I checked it with my new moisture meter and had a reading of between 8-13.5%. endstream endobj 79 0 obj <>stream at one spot, its 40%. Jerry, From a moisture standpoint, water in the basement can over time absorb into your subfloor. In fact, according to M. Steven Doggett, Ph.D. LEED AP, the founder of Built Environments, Inc., wood moisture content as high as 15% can cause corrosion of metal fasteners and at 16% may lead to fungal growth. Because ventilated crawl spaces throughout the Southeast United States allow high humidity and fungus spores to enter the enclosed space beneath the home. These mold spores land on the wet wood and take root. This will drastically speed up the drying process. Effects of Moisture on I-Joists and LVL April 2007 P.O. Hello! Should you check moisture levels on a trailor floor on a massive rainy day? A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home | US EPA board will move twice as much as a 4-in. One type of wood moisture meter. can be insulated and heated (insulation is mandatory if heated) require careful planning and . Building pathology: moisture conditions within traditionally - NBS 2. I have been testing the bottom stud/sill board of an exterior wall on a slab of an old house that exposed in order to put a floor in. I am planning an under-house excursion tomorrow. 7 Common I-Joist Installation Mistakesand How to Avoid Them Why and how can I say this? I live in Charlotte, NC. Ive been following your in depth blog on moisture meters for around 1 year now. Live in Tn. What would one expect to read in plywood subfloor and old growth pine floor joist? endstream endobj 80 0 obj <>stream Alternatively, you could set up a crawl space dehumidifier and draw the . You will want closer to 6% in the drier climates and 9% MC for the more humid climates. Since the cold weather has come on, the organic growth has gone dormant, but a contractor noticed joists with distinctive moisture content where there are definitive separations between dry and wet looking wood. I would have thought that if the floor gave a 99.9% water saturation reading, it would have had to have been noticeably wet. Checking the Moisture of your Subfloor - Ambience Hardwood Flooring There is no balancing layer on the reverse of the panels which might obstrust breathing of the panel. In general, 12% moisture or above is too wet to install flooring. We are shipping some acacia chopping board to colorado ( US) with moisture ranges from 10-14% while shipping from India but once product received all get cracked . Floors should be: level within a 3mm deviation per 1m for floors up to 6m across (measured at the furthest points across the full width of the floor) a maximum of 20mm out of level for floors over 6m across flat within a 5mm deviation, measured using a 2m straight edge with equal offsets. However, it Now the fungus goes dormant. Using South Carolina Residential Construction Standards to Solve Problems, Website by Integritive Web Design :: Asheville, NC. or finally the product will be placed where. Below 12% Readings in this range are common to kiln or oven dried woods and furniture grades of wood, and represent dry conditions. Wood is a hygroscopic material that contains water, even after it is cut from a tree. i also drilled into the wood every few inches, several inches deep with a typical drill bit. Any moisture content measured higher than that might result in movement, such as warping and twisting, once it dries. within two percentage points of the EMC where the wood is going to be used. The joist span tables start with 26 lumber and it goes all the way up to 212. The floors have started cupping across the entire area with more in some parts. Here is a good source for mold and wood: https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=j6WRW76_NdmT0PEPkN29kAc&q=wood+moisture+content+and+mold&oq=moisture+content+and+mold&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0i22i30l3.8963.15970..206760.0..0.100.1475.25j10.1..gws-wiz..0..0j0i131.PkfEQYRef9I. This week, I notice the next pier on the same beam is starting to push up, warping the floor. Here's a good rule of thumb: Notches should be no deeper than 1/6 the depth of the joist. In an air conditioned house the wood floor. BD-2100 Pin Meter. The normal outside equilibration moisture content (EMC) for Indiana is anywhere from 13% to 16%. I would not recommend re-drying finished plywood. Since wood is hygroscopic, it loses or gains moisture depending on the relative humidity of the surrounding air. Spruce isnt a hardwood so Im assuming I could get away with a shorter dry time. Floor Joist Sizes & Span in Residential Home Building (Complete Guide) What are acceptable