just going to rack the uncertain cords in the back and let them sit so I don't have to worry about it. Was just sort of hoping there was some trick I didn't know about.
The trick is knowing how to store your wood after you get it split. Then just ley Mother Nature do her thing! We have been heating with one of the best and cleanest burning epa stoves for many years (starting our 16th year now) with no problems. Of course all of our firewood has been split and stacked at least 3 years. Burns wonderful and we keep our house around 80 degrees all winter. I don't mind the cold too much but outside; not indoors.
I do get what you mean when you have a variable of splits at different dryness. It makes it complicated when you have a mix with some that are ready and some not yet. Hoping you have enough to bear with the coming cold that is deemed to hit most of us this year. Whilst I'm not burning in a stove yet, I'm looking to process cords of wood as I get it until I get the chance to get a stove up and running. Most of my wood will be from sources on the new property we have and likely small acquisitions I find online. At this point, hoarding experience I've taken storing wood as a natural process and attribute it like money in the bank. The more you get ready, the less to worry about later. The moisture meter helps more of a guide to check my processed stacks but I don't need to use it when things are done right. Stacking it under cover is basically number one but depending on location I pull out the MM to check if sun has been ample enough to the stack. My next example for the MM is how much moisture would a new wood acquisition have if it looks like it's been out for some time(6 to more months). I end up staying on the side of caution that if you pick up rounds, it's still not ready unless it's been stored by a grandma who kept wood under an airy roof for ages and only burned when the power went out. I drive home by a house from work nearly daily that has this and I've been working in the same place for 7 years now looking at a stack of about a cord that never seems to get used. I always wonder what the wood is too since it's become so dark and weathered.
