# Cheap Moisture Meter & Help Locating "Seasoned" Firewood Seller?



## JeffStinson (Oct 9, 2013)

I'm looking to buy a moisture meter, any tips?

Also, if anyone knows of a seller with TRUE seasoned wood in PA, please let me know!

Thanks,
Jeff


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## blades (Oct 9, 2013)

Harbor freight unit works ok on $29.95 there are others, seen a few at the box stores but do not remember prices.


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Oct 9, 2013)

I have  a general from lowes for $30 bucks that I like....
Since you said cheap, I was In Costco this morning, for $39 they had a infrared thermometer and a moisture meter combo....


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## oldspark (Oct 9, 2013)

For the money I like the HF ones, it reads 6 to 42%, plenty good for firewood.
http://www.harborfreight.com/digital-mini-moisture-meter-67143.html


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## Backwoods Savage (Oct 9, 2013)

JeffStinson said:


> I'm looking to buy a moisture meter, *any tips*?
> 
> Also, if anyone knows of a seller with TRUE seasoned wood in PA, please let me know!
> 
> ...



Best tip I can give Jeff is to get 3 years ahead on your firewood and then you can forget the MM. In over 50 years I have yet to find a need for one but I can  understand your situation.


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## Paulywalnut (Oct 9, 2013)

I really have a moisture meter for only one reason... Red Oak. 3 years is not always enough for it to season to under 24%.
Great when it does finally dry out.


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## STIHLY DAN (Oct 9, 2013)

Home depot has one $40 or so, but it sits flat on the wood. I don't trust something like that that can have air mixed in with the reading. Lowes has a general for $30 2 prongs +/- 3% easy to use and has a 9v bat not some of those tarded bats that you cant find.


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Oct 9, 2013)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Best tip I can give Jeff is to get 3 years ahead on your firewood and then you can forget the MM. In over 50 years I have yet to find a need for one but I can  understand your situation.


Dennis is just being grumpy....


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## red oak (Oct 9, 2013)

JeffStinson said:


> I'm looking to buy a moisture meter, any tips?
> 
> Also, if anyone knows of a seller with TRUE seasoned wood in PA, please let me know!
> 
> ...



Hello Jeff.  I don't know much about moisture meters but was just curious.  My wife is from PA - the Johnstown area.  Where in PA are you?


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## BrotherBart (Oct 9, 2013)

Most any moisture meter will work for firewood. Don't spend a bunch on one. As to the firewood sellers, they sell "seasoned" wood. That means it is wood. They can't afford to have it sitting around for two or three years and it burns fine in the fireplaces most of their customers have. They aren't evil. It just is what it is.

You don't want "seasoned" wood you want dry wood. That means you have to buy it a year or two ahead and do the drying yourself. Just a fact of life heating with wood.


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## Applesister (Oct 9, 2013)

I dont use meters but I got my sister a General from Lowes. (she buys her wood)


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## BrotherBart (Oct 9, 2013)

Applesister said:


> I dont use meters but I got my sister a General from Lowes. (she buys her wood)



Be nice to her. She will let you borrow it. 

Unlike another old fart on the forum, I think they are a great tool.


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## oldspark (Oct 10, 2013)

If you buy wood and dont have a MM you are just asking for grief.


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## JeffStinson (Oct 10, 2013)

Thanks Guys.
I'll stop by my local Harbor Frieght and pickup their tool! 

As for firewood, my friend who sell's it is going to let me test his the wood with the meter then I can make my decision!


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## RSNovi (Oct 10, 2013)

I have bought firewood about 8 times now.  I know of one guy who is over an hour drive away who does properly season his wood and it is $65 a face cord picked up.  When I first got my stove this is the place the dealer recommended and I bought from him the first two years.  His wood is by far the best I have ever purchased.

Now I buy my wood from local tree services off Craigslist and most of the time I have been screwed.  Every time the wood is freshly cut and split so you know it isn't seasoned.  I can deal with that since I am buying for years out now.

Also they typically just dump a pile and after stacking I am usually short.  They always say they will drop more off, but never do.  If I am not getting shorted then many of the splits are much too large for my stove so I end up having to split a bunch of it.

I have plenty of wood for the next couple of years, but I am still looking for a good person to buy firewood from that is close by.  If anyone lives near Lansing, MI then I have a great supplier, but a little too far from me.


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## chazcarr (Oct 10, 2013)

JeffStinson said:


> I'm looking to buy a moisture meter, any tips?
> 
> Also, if anyone knows of a seller with TRUE seasoned wood in PA, please let me know!
> 
> ...




I have these guys bookmarked.  They might be near you, and can get you through the first year until you have your own seasoned wood.  I hear a cord of their wood is not that expensive.


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## JeffStinson (Oct 10, 2013)

chazcarr said:


> I have these guys bookmarked.  They might be near you, and can get you through the first year until you have your own seasoned wood.  I hear a cord of their wood is not that expensive.



Looks like quality stuff - i just emailed, and they already got back to me. I'll post prices after they respond again.
Thanks Chazcarr! (I'm an ex connectican? btw - born and raised in Woodstock, CT!)


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## firefighterjake (Oct 12, 2013)

JeffStinson said:


> Looks like quality stuff - i just emailed, and they already got back to me. I'll post prices after they respond again.
> Thanks Chazcarr! (I'm an ex connectican? btw - born and raised in Woodstock, CT!)


 
I had family who once lived in Woodstock, CT -- Hustus. And my wife's family lives right down the road a piece in Stafford Springs and Ellington. It's a pretty area of CT.


