We are manufacturer of eng wood flooring. Here is a link to our new line of meters: https://www.wagnermeters.com/moisture-meters/. The engineered wood floor appears ok. If humidity levels in the crawlspace with all these measures taken place is above 60% the joist and the subfloor will have a high MC reading. The containers that we have received so far have arrived wet and mouldy. At this home, cool objects include the air conditioning ductwork, the ground and the overlying wood floor system, which is exposed to very cool temperatures due to air conditioning duct leakage. tolerances for floors/walls - Structural Inspections - InterNACHI Forum I cant speak for other pinless meters but our Wagner meters are not sensitive to the temperatures you indicated. The home inspectors working for fees today seem to have one primary motive in mind: to cover their liabilities. You should be able to specify a lower moisture content. Be on the lookout for flooring failures such as swelling, buckling, cupping, etc. Thank you for the information, I use a lot of trimmed for for children toys, menu times I use rings of 1-3 inch in diameter, For these purposes I dont care for wood shrinkage or wraping, Two things are important for me that wood will not crack, and that mold wont develop. The wood joists are not soaked wet, its just a light film of moisture on the wood members. Reaching these moisture content levels does not mean mold growth or corrosion . Continue reading MC in the home. The water was there for at most 6 hours, then we vacuumed it all and started the process of drying. Since Im drying them outside, being in AK I would like to work with them if possible before the long moist winter. The ideal moisture content for hardwoods is between 6% and about 9%, depending on the ambient conditions around the wood. They are now saying that they will replace whatever boards are bad and resand and finish the floors, however Im concerned that there is an underlying issue that will resurface here? Does coating wood with oil stabilize the moisture content in wood? This document describes the meaning and use of readings from a wood moisture meter. Pinless moisture meters are even easier to use. The next question is almost the same as before, if we have various kinds of wood, such as March wood, mango wood, pine. This water may come from condensation, roof leaks, plumbing leaks, or contact with the soil. . Alternatively, you could set up a crawl space dehumidifier and draw the . if not, can you tell me why? I get some water seepage through an exterior wall at basement floor level as a result of heavy rain. These varying humidity levels of the surrounding air cause wood to not only gain or lose water moisture but to expand or shrink as well. Whats the Difference Between a Home Inspection and an Engineering Inspection? It depends on the size of the project, but anytime you put a waterborne urethane on the wood you are adding moisture to your project. Floor Joist Calculator In all cases, determining the acceptable moisture level of wood requires the use of an extremely accurate moisture meter. Do you think that heated floor actually help to dry or do they make things worse and more humid! Please dont pay for a Borate spray unless the buyer wants to pay for it. Thanks! I found your moisture levels column through a search for good wood for low humidity. These include warping, cracking, buckling, diminished wood strength, corrosion of fasteners, and even fungal growth. They are returning to remove one plank and take it back to see what they can do to meet my satisfaction. Yes, the wood can still be read for MC with a stain on it. provide a good substrate for a wide range of wet area finishes. Do you have a suggestion? Installing Hardwood Flooring Over OSB: It's All About Managing Moisture Its not growing or feeding on the wood. First time this has happened (splitting that is). But when you touch the pins to the embedded screws, you get between 14 and 24 % in various areas of the board. Moisture Content of Wood | Everything You Need to Know - Reliance Timber The excess moisture source should be corrected if found. 2-1/4", the moisture content between the flooring planks and the subfloor should not exceed 2%. From a strictly static MC%, 16-20% MC for long duration is going to promote mold growth. Ev For more information, see our article comparing Pinless Moisture Meters vs. Pin Meters. I am not familiar with the particular moisture meter the plumber was using, but assuming it is correct, that moisture content is way too high to install new flooring. Mold and fungus in the crawl space can definitely become a problem, but dont be fooled into thinking that a Borate spray HAS to be applied in EVERY situation. However, the wood species and the thickness or size of the wood may also factor in. The levels were between 20 and 23%. Thats a big difference. They are currently nearing equilibrium (around 12 MC) and are stored within the house. The normal outside equilibration moisture content (EMC) for Indiana is anywhere from 13% to 16%. Notches at the end of the joist should be no deeper than 1/4 the depth. The joist