INSPECTIONS
Mold doesn’t grow unless there’s moisture where it shouldn’t be.
We solve the moisture and leave the mold removal to others.
Moisture meters don’t actually measure moisture. They can only measure density.
Moisture adds density. But how dense is a particular type of wood before it becomes moist?
SOFTWOODS
There are countless species of “softwoods” and “hardwoods”…
HARDWOODS
…therefore measuring structural or finish lumber for moisture is a complicated subject.
With green buildings came bamboo as an approved construction material. It isn’t a wood at all, but rather a grass.
The best meter for measuring wood has more than 500 settings to account for the most common species.
Only familiarity prepares an inspector for the challenges of measuring moisture in building materials.
This wood isn’t wet, but it’s so dense that it reads as though it is on this very professional meter. But it’s the wrong professional meter.
Another trick to measuring wood floors is measuring only the wood and not what’s below it.
Meters often measure up to 1 1⁄4” into a surface.
When measuring a wood floor that’s only 1⁄2” thick you can be measuring the density of the concrete below, depending on your meter.
For this reason a special meter can be adjusted to only read a shallow depth.
Drywall, plaster, tile, concrete and roofs can be measured for moisture saturations.
Specialty meters are the most accurate.
This tiled shower wall needs to be sealed. It’s dry at the top and wet at its base where gravity has caused the moisture to sink to.
Concrete is 12-18% porous.
It sheds rainwater when sloped properly, however becomes saturated in the process.
Concrete soaks up groundwater as well.
The day this slab was poured it registered at 6 (top of the scale).
A dry slab would measure towards the bottom of the scale.
Water is obviously getting behind this painted wall. The question is how. No meter can diagnose the cause of moisture intrusion.
Where ladders are not practical, drones can take a look above a building, or around the neighborhood.
Quite often groundwater issues begin at a neighboring property. Drones can discover all kinds of moisture problems visible from above.
HUMIDITY
Humidity levels above 55% cause mold, dry rot and attracts termites, especially in crawlspaces with a lack of air circulation.
Air conditioning dehumidifies air, but not where there’s:
• lack of use
• low air flow
An underperforming A/C can be a factor in a room developing mold.
Anemometers measure the performance of an A/C duct.
Homes between an ocean and a mountain range are subjected to more humidity than homes in a valley or desert.
COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES
Office buildings and well-built condos have an additional layer between ceilings and floors above. This makes finding leaks more difficult.
“Flat roofs” are required to have a 1⁄4” slope for every horizontal foot. This building code is seldom checked by building inspectors. And even if this requirement is met on the day it was build heavy equipment causes wood supports below to sag. This then causes pooling, which leads to leaks over time.
40 years as a practicing general contractor
20 years specializing in moisture intrusion
1 inspection at a time
Homeowners (Problem Solving)
Escrows (Timely Reports)
Property Managers (Solving Association Versus Owner Disputes)