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BrokenBiker
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My father used a cheap 10 quid on for his wood to be turned, seems accurate enough
Arc Tourist
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I bought one of those Ferrex moisture meter's from ALDI not long ago. If I recall, the price was less than £10.oo Pounds.
Edit: It was near by, and yeah, the price was £9.99 and included an Active Energy 9 volt alkaline battery supplied with it in the box..
Edit: It was near by, and yeah, the price was £9.99 and included an Active Energy 9 volt alkaline battery supplied with it in the box..
Guineafowl
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I’ve got a Brennenstuhl. Decent.
A firewood supplier, who gets inspected, told me the proper way to measure firewood moisture is to split it and measure across the grain in the middle of the split face. Try to keep the pressure consistent between measurements and don’t press too hard.
14-20% is the aim - too wet and it won’t burn well, too dry and it’ll burn too quickly, and you’ll have lost some calorific value. Opinions do vary, though.
A firewood supplier, who gets inspected, told me the proper way to measure firewood moisture is to split it and measure across the grain in the middle of the split face. Try to keep the pressure consistent between measurements and don’t press too hard.
14-20% is the aim - too wet and it won’t burn well, too dry and it’ll burn too quickly, and you’ll have lost some calorific value. Opinions do vary, though.
Great, thats useful info. Thanks!
I've stacked about 8 tons of ash. It was cut between last November and Feb, logged but not split. Then sat in my yard in the baking sun all summer. I hope it will be ok. I will start burning some from the previous year so most will be at 12 months by the time i get to putting it on the fire. Need to stack another ton or so to get through winter fully on it.
hotponyshoes
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If you are aming for a moisture content of 10-20%,
And a moisture meter just measures resistance,
Could you find out what that resistance at 14-20% is and just use a regular Multimeter?
And a moisture meter just measures resistance,
Could you find out what that resistance at 14-20% is and just use a regular Multimeter?
hotponyshoes
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Looks like you could..
There are tables on the Internet that show you the resistance for the moisture content.
They even cover different brands of wood!
There are tables on the Internet that show you the resistance for the moisture content.
They even cover different brands of wood!
Guineafowl
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Didn’t think of that. I assume the meter probes have to be the same distance apart for consistency?
Just scoped the output of my moisture meter - it’s a simple 2Vdc test voltage.
Guineafowl
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At least a year off the stump, seasoned undercover and off the ground in a slatted shed is best. I used to stack, but it takes too long and find it better to make a loose pile (less contact between pieces). Up here we fill tattie boxes.
I found that and tried last night. Reading more it seems like I'd need to drive nails into each bit of wood about 1.5" apart and then put the probes on them. I tried sticking my sharp.multimeter probes into the wood but couldn't get a reading. Then gave up and ordered the stihl meter.
Nederlands
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Weighing one block of wood
And put it in an oven on 50 celsius for an hour
And weigh it again
Put it back in the oven til its not getting lighter
Then you will know the exact moisture content
And put it in an oven on 50 celsius for an hour
And weigh it again
Put it back in the oven til its not getting lighter
Then you will know the exact moisture content
Ha. If the Rayburn was lit I'd try that.
sako243
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Our neighbour has it sorted. Loader on the tractor to bring the logs up to the yard. PTO driven saw bench and splitter into the cattle shed which is 12ft below the house level. Leaves for about a year then drive loader into the lower end of the barn scoop up a pile of logs and park outside the front door to bring inside.
Zero double handling of logs.
Zero double handling of logs.
julianf
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I have a cheap, umm, density (?) one off Ali express.
The probe ones are fairly useless for firewood as the surface is generally dry, irrespective of the core.
The density ones may not be perfectly accurate but they tell you whats going on inside and, irrespective of the number on the screen, you can monitor the numbers over time to get an idea of what's going on.
I think I probably paid 20 or 25 or something, but maybe it was more extravagant?
I'll take a photo in a bit.
julianf
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My old man was obsessed with "getting rid of the wet wood first" - for some reason I never understood.
I once got one of his logs, weighed it, and put it in their stove overnight.
I weighed it again in the morning and weighed out the difference in water.
I handed him the log and the approximate wine glass full of water and suggested he put them both on the fire at the same time.
Of course, you can't persuade someone stuck in their ways with simple facts, so he refuted the accuracy of my (amazingly simple) calculations and proceeded as he always had prior.
You can lead a horse to water, but, it appears, you can't stop them attempting to burn it.
julianf
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The maths of burning wet wood is curious.
You have more going on than is instantly obvious.
You're not only raising the temp of the water from room temp to boiling, but also putting in the state change energy to vaporize it.
Because the state change alone sucks out energy from the fire box, you lower the burn temp, and limit the combustion of some of the less volatile compounds, so you then don't recover the energy from them either.
In short, it's a way worse idea than just thinking that 25% (etc) of the mass won't burn.
You have more going on than is instantly obvious.
You're not only raising the temp of the water from room temp to boiling, but also putting in the state change energy to vaporize it.
Because the state change alone sucks out energy from the fire box, you lower the burn temp, and limit the combustion of some of the less volatile compounds, so you then don't recover the energy from them either.
In short, it's a way worse idea than just thinking that 25% (etc) of the mass won't burn.
Guineafowl
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Yes, it burns with a hiss, the steam escaping. You don’t so much burn wet wood as incinerate it using dry wood. Waste of time.