span tables start with 26 lumber and it goes all the way up to 212. Moisture contents in wood floor joists in houses with moisture problems are exceeding the 20% maximum level for air dried lumber. Do you have any recommendations on how to prevent mold from getting on the wood? Moisture content (MC) in raw slabs can take additional time to reach its Equilibrium Moisture Content. the curb is built with 3 2/4s stacked on each other. Call JADE today for a crawlspace inspection and we can give you definitive answers to your crawl space problems! Would the screws skew the measurements? water leaked over the edge. -XF% Perhaps try to seal the vapor barrier better around the piers. The water eventually came out a electric outlet located three inches off the floor. WME? Most types of wood species will mold above 25% moisture content, including pine. In contrast, Las Vegas in the drier Southwest has much lower EMC percentages than most other U.S. cities. Best, Kyle. Am I possibly getting false positives? If the subfloor is not acceptable, it can often be overlaid with 1/2 -inch plywood. Keep monitoring it. 28% and above Readings in this range are often accompanied by decay damage. The failure in your case sounds as though the piece was exposed to a rapid loss of already low ambient moisture, causing the cracking in the piece. The electrical current will then move from pin to pin and measure the resistance encountered. Use a level to determine if the floor is level within 3/16-inch change per 10 feet. Learn the Basics of Floor Joist Spans - The Spruce You mentioned the humidity outside is 55%. We have a free app called WoodH2O for Android or iPhone. There are water stains on the particle board floor, but the flooring felt completely dry a few minutes after the reading was taken (I didnt see the reading being taken), the floor looks dry in the plumbers photo, the particle board flooring is not noticeably swollen, and it certainly has no flaking or other signs of disintegration or lessening to its structural integrity. If the moisture content of the product is well outside the range of optimal MC, the wood flooring should not be accepted because it will lead to shrinkage, bowing, cupping, and other physical problems. Most interior wood is in this range. About how long do you think we should allow the new wood to acclimate in the end use environment before installing it? I would think it would vary depending on the contents. Everyone who works with wood needs to understand how wood interacts with moisture in the environment. Percent moisture content in wood is the ratio of the weight of water compared to the overall weight of a piece of wood. Why and how can I say this? The purpose of acclimating is to allow the flooring to equalize to the surrounding conditions, no matter how large the room is. Water Level Survey: Are You Smarter Than an Egyptian? So please help us to know what should be required moisture level in Acacia board in final product if we need to restrict wood movement at Colorado . Grain orientation matters The home inspectors working for fees today seem to have one primary motive in mind: to cover their liabilities. When wood is subjected to an environment that is higher in humidity, it will swell or expand. PDF Checking Subfloor Suitability - ATFA A moisture content that is too high will also slow the cure of the SLu and can affect the subsequent floor finish. Wide-spread and often extensive moisture damage occurs in residences across the state of South Carolina and elsewhere in the Southeast due to the regions warm, humid climate. Be sure to acclimate the wood to desired EMC of the interior environment before you use it. Here current humidity is 76%. Great article! At that point in time, we did not have a conditioned house. I suspect the screws may be skewing the measurements. Im planning on using some of it to build a new front door for the house and was wondering what MC I should be shooting for. Is your electrical outlet that is 3 inches above the floor inside the house? Wood used indoors will eventually stabilize at 8-14% moisture content; outdoors at 12-18%. 2nd question, will lacquer on surface of flooring affect the reading. Standard construction studs such as 24 and 26s are typically dried to 19% moisture content before they are installed. PDF Subsurface Tolerances and Floor Flatness Requirements A Case for To do so: Make two vertical cuts through the joist a safe distance away from each end of the rotten section. The water wasnt properly dried and organic growth was discovered by previous owner. Thanks for the reply. Engineering & Inspection Services, Licensed PE - Alabama & Tennessee, JADE Engineering & Inspection | 5405 Whitesburg Dr. If the moisture is less than 20% and the floor joists are structurally sound, like the joists at this home, there is no need to worry about any fungal staining that might exist. One type of wood moisture meter. You can Google moisture content of wood necessary to support fungal growth and see for yourself. . It was such a good read. I just bought a live edge slab of Cherry from a local sawmill that was kiln dried. Great info! I