Help - Moisture content in hardwood

[matthew65]

Thanks again for all your advice !

[Alycidon]

Hardwood, Morso recommended max moisture content is 18%, ideally wants to be 16% or below. It does burn acceptably up to about 20%,above that excess soots and tars in the flue and poor heat output.

 

Softwood will burn about 5% wetter. I prefer to sell soft at about 17-18%.

 

39% is far far to wet, you wont get an acceptable level of heat from it.

 

A

[gensetsteve]

I am sure your wood is better than 90% of the stuff sold around you. But unless you ring and split into 10" logs and leave for 9 months through the summer it wont be seasoned. If you cut your stuff which has lost 8% moisture in a week in half you will find it could measure 38% in the middle. Not trying to rain on your parade but been there before. I have loads of timber in the yard looks great but its not going anywhere till next year. 20 % on the outside 35% in the middle.

[Rob D]

I am sure your wood is better than 90% of the stuff sold around you. But unless you ring and split into 10" logs and leave for 9 months through the summer it wont be seasoned. If you cut your stuff which has lost 8% moisture in a week in half you will find it could measure 38% in the middle. Not trying to rain on your parade but been there before. I have loads of timber in the yard looks great but its not going anywhere till next year. 20 % on the outside 35% in the middle.

 

 

Have to whole heartedly agree with the above... wood does not dry out in a few days... and this time of year it will hardly dry at all... if the meter is telling you otherwise it's inaccurate.

 

In the summer if you split it, had it somewhere very very well ventilated with a strong hot breeze blowing through then you can dry in a couple of months.... but that is as fast as you'd do it.

 

Wood dries very little in the round even if from a dead tree. Under 8" will dry in the round slowly but above that diameter it will be wet in the middle. After splitting a couple of days later it will feel dry - but won't be.

[matthew65]

Again thank you for all your advice, I am aware about seasoning, the proof is in the pudding the wood burns incredibly well giving off loads of heat !

[gensetsteve]

If it has been seasoned in rounds and not cord could be it has sucked up some rain water as has been wet lately this will dry out quickly once under cover. If it has just been processed from cord and measures 38% its green simples

[matthew65]

If it has been seasoned in rounds and not cord could be it has sucked up some rain water as has been wet lately this will dry out quickly once under cover. If it has just been processed from cord and measures 38% its green simples

 

Yes the wood was in the round for 2 years under cover but outside. I would never dream of selling processed wood that was green.

[StephF]

My wood consists of ash, sycamore, beech and silver birch. All been down for 18 months and max of 14" diameter. When split it measures 28, after a few days it's down to 20. Dries amazingly fast once split! I monitor the moisture very frequently! Best thing to do is split as much as possible and leave it to air before delivering.

 

Are you from a dry part of Uk (south!), it makes a difference. It is so wet and damp up here in Kielder it takes ages to dry! especially after a long cold wet summer.

[matthew65]

No I am based in Nottinghamshire !

[hazzygawa]

I am off to buy a moisture meter tomorrow. Can you tell me a good cheap one to look out for?