Does anyone know if the percent moisture reading from a pin-type moisture meter is based on volume or weight? I was fiddling around with some numbers today, trying to calculate the amount of water potentially boundup in the structure of a house. I did some test calculations using an 8′ 2×6. Using a value of “12%” moisture, that stick would contain about 0.45 gal if the calculation is based on volume, but only .26 gal of water if the calculation is based on weight. So which is it, volume or weight?
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Good question.
I suspect that the moisture meter measures the relative amount of water in the wood compared to total saturation. Sort of like relative humidity. What type of wood is this?
~Peter
This post is mainly a bump.
Moisture content for wood is measured as the weight of water in the wood divided by the oven dry weight of the wood.
gb93433 is right.
A moisture meter is an instrument used to determine moisture content in wood.
Moisture content is the weight of water in the cell walls and cavaties of wood, expressed as a percentage of completely dry/oven-dry weight.
TWG
To answer RedfordHenry's original question then, if you knew the density of oven dry wood, you could determine the actual amout of water in the board (in gallons).
Dave