Had delivery of wood and it is quite wet...

[Mik the Miller]

3 hours ago, skyhuck said:

Where in his post did you get the idea he had bought from the cheapest guy around?

 

You sold it to him ???

[Witterings]

11 minutes ago, Mik the Miller said:

 

You sold it to him ???

 

Must admit that was exactly what I thought 😂 😂

[skyhuck]

2 hours ago, Witterings said:

 

Must admit that was exactly what I thought 😂 😂

 

2 hours ago, Mik the Miller said:

 

You sold it to him ???

[Steve Bullman]

12 hours ago, Stere said:

Never had a reading any where as high as of 80% with a moisture meter   something odd there unless wood is underwater or meter  is faulty?

possibly feasible if its poplar, that stuff soaks up the moisture if not stored properly?

[Witterings]

3 minutes ago, Steve Bullman said:

possibly feasible if its poplar, that stuff soaks up the moisture if not stored properly?

 

Needed to hear that like a hole in the head as I picked up a load of it the other week and have cut it up and split it ... I'll be bringing it back to myself next season asking for a refund if it's still wet 

[Steven P]

It is possible that it isn't the suppliers usual quality - regardless of cheapest, or most expensive, might be that this winter there has been a lot of demand all they have left is what they would normally leave drying till next winter. You did right splitting a log to see what the moisture is like inside - we can all get the faces of a log to be low moisture content by leaving it in the sun for a coupe of hours but that doesn't mean a (split) log is dry all the way through.

 

There are a couple of rudimentary ways to check you can find online. Blow through one and the air will go through, you can put soapy liquid at the other end and it will make bubbles (there are videos of this). Knock a couple of pieces together and they should be a ring to them and not a thud. Depends on the species they shouldn't be 'heavy' - compare them to what you have now and if similar sized pieces are heavier chances are they are wetter (comparing soft wood with soft wood, hard with hard), rudimentary but might also give you a indication of dry or not.

 

End of the day though, buying and burning cmp wood for the rest of the season isn't the end of the world, chimney will need to be swept soon anyway and you won't get quite as much heat out the stove (my stove is off today, first afternoon with no fire (on purpose) since November!)

[carbs for arbs]

Hey all

 

Many thanks for all the replies.  Very helpful stuff.  I'll try to address any points raised and answer any questions.  

 

Firstly I should say that perhaps I need to be more consistent with my meter in terms of how I insert the pins.  I need to especially check that they are both in a reasonable amount, rather than one in deep and the other only just in.  Having checked the meter just now around the house on internal timber (which is flat and therefore easier to measure consistently), it seems to be working well.  So tomorrow I'll re-measure the firewood.  I'm pretty certain it will still be high - certainly higher than 25% - but maybe the 80% readings were false.  We'll see.  

 

Also, we've plenty of freshly felled ash and that's showing as 45-50%, so if the meter has a bias it would seem to be toward the wetter side.  Could though just be the inaccuracy increasing as it gets to the higher levels.  

 

The meter is new so no plans to get another.  In fact, once we're a season or two in and have a good system in place I won't be need one at all.  Just for these early days and for times like this.  That being said, it might be useful when it comes to comparing different drying methods, shelters etc.  

 

I could just season the wood I bought for next year, but that's not what I bought it for.  I have tonnes of my own wood which will be ready to burn next year and for many years thereafter.  What I wanted/needed was some very well seasoned logs to be using right now, which is why I bought it (for testing the new wood stove).  If it ain't that, it ain't no use to me.  But I didn't want to complain if it is within what's acceptable.  I have brought a few logs into the house to test them in a couple of days, and to see how much of it is just surface dampness.  Between that and using the meter more attentively, I'll hopefully have a better idea of how the logs are.  I'll come back with my findings and have a word with the supplier if it's not looking good.

 

  

19 hours ago, Dbikeguy said:

So you had a delivery of ‘dry’ wood but it wasn’t split?

 

As someone else mentioned, I split it just so that I could take a reading from a "fresh" face rather than one that has been exposed.

 

  

18 hours ago, Witterings said:

Don't mean to be harsh but those readings sound like you've bought from the cheapest guy around .... who's probably not the person to buy from and it's probably not seasoned properly.

 

On the contrary, the supplier was more expensive than others, and has a good reputation.  We were happy to pay more as it was important that we got what we needed.  

 

@Steven P - I'm starting to wonder the same and that we're getting the not so well seasoned/dry dregs from a supplier who is usually good but has limited stock due to covid/time of year.  Also, thanks for the bubbles idea;  I watched a video showing that last night and will give it a go this evening.  Not what I imagined I'd be doing of an evening when I was younger!  

 

Cheers

 

 

[Gav73]

possibly feasible if its poplar, that stuff soaks up the moisture if not stored properly?

Have to agree with this one. I split some poplar yesterday that had been sitting in the “to be split pile” for the last 2 years. Bark fell off just with me looking at it, some was lighter than a feather and coming in at 13% moisture, other bits were as heavy as newly felled oak rounds. On these my moisture meter read 75%! All the rounds were off the ground on a pallet and open to the elements. Guess some got more than their fair share of the rain.
I know from past experience, that once they are stacked and undercover the wind and sun will dry them out very quickly

[Witterings]

5 hours ago, carbs for arbs said:

 

On the contrary, the supplier was more expensive than others, and has a good reputation.  We were happy to pay more as it was important that we got what we needed.  

 

 

If that is the case he has a name to protect, go back to him and tell him it's not good enough and offer him the option of picking it up and taking it away with a refund or replacing it with dry seasoned wood as it sound like it's no use to you ... although this does depend if he's selling it as seasoned and ready to burn?

 

Last year I needed a top up "In Case" I ran out and the seller who has a good reputation locally was upfront when I went to order and said it was seasoned but because they'd had such high demand it'd been left outside and would probably take 2 / 3 weeks to dry out enough ... was that OK or did I want to get some elsewhere.

 

Sounds like your seller may not have been quite as "upfront" as he could of been or there's a genuine mistake but either way you shouldn't be paying for that and if he keeps selling wood that wet the reputation you say he currently has ... will very quickly change.

Edited March 19, 2021 by Witterings

[Logburner]

I agree there's definitely an impact of end of season, particularly this year when everyone has been at home.  One load I received was soaked through and was obviously overspill that had been dropped on the ground and picked up as a last resort.  Individual logs even had wet mud sitting on the one side or the other.  Supplier was reasonably reputable (in the local area).  After agreeing a discount I had the chance to see how easily wood like this dries out (in my warm environment where the burner is).  In just 4 weeks it was dry.  That's the difference between sap and water, I guess!

 

You're right 'Carb for Arbs'.  This sort of happening makes you study everything much more closely!