ranges of moisture for composite materials like MDF and Plywood, for indoor furniture use? Your help for resolving this issue would be highly appreciated . As with plywood subfloors, if there is movement or squeaks, refasten the subfloor to the joists and set protruding fasteners into the subfloor. water leaked over the edge. What is the acceptable moisture level for plywood? They delivered the wood one day, and began to stain and install it over the next two days, finishing on the 6th day. But the table will be inside? -25% moisture content in a VENTED crawl space. If you want, just give me a call at 800-634-9961, ext 225. PDF Research Findings on Moisture Management - LSU AgCenter 78 0 obj <>stream I hope that helps. Here is the one I would recommend: https://www.wagnermeters.com/shop/mmc220-extended-range-moisture-meter/, My potential house in North Carolina Fayetteville area was just checked for moisture content in the crawl space. 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? All houses now use perimeter foundation so outside contact temperature stays at about 55 F all year. My question for you is, now that it is stained, can I still get an accurate MC? 24 and 26 framing studs should measure 19% moisture content or less. "Mold requires moisture to survive, so protecting lumber and wood structures from moisture will prevent mold growth. The acceptable moisture levels in basement walls and floors will depend on many factors. 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. Oh no! I am shipping teakwood furniture from Indonesia to California. As it dries, you should expect slight changes in width and length. How to use a moisture meter properly - BT Preservation | Damp Should I wait for the slabs to be within that 6-9% to cut and glue? When exposed to a constant RH, the moisture content of wood or lumber will come to equilibrium with its environment, resulting in an EMC for that species of a wood-based composite. The house was not in the flood area however they did receive 20 inches of rain. Thanks for the reply. For example, if the expected EMC ranges from a low of 6% to a high of 9%, the baseline moisture content of the wood would be 7.5%. 28% and above Readings in this range are often accompanied by decay damage. This summer I milled several 1.25 boards from a fir log that had been cut around 10 years ago. Am I possibly getting false positives? I manufacture ice cream sticks and disposable wooden cutlery from European Baltic birch wood in India. Any thoughts as to what the issue was with the first install so we dont have the same issue again next year after we go through a new install? It is not uncommon for wood to expand or contract as much as a 1/8 per foot of width, so maintaining a stable environment is important. Also, the glue manufacturer should ideally give you some specifications for max and min moisture content. I had a redwood deck, and they replaced it with Douglas fir (without my approval, but thats another issue). I understand that a home inspector expressed concern about fungal growth on the floor framing, so the buyer is concerned that the fungus needs to be removed/cleaned/mitigated from the joists. Rotten Floor Joists - Repairing & Replacing Rotting Joists Hi, in MN where extreme temperatures are very hard on homes. Please commenr? It does the same for wood, and is especially hard on softwoods, such as pine or fir. Or perhaps I should advise them to buy Wagner meters, for better accuracy ;-). board. Wall Corners-Perpendicular within 1/4" in 10'. The normal moisture content of wood (or EMC) varies from 7%-19% depending on the RH in the air. It was such a good read. Such readings should alert the homeowner to look for a source of excess moisture. primer, the moisture vapor transmissions rate (MVtr) from the substrate should not be in excess of 5 lbs. This means a very absorbent wood can retain more water, weight wise, the weight of the wood itself. Yes, the wood can still be read for MC with a stain on it. Prior to the re-shim, the pier in the area that floods in the spring could be felt pushing up the floor, meaning the beam is warping and been monitoring it. Hi Larry, thanks for the great knowledge sharing. 1= z@ The Building Code states that houses must be built so that a 50-year flood will not enter the building. These are slabs roughly 2 thick. However, many building materials may have been dried down to about 15% moisture content. This is based on a chart in Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material. I live in upstate South Carolina. The NWFA recommends testing wood subfloor moisture in at least 20 locations per 1,000 sq. Grain orientation matters I-Joist - APA - The Engineered Wood Association - APAwood.org info@rlcengineering.com Here is a link to our moisture meters, thermo-hygrometer, and Smart Logger. Squeaks from subfloors The floor installer is often the 'first cab off the rank' when there is a squeaking floor and the problem may board, and a 12-in. 