Range of prices for Ash cordwood at roadside Gloucestershire/North Wilts?

[arboriculturist]

4 hours ago, openspaceman said:

I won't rush in on the basis of a couple of measurements, that robinia was either an anomaly or I didn't push the pins in far enough, it has oven dried to give an initial 31% wet basis.

 

The other piece of beech, also from this year's felling and reading 24% on the fresh face,  I microwave oven dried and it was 19.83% wwb.

 

So I am still a bit undecided on  what basis the valiant indicates moisture content.

100% dry basis

[openspaceman]

3 hours ago, arboriculturist said:

100% dry basis

There seems to be some disagreement about that as @cessna has it from the horses mouth.

[arboriculturist]

Veering off topic but interesting to many :

 

Perhaps the man I spoke to at Valiant is misinformed, but I think this is highly unlikely as I I have been told by one of the largest supplied of testing instrumentation in the UK, that hand held moisture meters are only available that measure on a dry basis because there is no demand for anything else.

 

If you have other information please let me know as I have spent a lot of time discussing this topic with manufacturers, also been looking for 18 months and the only instruments I could find were laboratory bench testing machines. Protimeter, possible the largest manufacturer of pin meters do not even make anything.

 

In summary, if you buy a pin type moisture meter, it will measure on a Dry Basis.

[gdh]

3 hours ago, arboriculturist said:

Veering off topic but interesting to many :

 

Perhaps the man I spoke to at Valiant is misinformed, but I think this is highly unlikely as I I have been told by one of the largest supplied of testing instrumentation in the UK, that hand held moisture meters are only available that measure on a dry basis because there is no demand for anything else.

 

If you have other information please let me know as I have spent a lot of time discussing this topic with manufacturers, also been looking for 18 months and the only instruments I could find were laboratory bench testing machines. Protimeter, possible the largest manufacturer of pin meters do not even make anything.

 

In summary, if you buy a pin type moisture meter, it will measure on a Dry Basis.

I have a valiant and the standard 'stihl' meter and they both read the same if that's any help.

[Vedhoggar]

In practice whether the Valiant moisture meter measures on a wet or dry basis wood doesn't burn very well when red displayed (above 20% on meter) however air-dried seasoned wood is burning fine on 13kW and 4kW stoves when amber is shown (15-20% on meter), never had any air-dried wood yet hit green (6-15% on meter) but might at end of this drying season if we get a good summer. Moisture content accuracy is +/- 2% on this meter and at 22% find no problem burning wood at 22% once the stove gets a going. It would be interesting to know conclusively however if the Valiant moisture meter works on a wet or dry basis just out of interest. 

[cessna]

Info attached which  I had back from  Valiant.

[arboriculturist]

9 hours ago, gdh said:

I have a valiant and the standard 'stihl' meter and they both read the same if that's any help.

STOVES ONLINE SELL THE STIHL METER

Our meter measures on a "dry basis", whereas test laboratories test on a "wet basis". What does that mean for you? Well the 20% moisture that the government is due to legislate for as the maximum will show on this (and many other firewood moisture meters) as 25%. So look out for 25% moisture on this meter, not 20%.

 

As I have previous mentioned, most companies selling these meters have never even heard of Wet Basis and many of them are completely delusional as what they are actually selling. Some actually really believe that their meters will measure on a wet basis when clearly they do not as you have just illustrated.

 

I highly recommend anyone who is still in doubt to make the effort to speak to a manufacturer of Laboratory testing equipment and they will explain why knowone makes hand held pin meters that measure on a wet basis. 

 

That is what I did.