Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I bought this meter about 1 month ago because my firewood was not burning as well as I had hoped, and I wanted to diagnose the problem. I have found the JT-4G meter to be useful for this purpose.
I can't vouch for the absolute accuracy of its readings (I don't have an independent method for testing this), but at least the relative values make sense. My logs, nominally 16" long and mostly oak, maple and some birch, were split and dried for 1 or in some cases 2 seasons (in Massachusetts, during two unusually wet summers). The moisture readings at the cut ends are typically around 15-20%, which is within the recommended range for firewood. However, when I re-split them to diagnose the problem, I found a consistent pattern of higher moisture readings in the middle of the newly exposed surfaces (typically 25-30%). Thus, the meter has confirmed that my logs are drying primarily from the cut ends and that they have not been dried for long enough. Birch logs gave lower readings than oak or maple - perhaps because birch dries better or perhaps because the calibration of the device is not absolutely precise across different tree species. Commercial pine lumber (2x4's) gave readings around 5% or lower - ie much drier, as one would expect.
I also checked whether the orientation of the pins relative to the grain makes a difference, ie whether you align the long gaps with the grain or across the grain, or whether you stick the pins into the transverse cut such that they are parallel to the rain. In general my readings were consistent between the three orientations. So the orientation doesn't seem to matter.
The meter is easy to use. The 4 pins seem reasonably strong, although my intuition is that they could probably bend if I pushed with maximum strength. You do need to push a bit - I find that if they are not properly pushed into the wood, I get artifactually low readings. My sense is that once they are pushed in beyond 1mm or so, further pushing has little effect (that's important - the meter would be unreliable if the reading were proportional to the force, but once beyond a certain threshold I don't think this is the case).
Minor gripes - the yellow cap is difficult to remove, and the instructions are written in poor English, although the meaning is clear enough. It recommends checking the calibration by pressing it onto your fingertip - this worked as advertised. (I wonder whether the reading depends on skin conductance, and whether you could also use the device as a polygraph. But that's an experiment for another day....)
There are much more expensive meters available - I assume woodworkers who care about precision or about not scratching the surface would choose those more expensive models. But for testing your firewood this one seems to get the job done.
Click Here to see more reviews about: HQRP JT-4G Wood / Firewood Moisture Meter - Wood, Firewood, Wall Damp Meter 4-Pins and Home Inspection Tool
Products trademarked HQRP are marketed and sold exclusively by Osprey-Talon. Digital Wood Moisture Meter. - High resolution and response quickly Data hold; - Digital large size LCD display; - Measures the containing water of wood, bamboo, cotton,tobacco, paper, foodstuff etc. General Features: - Digital large size LCD display; - Model # JT-4G; - 4 steel sharp probes; - Test Range: 5% to 40%; - Resolution: 1%; - Accuracy: ??1%; - Measuring Range: 5% - 40%; - High resolution and quickly response; - Can hold value; - Symbol and unit display, read and get conveniencly; - Low battery symbol "-+"; - Power: one 9V battery INCLUDED; - Dimension: 144x94x50mm; - Operation temperature: 0'C to 40'C. Here is our buyer's feedback: I got this for checking firewood. Works great
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