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. Next, check the moisture of new floorboards. Thanks!!! Moisture meter reading - DoItYourself.com Community Forums For wide-width solid flooring (3 or wider), there should be no more than a 2% difference in moisture content between properly acclimated wood flooring and subflooring materials. What Are The Acceptable Moisture Levels In Wood Flooring? Timber treatment | BRANZ Weathertight 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. A Guide to Subfloors Used Under Wood Flooring Engineering & Inspection Services, Licensed PE - Alabama & Tennessee, JADE Engineering & Inspection | 5405 Whitesburg Dr. Maximum Moisture Content Of Concrete This is a nominal value most product manufacturers specify when concrete is dry enough to allow their product to lay down on it. A moisture content that is too high will also slow the cure of the SLu and can affect the subsequent floor finish. After my inspection I wrote the following report: As per your request, I visited the subject residence today to evaluate mold or fungus growth on the floor joists. )IS0i 1P *V? U? Box 1088, Roseburg, OR 97470 Tel. Building Performance Series No. ft., based on a standard AStM F-1869 (Calcium Chloride) test, or 80% rh, based on AStM F-2170. Uneven Floors, Sagging Floor Repair - Problem Signs and Solutions by JES 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. The average annual relative humidity will play the biggest role in determining what the optimal MC should be. For more information, see our article comparing Pinless Moisture Meters vs. Pin Meters. During the summer months, when outdoor humidity is high, the hot/humid air enters the crawl space through the foundation vents and condenses on cool objects. I am not aware of a standard moisture content for packaging food or any other product. All Rights Reserved. Each piece of lumber is unique and carries physical characteristics that may include the following: knots, warping, shrinkage, swelling and/or splitting. Wall Construction Flat-or no more than 3/8" in 8' (bulge) But none of the contractors abide by the framing codes, nor do the city officials. Request Answer. But this wetness is only surficial. I live in michigan (humid summer, long cold winter). They said if i wanted to spend the money, a humidifier would help keep the humidity inside the house more consistent throughout the year. Insert the pins into the surface of the wood you want to test. This is the standard in the construction industry. PDF Checking Subfloor Suitability - ATFA The home inspectors working for fees today seem to have one primary motive in mind: to cover their liabilities. Thank you. Would you be able to say anything about the optimal MC range for this specific situation? The different types of wet area floor construction - Level If any of these conditions occur, tell your installer right away. The average RH of the environment where the wood will be used. Damn those shop classes I didnt take. The containers that we have received so far have arrived wet and mouldy. In the Midwest, the EMC of wood or lumber in Des Moines, Iowa, ranges from 12.4% to 14.9%. Hello and thanks for writing in. You can now understand the meaning of moisture content 5.5%, 15 g/m2/24 hours, and relative humidity 75% with these facts. Subfloor material such as plywood or OSB should measure between 10 and 14% moisture content. A company sealed off the foundation vents and removed all the insulation from the crawlspace with the humidifier mitigating the moisture from the leaks. I took readings of the moisture of the sub floor at the edges of the wall and it ranged from 5 to 16, problem is i cant take it in the middle of the floor unless i rip the floor out. If the humidity is a constant 76% then the wood will equilibrate between 14 and 15% moisture content. Why and how can I say this? It causes decay of the wood structure. When determining the acceptable moisture levels in wood flooring before installation, the NWFA states that the flooring professional should establish a baseline for acclimation. The floor installer put the floors down without allowing the boards to acclimate. The excess moisture source should be corrected immediately, and monitored until the WMC returns to the 12-16 range. The excess moisture source must be immediately corrected, and the situation carefully monitored until the WMC returns to the 12-16 range.