# Moisture meter



## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

I was wondering what people are using for moisture meters. I know they can be cheap like $25 to $300 and up.looking to get one soon just don't want to spend $300 :laughing: I need something that I can take to my wood supplier for instant and approximate moisture%. Pro's & cons. Mostly use it for rough lumber and slabs. Thanks.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Anyone?


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## H. A. S. (Sep 23, 2010)

I'm so tough, all I need to do is give it a whiff. I can tell within + or - 1%. 


I haven't owned one for years.:laughing:


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

H. A. S. said:


> I'm so tough, all I need to do is give it a whiff. I can tell within + or - 1%.
> 
> I haven't owned one for years.:laughing:


I want one of those :laughing:


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Oh well I tried. I guess nobody uses them these days


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## WarriorWithWood (Oct 23, 2011)

I use them and most remodelers use them for trouble shooting. This is the one I use. Amazon.com: Delmhorst J-LITE 6% to 30% Pin LED Wood Moisture Meter: Home Improvement


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

WarriorWithWood said:


> I use them and most remodelers use them for trouble shooting. This is the one I use. Video Link: http://www.amazon.com/Delmhorst-J-LITE-Wood-Moisture-Meter/dp/B0000224D4/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1322421578&sr=8-8


Thanks. Been trying to research on pinless or pins. Still open for suggestions.


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## WarriorWithWood (Oct 23, 2011)

if you want pinless they're much less accurate unless you spend a few hundred and anything under a hundred dollars using pins are a crapshoot on accuracy. To sum it up, if you want to spend 100-200 get a pin meter, if you want to spend 200-300 get a pinless. If you're worried about damage you don't have to stick the pins in very far at all, and if you're at the yard you could always stick the one under the one you want since they'll all be pretty much the same depending on the air humidity.


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## DST (Jan 10, 2011)

They've gotten a lot less expensive lately. Last penn state flyer(this week) has one on sale for about 35


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## WarriorWithWood (Oct 23, 2011)

Yes you can find them for under 20 dollars, but at that price point the accuracy is a crapshoot.

http://www.woodweb.com/cgi-bin/foru...=1&question_73_496=1&question_73_499_variant=


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## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

Sorry, I didn't see your thread until now.
A while back, I asked for advice on moisture meters, also.
The general advice *THEN* was to get a name brand one. So I got the MiniLogo E/D for around 100 bucks.

A short time later, I saw a thread from someone else asking about
recommendations. The tide of advice had changed to the General brand meter for around $25 from Lowes.

I guess it all depends on who you ask and WHEN you ask.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

By the comments I guess it really is a crap shoot. How accurate could they really be from one to the next? Everyone that has one is going to read different so are they an essential tool to have? Or is it just for piece of mind.


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## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

Normally, you get better quality and service from a name brand item, regardless of what it is. Just my opinion, though. At the time, the Gereral meter was $35 and I didn't want to risk a third of the cost of the MiniLogo on a meter that would break after a couple of months. Now the meter I think is only $20 (said $25 earlier) so I probalbly just buy that one now (hindsight). My use for a meter would be to use with a kiln where I'm looking for a realtive change in MC. at some point, the MC isn't going to change, and the lumber is going to be dry.

You've got to ask your self, what are you going to use it for (I know to read MC) and how often you'll be usung it. If it's often, then I'd go with the MiniLogo. Chances are it won't break.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

djg said:


> Normally, you get better quality and service from a name brand item, regardless of what it is. Just my opinion, though. At the time, the Gereral meter was $35 and I didn't want to risk a third of the cost of the MiniLogo on a meter that would break after a couple of months. Now the meter I think is only $20 (said $25 earlier) so I probalbly just buy that one now (hindsight). My use for a meter would be to use with a kiln where I'm looking for a realtive change in MC. at some point, the MC isn't going to change, and the lumber is going to be dry.
> 
> You've got to ask your self, what are you going to use it for (I know to read MC) and how often you'll be usung it. If it's often, then I'd go with the MiniLogo. Chances are it won't break.


How do you know what name brands are if you don't know much about them?i appreciate your comments I find them very helpful thanks a lot. Gives me a better idea on what I'll do.


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## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

The name brand ones that I know of are these:

Pinless
Amazon.com: Wagner MMC220 Extended Range Moisture Meter: Home Improvement

Pinned
Amazon.com: Delmhorst J-LITE 6% to 30% Pin LED Wood Moisture Meter: Home Improvement

and

Amazon.com: Lignomat Moisture Meter Mini-Ligno E/D: Home Improvement

I couldn't find the inexpensive General brand one (from Lowes) that was discussed earlier. Just do a search at the top on 'Moisture Meters' and read all the threads on the subject.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

djg said:


> The name brand ones that I know of are these:
> 
> Pinless
> Video Link: http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-MMC220-Extended-Range-Moisture/dp/B000063XI9/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1322434677&sr=8-18
> ...


Thanks a whole lot. That helps me narrow it down a bit. Gets a little overwhelming when you don't know much about them. I never used one before on my projects because I either air dried wood for a long time like 2 to 3 years depending on size, or I just trusted what my supplier would say it is.so this will take the guess work out of it. Thanks again.


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## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

Dominick said:


> .....because I either air dried wood for a long time like 2 to 3 years depending on size,......


I don't mean to drag this on, but I've got Air Dried lumber that's been setting around for 2-5 years and it's still only 12-14% MC.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

djg said:


> I don't mean to drag this on, but I've got Air Dried lumber that's been setting around for 2-5 years and it's still only 12-14% MC.


Yea your probably right on that one. Thanks for you input.


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

At the beginning of summer there was one on sale at Lowe's for $10. It is a pin type. The only problem is that all of the KD lumber that I buy reads around 6-7%. :smile:


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Thanks rich.


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## jenfour6 (May 6, 2014)

Dominick said:


> I was wondering what people are using for moisture meters. I know they can be cheap like $25 to $300 and up.looking to get one soon just don't want to spend $300 :laughing: I need something that I can take to my wood supplier for instant and approximate moisture%. Pro's & cons. Mostly use it for rough lumber and slabs. Thanks.


Abatix.com has a moisture meter in the thirty dollar range that is good for dry wall, wood, paper, and concrete. Here's a link to one: ["http://www.abatix.com/default.aspx?page=item+detail&itemcode=DRIF213&catlist=76" Dri-Eaz WetChec Moisture Detector 10/CS]


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