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Evidence of deep building flooding © Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com Moisture Meter Reliability

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Moisture meter reliability for detection of building leaks or moisture problems:

Guide to Using Moisture Meters to Screen Buildings for Leaks, Moisture Traps, Rot, Insect Damage, or Mold. This article explains the use and reliability of different types of moisture detection equipment to find water entry problems on buildings.

We demonstrate where moisture meters work successfully and where (and why) they don't. We explain the differences between pin type moisture meters and electronic sensor moisture measuring devices.

Our page top photo shows our client pointing to flood lines on a heating system expansion tank, indicating that this building was subject to severe deep flooding. We learned from neighbors that a nearby river had flooded this home and others in its neighborhood repeatedly over the 60 year life of the building.

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Report on the Reliability of Moisture Meters to Screen Buildings for Hidden Moisture, Leaks or Mold Contamination

Delmhorst pin type moisture meter with long probes © Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.comQuestion: will my inspector test for moisture?

I am scheduling a pre-purchase home inspection and my real estate agent asked a question about moisture detection: he wants to know if the home inspector will check the moisture level in Sheetrock? - C.W., New York, NY.

Reply: ... it depends ...

Moisture meters, particularly pin-type probing moisture meters that detect moisture by sending an electrical signal between two probes inserted into a material (such as the time-tested Delmhorst™ twin-point electronic resistance moisture meter shown at left) are one of the first tools that many building inspectors purchase after a flashlight, ladder, and screwdriver.

Relying on any test instrument alone, as we discuss

at GAS DETECTOR WARNINGS,

is not a good substitute for a careful inspection. While using a moisture meter is a popular tool among home inspectors and building environmental inspectors or "mold investigators", and a useful one, the visual inspection of a building for leak history is much more critical than a general "check" using a moisture meter.

After all, the building could have had a history of leaks in the past, as well as hidden rot, insect damage, or mold, related to leaks or trapped moisture, but the leak spot could happen to be dry at the time of testing.

Absence of evidence of moisture when using a moisture meter in a building is not evidence of absence of a history of building leaks, and there is a long list of visual clues that readily tell the story of a building's leak history or the risk of building flooding. .

So properly a moisture meter is, in our opinion, useful principally to confirm that a leak is current.

Tramex moisture encounter in field use © Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com

We also find moisture meters useful, particularly radio-signal based non-probing moisture meters such the Tramex™ electronic moisture encounter, to check for hidden leaks behind ceramic tile walls in bathrooms and kitchens where probing is impossible.

Our photo above illustrates use of a Tramex™ moisture encounter to check for leaks into the EIFS stucco covering of a building's window sill.

Details are at SIDING EIFS WALL LEAK POINTS.

And certainly "spot checks for moisture" done randomly at a building would be nonsense.

Study Comparing the Effectiveness of Moisture Detection Methods in Buildings

Tramex moisture meter © Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com

In a field study this author (Daniel Friedman) conducted in February 2004 we compared the effectiveness of various methods to test for moisture in the walls of a home reported to have suffered leaks from ice dams at its roof eaves.

We surveyed the inside surface of building exterior walls of the entire second floor front and rear building surfaces using the following methods:

Wall test cut to look for moisture © Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com

Conclusions of Moisture Detection Equipment Study

Wet wall stud moisture meter demonstration © Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com Visual evidence of leaks © Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com

Home buyers and home owners are right to worry about building leaks and moisture - water where we don't want it is at the top of the list of sources of building problems. If you have a particular reason to be suspicious about something be sure to let the inspector know.

Also see VISUAL PERCEPTION ERRORS - an exploration of the theory of vision and visual errors that illustrates to building inspectors that it is important to actually inspect, and to be aware of distractions that keep us from "seeing" critical clues even if we are "looking" right at them - inattentional blindness.

Watch out: for "show and tell" tools that impress the client during a home inspection but are a poor substitute for doing a good job.

OPINION: Of these questionable practices, the most hilarious (and dishonest) use of thermography that we have found popular in some areas is that made by "mold inspectors" and a few mold remediation companies who claim that their IR camera is a "mold detector".

Like any good fib, there' s just enough truth in the statement to confuse things. Sure, a leak may show up under a thermographic scan, and a leak into building cavities are a high risk for mold. But what about old leaks, now dry, that launched a large mold problem?

What about air leaks that lose energy and show up on the thermographic scan, but have not led to moisture and mold contamination? [Perhaps some readers will recall the old replacement window scam that used light meters as "energy loss" meters. ]

 




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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2015-04-2 - by (mod) -

Hey Tony:

If water runs into a building cavity and soaks materials there they will not dry fast enough to prevent mold contamination unless there are significant openings cut to remove soaking materials (like insulation) and to dry out the remaining areas. Even then, if drywall or insulation got soaked the right repair is to replace them.

If you wait too long and a large mold colony grows in wall or ceiling cavities the cost may be still greater.

Generally if we can dry out other building materials in 24-48 hours the mold risk is much less.

You can wait if you want - understanding what's in store, and perhaps cut some inspection openings (I cut 2" x 4" holes in the most-risky location where I think the most water ran)

On 2015-04-20 by Tony

Today, I accidentally broke my water tank on the toilet. I immediately turned off the tap, and began to mop up, but my wife who was downstairs heard water going down thru the space between her bathroom and mine - our bathrooms are back to back. I assume that the water got to the downstairs bathroom.

It took about 10 minutes to clean up, and then began to use my fan and a dehumidifier to dry the upstairs bathroom for at least half of a day.

So far I have not noticed any water marks on the bathroom downstairs, and I even placed some paper tower by the downstairs bathroom baseboard and found no evidence of water.

Because of the affected areas have no ventilation, I assume that moisture will be there for awhile.
I am wondering if it is a good idea to drill a row of small holes and near the ceiling and by the baseboard to ventilate the areas.

The alternative is to drill holes on the likely areas where wet would have gone down, test and monitor the moisture situation.

Any other suggestions would be welcome.

thanks


...

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