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## chazcarr (Oct 14, 2013)

firefighterjake said:


> I had family who once lived in Woodstock, CT -- Hustus. And my wife's family lives right down the road a piece in Stafford Springs and Ellington. It's a pretty area of CT.



I definitely like Staff Springs.  Much better than near Waterbury like me.  The air is nice and fresh.


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## DanCorcoran (Oct 14, 2013)

JeffStinson said:


> Thanks Guys.
> I'll stop by my local Harbor Frieght and pickup their tool!
> 
> As for firewood, my friend who sell's it is going to let me test his the wood with the meter then I can make my decision!



Make sure that when you test wood, you make a fresh split, then test on the freshly-split face with the prongs parallel to the grain.  My Harbor Freight meter works just fine.  They go on sale from time to time, and you can use a 20%-off coupon as well, if you can find one.


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## Craig S. (Oct 15, 2013)

From everything I've heard around here, suppliers advertise, and post pictures of "seasoned" wood, but deliveries rarely arrive with under 25% moisture content.


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## oldspark (Oct 15, 2013)

Craig S. said:


> From everything I've heard around here, suppliers advertise, and post pictures of "seasoned" wood, but deliveries rarely arrive with under 25% moisture content.


 
They dont know for the most part, some honestly think they have good wood.


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## gzecc (Oct 15, 2013)

I bought one that looks exactly like this one years ago. Still works. You really only want relative readings so you have an idea of the wood that would be best to use first. The exact # is not that important as long as you season correctly. Stacked off the ground 1-2 yrs for non oak. 2+ yrs for oak.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-LCD...57040583?_trksid=p2054897.l4275#ht_9983wt_986


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## Lakeside (Oct 15, 2013)

The one I have is from Harbor freight and it eats batteries one set per year.  Link

Would I recommend using one ?  Well that all depends on how detailed you are.

Does your stove have a catalytic combustor ? if yes and you do not have reliable wood than I would get one. Sure beats
destroying your cat.

3 years ahead works +++++


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## oldspark (Oct 15, 2013)

Lakeside said:


> The one I have is from Harbor freight and it eats batteries one set per year.  Link
> 
> Would I recommend using one ?  Well that all depends on how detailed you are.
> 
> ...


Mine was eating more batteries then one set a year, I now take them out when not using it and have not gone through a set since, bought some off of ebay way cheaper then in the stores around here.


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## DanCorcoran (Oct 15, 2013)

I, too, bought cheap batteries online, but haven't used nearly as many since I took them out of the meter when not in use.


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## Lakeside (Oct 15, 2013)

oldspark said:


> Mine was eating more batteries then one set a year, I now take them out when not using it and have not gone through a set since, bought some off of ebay way cheaper then in the stores around here.



Another great tip from the Folks at the Hearth ! Thanks


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## isipwater (Oct 15, 2013)

This one works well from Amazon for me at $18

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004KWAQAI/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## JeffStinson (Oct 20, 2013)

I ended up getting one at the Harbor Freight down the road from my house.
As for wood, i should be getting that ASAP!


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## ErikR (Oct 20, 2013)

I have a handy tip for the owners of the Harbor Freight Cen-Tech Moisture Meter #67143.  It uses 4 LR44 button cell batteries. They can be expensive to replace, even shopping a W-mart. I learned something and I don't know were I first read this, maybe it was here, but it's much cheaper to buy 2 A544 photo batteries than it it to buy 8 button batteries. It takes only seconds to peel off the covering of the Ray-o-vac Alkaline A544 to reveal the 4 LR44 inside.


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## BrotherBart (Oct 20, 2013)

I have one of those. I noticed yesterday that it is way off on moisture reading. It was saying that bone dry wood is 28%. My other MM says 15%. Batteries are weak. Ordered 40 Maxell LR44s, probably fake, on eBay for eight bucks shipping included.


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## weatherguy (Oct 20, 2013)

> JeffStinson said: ↑
> Looks like quality stuff - i just emailed, and they already got back to me. I'll post prices after they respond again.
> Thanks Chazcarr! (I'm an ex connectican? btw - born and raised in Woodstock, CT!)
> Click to expand...
> I had family who once lived in Woodstock, CT -- Hustus. And my wife's family lives right down the road a piece in Stafford Springs and Ellington. It's a pretty area of CT.


 
I live right on the Woodstock border, let us know how your wood delivery goes.


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## oldspark (Oct 21, 2013)

BrotherBart said:


> I have one of those. I noticed yesterday that it is way off on moisture reading. It was saying that bone dry wood is 28%. My other MM says 15%. Batteries are weak. Ordered 40 Maxell LR44s, probably fake, on eBay for eight bucks shipping included.


 
I think that is exactly the deal I ordered, the batteries seem to work fine , I remove them when not in use and have not wore out a set in well over a year.


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## DanCorcoran (Oct 21, 2013)

BrotherBart said:


> I have one of those. I noticed yesterday that it is way off on moisture reading. It was saying that bone dry wood is 28%. My other MM says 15%. Batteries are weak.



Yep, mine was accurate at first, then began to degrade.  Replacing the batteries solved the problem.  Removing one or more batteries between uses will extend battery life significantly.


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## BrotherBart (Oct 21, 2013)

Same thing happens with my IR thermometer. It starts registering high.


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## JeffStinson (Oct 22, 2013)

I just bought that maxwell pack, thanks BrotherBart!


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