I can't find a cheap Moisture Meter.

[okotoks guy]

Hi all,I'm trying to find a cheap moisture meter and cannot locate anything locally.
Could you guys list some brand names I could try searching.I've been able to find
$350.00 and up but have no interest in spending that kind of jack.

I just picked up 10 cord of buckskin larch for $125/cord and I think this stuff is
Primo but want to verify.Also I have some apple,birch,ash, spruce all cut/split
this spring that I think is ready to go but I'm not sure.This is my first year scrounging,
bucking,splitting and hopefully burning.I keep the splits in an open field and the
climate here is very dry.

Thanks in advance.

 

[struggle]

Harbor frieght has them very cheap and they seem to work at an acceptable level when it comes to firewood

http://www.harborfreight.com/two-pin-wood-moisture-meter-96472.html

 

[spadafore]

Just bought one this weekend. I tried ordering one from Harbor Freight. Computer said in store only item. I called the nearest store and the lady that answered said this item is being discontinued. She could not tell me if a new item replaces the old. I ended up buying this one at the link below. Just keep checking the net they can be found a pretty decent prices.




http://www.amazon.com/HQRP-JT-4G-Fi...0UFI2D2/ref=sr?ie=UTF8&qid=1288069229&sr=8-19

 

[heating8]

lowes and home depot have cheap ones. $30-50 if i remember correctly for mine that i used to tell if the logs on the cabin were dry enough to treat.

 

[raiderfan]

Harbor Freights is going to be discontinued, hey? Looks like I got mine just in time, then.

Anyone get a reading of OL on the Harbor Freight one? What does that mean?

 

[soupy1957]

Here's the one "I" bought...........works just fine............

http://www.amazon.com/General-Tools...F5O2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288092827&sr=8-1

-Soupy1957

 

[CountryBoy19]

lowes and home depot have cheap ones. $30-50 if i remember correctly for mine that i used to tell if the logs on the cabin were dry enough to treat.

Lowes (at least my local store) discontinued them, and I couldn't find them online either.

If you can find a harbor freight then go that route. I just bought one this weekend, $13.99 and I used a 20% off coupon to get it down to $11 something with tax, I also used a coupon for a free LED flashlight with any purchase.

I checked out some wood with it. 1" thick Red Oak cookies that I cut and tossed in the kindling box in the garage a couple months ago checked out at 22% on the end-grain. White Ash CSS in August checked out around 19-24% on fresh splits. Poplar cut in late August split fresh last night was 23-30% depending how far from the end grain I was checking. Poplar CSS in August was 17-20%. Sugar Maple CSS in late August early September was 23-26% depending on split size. Osage Orange (hedgeapple) cut last week and split fresh was right at 31%.

BTW, I was a little surprised by how fast this has seasoned, but actually, it's not totally surprising since we've been in "Extreme Drought" conditions all fall. I've had less than a half inch of rain since the beginning of July. I gave up on my garden in mid August because I couldn't afford the time and water bill from watering so often. My yard is completely brown and I haven't mowed in over a month.

Sorry for the thread-jack. Really just wanted to point out that the Harbor Freight meter can be had for just over $10 and seems to work pretty good.

 

[Bubbavh]

I have one of these
(broken link removed to http://cgi.ebay.com/2-Pins-LCD-Wood-Moisture-Meter-Tester-MD-2G-5-40-/230542990453?pt=AU_Gardening_Equipment&hash=item35ad6edc75)
It's good enough for stove food!

 

[itsanaddiction]

I had one delivered to my door from Harbor Freight less than 10 days ago. Bought it online, didn't have to talk to anybody just went online. Works as advertised. Doesn't go high enough though, I just split some fresh red oak, registers off the scale. This years wood measures on average 17%, life is good!

 

[golfandwoodnut]

if the harbor freight reads OL I think it is LO it is over the limit. I think they read up to about 40 percent. If it is over that it is not even close to being ready, so I have not problem with that.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I had one delivered to my door from Harbor Freight less than 10 days ago. Bought it online, didn't have to talk to anybody just went online. Works as advertised. Doesn't go high enough though, I just split some fresh red oak, registers off the scale. This years wood measures on average 17%, life is good!

Just to note, "out of range' on the harbor freight meter is greater than 46% moisture. So "out of range" is sort of irrelevant because you should be able to tell that the wood isn't even close to being able to be burned.

 

[jlove1974]

btw, harbor freight now has a 'mini' moisture meter, that is not discontinued. They discontinued the older, larger one. This one has a thermometer function also:
http://www.harborfreight.com/digital-mini-moisture-meter-67143.html

 

[Battenkiller]

Doesn't go high enough though, I just split some fresh red oak, registers off the scale.

Doesn't matter, even the very best resistance meters are increasingly inaccurate past about 30% MC. Has to do with the way electrical resistance decreases dramatically beyond the "fiber saturation point" (usually around 28%) of wood. I don't even know why they have them read that high, in the old days the professional analog meters topped out at 30% for this reason.