Moisture content in logs

jawjawsdad

New to stoves and logs etc, but have just ordered a moisture meter and I want to know what % readings I should be looking for.

Thanks

Lakesno2

Next time you get a firewood delivery take out your firewood moisture meter and, before your supplier unloads, grab a couple of logs, split them in half with your axe or hatchet and take a couple of moisture readings. Ideally firewood should have a moisture content of 20% or lower, a few logs at around 25% isn't too bad as long as most of the load is under that.
To take a moisture reading all you need to do is push the
two pins into your chosen piece of firewood
If the firewood is a lot more wet than this then it is not actually firewood; it's a load of chopped logs that will one day be firewood when they have dried out (or seasoned), but it isn't firewood. If this is the case after checking your delivery of firewood and having used your firewood meter, you should either pay less for the wood and store it up until it is dry, or send it back. This is the only way in which firewood suppliers will learn.
In a forgiving mood, I might say that some firewood suppliers are not well aware of the issue, or how to properly season wood for woodburning stoves. Having recently moved back down to Devon I had to get a couple of loads of firewood in to tide us over the first winter (2009/2010 will be no problem).
One of the first loads of firewood for my woodburning stove was at around 40% moisture when I checked with my firewood moisture meter. When I pointed this out they said that some of the load was freshly felled ash which was "OK to burn straight away" (this is a fallacy: ash does have a low moisture content, but all the ash trees I've ever felled have been minimum 35% moisture, even in the dead of winter - i.e. they still need seasoning).
The other firewood logs in the load had come from trees which were 'seasoned' because the trunks had been lying in their yard for a couple of years (they had only just processed the logs that day). No wonder the firewood was wet: it hadn't had a chance to dry. It was only because I had my firewood moisture meter that I knew exactly how wet the firewood logs were, although of course there were the tell-tale signs: no cracks in the end grain and a 'wet' smell.
I now have plenty of seasoning firewood for the winter
Another 1 tonne load of firewood which I had ordered for my woodburning stove was at around 35-40% moisture when I used my fireood moisture meter. It went straight back to the 'firewood' supplier, although I did offer to buy the unseasoned firewood logs at a decent discount. When I questioned this supplier, they said it had been a wet winter and it had been hard to season the firewood logs properly. Unfortunately seasoning firewood properly and then delivering it basically the job description.....no need to bring out the violins just yet.
Firewood moisture meter: gauge how well firewood is seasoning

You can also use the firewood moisture meter to see how well your firewood is seasoning, which stacking techniques work best, etc. When you are processing and seasoning a lot of firewood it really makes sense to do it in the best way possible. I have a small, single log thick, stack of firewood on a south facing section of wall and was astonished to see the moisture drop from around 55% when I first felled, cut, and chopped the logs, to around 17% now - all in around 4 months! The firewood I have in a larger stack in a barn is still at 25%, but should be down to under 20% for when I'll need it for my woodburning stove.
Here is the Stovesonline firewood moisture meter with its case.
They are on a nice big piece of burr oak which I use as a chopping
block because it is so hard.
Our Stovesonline moisture meter sits firmly in the hand and has a nice big display, it has a handy zippable case, and comes complete with 9v battery (isn't it annoying when people are too stingy to supply a battery?).
To take an accurate moisture reading you need to measure the moisture on the inside of your piece of firewood: the firewood will be more dry on the outside where the wind and sun can get to it more readily. So split your piece of firewood down the middle, push the two pins on the end of the moisture meter into one of the freshly split faces of the wood (not the end grain and not the outside faces of the wood) ideally near where the middle of the piece was before you split it, and press the Power button. The moisture reading will appear on the screen as a percentage. You can press the Hold button to freeze that reading if you want, and when you are done press the Power button again to switch the moisture meter off. I have tested the stovesonline moisture meter against many other types of moisture meter on the market, including some really posh expensive ones designed for joiners/woodworkers, and it compares very well, giving very similar moisture readings.

jawjawsdad

Excellent, detailed reply Lakesno2, many thanks and for that, and I now know what to go looking for.

Moneysava_wannaB

jawjawsdad wrote: »

Excellent, detailed reply Lakesno2, many thanks and for that, and I now know what to go looking for.

Lmao nice cut/paste from

http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/firewood-moisture-meter.html

suki1964

As in the rules
What are the rules on copyright? We ask forum users not to copy long text from other publications/websites as it may breach their copyright. If you want to let people know about something you saw or read elsewhere please use short quotes and state where you got them from, preferably by giving a link to the article.
In terms of our copyright, you can post things you've posted here, on other sites, but not posts by other forum users.

Swipe

It may be copyrighted but it's still good advice nonetheless.

suki1964

Swipe wrote: »

It may be copyrighted but it's still good advice nonetheless.

And still should have been linked too

You would Im sure hate for your own work to be passed off as someone elses

redlady_1

Whilst good advice, if you follow it I would make sure you have plenty of suppliers in the area.

A._Badger

I think redlady_1 makes a good point. Where I live is a heavily wooded area with a lot of log suppliers. Even with so many suppliers to chose from, I doubt I have ever had a load delivered that was below 20%. If you really intend to stick to that rule, you're going to need to shop around, if my experience is anything to go by.

I just put up with it, growl at the driver and store the logs until ready.

LittleVermin

Swipe wrote: »

It may be copyrighted .........

Not "may", it IS copyrighted.

In the UK a writer does NOT have to claim copyright, or put a little © symbol beside the work, etc. And copyright continues for 70 years after the author's death. The rest of the EU also has 70 years but some countries have 50. If you die before publication copyright lasts for 70 years. And when an author dies copyright is part of their estate - just like their houses or their garret, cash, ..

In the UK we have the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 and if you sell your copyright (to a piece of writing, photo, etc) you can still claim, under Section 77, to be identified as the author of the work. If you look inside many books you'll see a statement to this effect. This means that if the new owner of the copyright lets someone else use some part of a article or book then that person/publisher/.. has to include the fact that you were the author.

There are strict limits on how much of a book, poem, etc can be quoted for purposes of a review or criticism. It is illegal to use any but a very few words for any other purpose!

So MSE's worries about copyright are well-founded. And all of the above are my own words - apart from quoting the title of the Act!

Apologies for going off topic.

Swipe

I think the best advice is to purchase your logs in spring (when demand is low which) then at least you have a good 9 months for any lesser seasoned wood to dry out and you may also find you can get a better deal on price too.