had a quick looked around the crawl space and didnt notice any structure damage. With the WoodH2O-app I could deduct the EMC for The Netherlands would be between 15 and 16. I appreciate you sharing this important information with us at this time. It is also possible high moisture has entered the container during the trip to Europe. Using South Carolina Residential Construction Standards to Solve Problems, Website by Integritive Web Design :: Asheville, NC. i did not waterproof the outside of the curb (kerdi), so the wood got wet. The amount of swelling or shrinkage depends on how much the . Spruce isnt a hardwood so Im assuming I could get away with a shorter dry time. The solution seems to be drying the wood longer & bettter, to a lower measured MC. I think that I know my own answer, but thought I might reach out for some possible better insight. How to Level a Floor - Lowes Is this accurate? As stated, fungal spores are beneath the home because they are in the air we breathe-the same air that gets circulated beneath the home. You may be picking up something behind the sheetrock. The new wood was brought in in bundles ~2 x 2 x 6 and left that way to acclimate for ~2 weeks. Any suggestions to this being possible to correct? The average annual relative humidity will play the biggest role in determining what the optimal MC should be. Readings can be elevated if there is a stud directly behind the sheetrock. When it hits the cooler air of the crawl space, it increases the relative humidity by about 2% per degree! The Building Code states that houses must be built so that a 50-year flood will not enter the building. What Are Safe Moisture Levels for Hardwood Floors? - Delmhorst There is over three foot of block above grade around the entire house. Retain this information with your records. Box 1088, Roseburg, OR 97470 Tel. You should be ok as long as the moisture content does not get worse (higher). If there are quite small amounts of moisture in a wall of dense plaster or brick, then a meter will probably indicate over 20% or so and this will be in the 'red zone' or beeps and squeeks may happen. Take the readings in at least 20 spots per 1,000 square feet of flooring and average the results. 1= z@ Im still not sure that whatever they do will produce a good, long-term result, but I need to know what they should be doing to the wood. 2. However, the ideal humidity range in some climates may be higher or lower. As lumber dries, it may split, cup and warp. You mentioned it was installed just 3 days after it was delivered. A contractor is measuring sill plates by driving 2 SS Screws into the wood about 1-1/2 or so inches. A moisture content of less than 20% indicates that your joists and beams do not have the necessary moisture content for mold or fungus to survive. If a board reads 100% (Difficult to measure accurately) then the weight of the water equals the weight of that wood. The fir stock was originally KDd to around 8% but has been covered and stored outside for over a year and currently MC is around 12%. How long will it take to get to the ideal moisture reading and is it better to be stored in a garage or inside a house? It constantly absorbs and releases vapour into the . If decay or WMC readings over 28% are present, find and fix the sources of liquid water quickly. 10? Currently reading a 12.5%. During the summer months in the northeast region, wood subfloors and floor joists often measure 19. This article is really helpful. During the summer, moisture content readings above . For instance, the subfloor may appear to be dry on the surface, but still have elevated moisture within the panels. Some of the unfinished wood you see on the market has been kiln-dried to reduce its water moisture content to around 8% so that it wont suffer from moisture-related defects like warping and buckling. If you want, just give me a call at 800-634-9961, ext 225. For example, a 26 Southern Pine joist can span 12'. z .XWb*QGF^v4MQ`_dRw{\;\'03Uhx-SeJlc!m\8X^,Z/hU5Ewdzz:`nZ!(7reWD4X. I had it milled into 2.25 slabs and I stacked it on a deck area. Such readings should alert the homeowner to look for a source of excess moisture. I had a redwood deck, and they replaced it with Douglas fir (without my approval, but thats another issue). i cored out a small section of the bottom beam (3 inches wide) all the way down to the foundation. Standard moisture contents for hardwoods are 6% 9% MC. 16% 20% Readings in this range indicate a possible elevated level of wood moisture. You will want closer to 6% in the drier climates and 9% MC for the more humid climates. Because pinless meters scan the woods surface and cover a larger area than pin-type meters, they provide a more thorough picture of the woods moisture content. So the question is are those burrs or fuzzing on the edges?, Wed love to have you give us a call to discuss which moisture meter is best for you. of water/day/1000 sq. Characteristic of this wood easy to absorb of water and have large open pore. Wall Corners-Perpendicular within 1/4" in 10'. Using a moisture meter before painting can help you determine the moisture content of the wood.