Preparation for moisture meter use
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Q. We have a pin-type moisture meter with a hammer probe connected with wire to our instrument. Sometimes when I take this into the kiln to measure the moisture, the lowest reading I can get is 12 percent MC. Any ideas why?

A: When you take a meter that might be from your air conditioned office at 75F into a humid kiln, the moisture in the kiln’s air will condense on the probe and maybe the ends of the wires and connectors. So, this moisture is essentially “shorting out” the meter. Until it dries out, it typically will not read under 12 percent MC. Next time, but the meter into a closed plastic bag, let it heat up in the kiln for 30 minutes, then take it out and read the CMs without any issues.

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Karl Forth

Karl D. Forth is online editor for CCI Media. He also writes news and feature stories in FDMC Magazine, in addition to newsletters and custom publishing projects. He is also involved in event organization, and compiles the annual FDM 300 list of industry leaders. He can be reached at [email protected].