I was going to reply on another recent thread, but I didn't want to hijack it. So I'll start my own.
In the past, I've always depended on the kindness of strangers to tell me how seasoned the wood is. I mean, I can pick up a piece, feel that it's fairly light and be convinced that it's dry, and another heavy piece and know it's green. But precisely how dry is it?
Looking on Amazon, I see moisture readers as cheap as $12 and others for nearly $40. Is there a "preferred" meter that I'd be better off buying?
I've asked a couple of local firewood sellers about the moisture content. I might as well have been asking for the birth dates of the trees. None of them knew, and I have to wonder if they even knew what a "good" moisture content would be. They say they're seasoned, but who knows what that actually means. And even if I asked them how long they've been seasoning, how can I trust the answers? If I was younger, stronger and had a lot more flat property, I'd just keep buying green a couple years out.
One more question. Ok, I'm hoping for about 20% for seasoned firewood. What reading should I expect if it's freshly cut? I guess I'm trying to figure how long I have to season wood at a specific moisture content. e.g., if someone is selling "seasoned" firewood and it's 35%, might another six months get it down to what I need?
In the past, I've always depended on the kindness of strangers to tell me how seasoned the wood is. I mean, I can pick up a piece, feel that it's fairly light and be convinced that it's dry, and another heavy piece and know it's green. But precisely how dry is it?
Looking on Amazon, I see moisture readers as cheap as $12 and others for nearly $40. Is there a "preferred" meter that I'd be better off buying?
I've asked a couple of local firewood sellers about the moisture content. I might as well have been asking for the birth dates of the trees. None of them knew, and I have to wonder if they even knew what a "good" moisture content would be. They say they're seasoned, but who knows what that actually means. And even if I asked them how long they've been seasoning, how can I trust the answers? If I was younger, stronger and had a lot more flat property, I'd just keep buying green a couple years out.
One more question. Ok, I'm hoping for about 20% for seasoned firewood. What reading should I expect if it's freshly cut? I guess I'm trying to figure how long I have to season wood at a specific moisture content. e.g., if someone is selling "seasoned" firewood and it's 35%, might another six months get it down to what I need?
