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As affected government agencies and courts begin to re-open, we will resume our program in those jurisdictions. As always, we encourage consumers to perform their own research, to the extent possible, before hiring any business. He found issues and helped us make the right choice on all three of them.
You can check the moisture levels on and within walls using a pinless digital moisture meter . They don’t require you to cut holes in the walls – they are completely non-destructive tools for measuring moisture. Certain accessories for pin-type meters do leave holes that’ll require repairs. Attachments like hammer probes and deep wall probes are designed to take moisture readings far beyond surface level.
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DIYers and pros looking for a moisture meter place accuracy as one of the most important factors in deciding which one to buy. A unit lacking in accuracy is essentially useless for measuring moisture. Professional-level meters usually cost around $60, and a product warranty should be considered with your purchase to protect your investment. If the meter’s case is cracked or broken, the tool should be replaced. Pins and electronics can be safely cleaned with isopropyl alcohol and a soft rag.
Taking accurate readings with either requires putting holes -- about ½ to ¾ of an inch apart -- into a material. Unlike the pin type, this mode of operation arrives at a relative value for moisture content that must be calibrated, using an external equivalency table in some models. The meter will display moisture content as a scale of color-coded lights that indicate whether the material is damp, dry, or in a borderline condition. In addition, Wagner's meters take a three-dimensional moisture average of the wood, which decreases the likelihood that intermittent wet spots will be missed.
California Home Inspection Checklist
Used correctly, both meters allow you to not only identify and confirm where moisture is in a wall, but also the extent of its presence -- damage free. When testing a wall for moisture with a pin-type meter, there’s no need to jam its pins into the surface. Rather, all that’s required is to touch the probes to the surface of the material being inspected. The meter will take care of the rest and only leave slight indentations on certain wall materials where the probes made contact.
Second, it provides readings for a wide range of species while only requiring the user to switch between “Group 2” or “Group 3”—no fancy calculations necessary. And, we couldn’t help but enjoy the Lignomat’s accuracy and the way the cap forms a comfortable hand-hold during testing. If we’re going to complain about something, it’s that this thing looks and feels like it’s straight out of the 1980s, but we’re not so sure nostalgia is a bad thing. When we were testing the Extech in pin mode, we continued to press the materials button, which would inevitably give us a reading of our index fingers rather than the material we were testing. Beyond that, we liked how easy the Extech was to use, and we appreciated the digital raindrops and audio alerts that speed up according to a wood’s moisture content.
Schroeder Exteriors
We liked that this moisture meter features a built-in temperature sensor as well. But the one “point” we liked most about the Tavool was its pin design; the pins are long and thin enough to plunge deeply into wood but not so thin that they’re not durable. Tavool, for some reason, included scientific names for tree species. We didn’t bring our biology book, so we had to do a lot of googling.
Insert the probes from a probe moisture meter into the bored holes. Turn the meter on and, following the manufacturer's instructions, read the moisture content display. Adjust the probes as necessary to ensure a steady reading and accurate results.
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If water reaches an untreated surface, such as the backside of the wood, then it can still be absorbed and cause problems. Using radio frequencies, pinless meters detect dampness by assessing the average moisture of a material within its depth of measurement. With the right equipment and know-how, testing for moisture in the walls of a home shouldn’t cause any damage. Aside from your report, there really shouldn’t be any evidence of your inspection upon its completion.
Just as different areas of the property will emit different readings, so can various moisture meters. Different brands have different measurement scales, which can lead to inconsistencies across your reports. What’s more, remembering how one meter behaves in contrast to another can be tricky. Thus, industry experts suggest sticking to one brand of moisture meter. Since invasive and noninvasive meters are better in different situations, some home inspectors opt to have both types in their toolbelt.
Regardless of size, homes have plenty of places to inspect for moisture. Some spots to check are no-brainers, while others are easy to forget about or pass by. Additionally, the presence of moisture and mold can pose a significant threat to the structural integrity of a home and can cause a variety of medical problems. In fact, mold has been tied to the cause and development of asthma. Lauhon acknowledges that most home inspectors want to—and, perhaps, need to—exceed the SOP. He claims he doesn’t know any inspectors who perform to the minimum standards and remain in business a year.
Even a newer model with the best features should survive having its pins pushed into a wall or being jostled in a tool box. A photo of the device as it displays its reading can be easily included in your home inspection report. Clients appreciate clear photos of the affected area with supporting photos of the meter readings as proof of your findings.
Once the meter is calibrated to test drywall, operate the moisture meter normally according to product instructions. Insert pin meters into the drywall in several different spots to get an accurate reading of the entire wall. Similarly, a pinless meter should scan several sites on the wall for a full scope of its moisture content. Having a moisture meter handy can save you a lot of trouble in your home and with DIY projects. It is easy to quickly test areas that look like they might be accumulating moisture to determine whether there is an issue. By taking the reading yourself, you avoid having to call a professional inspector and paying a costly fee only to find no moisture problem exists.
We specialize in a variety of residential and commercial services and take pride in the attention to detail put into each of the projects we're involved with. We're known for our quality work and the integrity of our business. We look forward to building long-term relationships with our clients, and guarantee your satisfaction. To use a moisture meter for drywall, first ensure that the meter is calibrated to accurately measure moisture in the material. Once the pins are inserted, you can operate the moisture meter with a control pad to send an electrical signal down one pin. This signal travels through the material on its way to the other pin.
In general, a reading of 5 to 12 percent is optimal, but a normal reading on a moisture meter depends on the material. Drier materials like drywall should have lower moisture readings of around 5 to 7 percent. Damp materials like wall studs and framing lumber have acceptable moisture levels of up to 12 percent. Pinless moisture meters, so named for their lack of measurement pins, do not penetrate the material to get a reading. Instead, a plate on the back of the meter lays flat against the material and a high-frequency signal travels through it.
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