You can now check out a moisture meter from the Richmond Library. The meter was provided to the library for free thanks to a new program from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation’s Air Quality & Climate Division and the Vermont Department of Libraries.
Borrowers can use the small hand-held meter to test firewood at home to make sure it is dry enough to burn safely and efficiently. Burning firewood that has not been dried properly makes it more expensive to heat a home and causes poor air quality.
“Making sure that your firewood is sufficiently dry protects you and your family’s health and cuts down on the amount of money you’ll spend on firewood. Checking the moisture content in your wood is an important step in making sure firewood is cut, stored and aged properly. Seasoned wood burns hotter and reduces fuel consumption,” said Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Peter Walke.
It is recommended to only burn wood with a moisture content of 20 percent or less. If moisture levels are higher than 20 percent, firewood does not burn as efficiently, which produces more smoke and harmful emissions. Poor air quality from wood smoke increases people’s exposure to fine particulate matter and several toxic air pollutants that may trigger adverse cardiac and respiratory effects.
For more information about this program, including a video of how to use the moisture meter, visit https://dec.vermont.gov/wood-burning. Learn more about the best wood-burning practices at the EPA Burn Wise website https://www.epa.gov/burnwise or the AQCD Wood Burning information page at https://dec.vermont.gov/document-categories/air-quality-and-climate-division-wood-burning.
Contact the library at 434-3036 or rfl@gmavt.net to borrow the moisture meter. This item has a loan period of 7 days.
