The angle iron will prevent much warping, and I do plan on finishing all sides (and ends). 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. Sometimes moving the air around is enough to remove moisture and dry surfaces. Most types of wood species will mold above 25% moisture content, including pine. If the leaks have damaged the sub floor or joists, call a licensed general contractor for repair. Im not sure which part of Europe you are from, but typically the Indonesian climate is very humid compared to other parts of the world. Hi, we live in a coastal area, had a recent water leak, and a hard wood floor MC is measuring about 25% the water did not contact this area directly. The containers that we have received so far have arrived wet and mouldy. 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. 12.5% is gettin there but not quite to the 6-9% mentioned in the article. It's a direct proportion: an 8-in. One type of wood moisture meter. This chart highlights the ideal levels of moisture in wood at various temperatures and relative humidity (RH) levels: In this chart, you can see a small highlighted section. A moisture content reading of 25% is borderline to support mold. Two weeks is sufficient for softwood. To the right, 13.2% in the same distance and also drops to ~ 8% after. endstream endobj 79 0 obj <>stream What is the acceptable water/moisture content in cassia bark?- in south east asia. Whether youre a woodworker making cabinets, a wood flooring professional installing hardwood floors, or if you use wood in construction, wood moisture content (MC) should be always on your mind. 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. Each piece of lumber is unique and carries physical characteristics that may include the following: knots, warping, shrinkage, swelling and/or splitting. Floor joists transfer loads to the vertical beams of the house. My question: what is the complete saturation reading of wood? Because wood shrinks and warps as it dries, woodworkers want it to be pre-shrunk before they use it. I had engineered hard wood installed and it is curling at the joints. When it comes to the moisture content of plywood or dimensional lumber, an MC of 17% to 19% reduces the overall strength of plywood, and an MC of 20% or more reduces the strength of dimensional lumber (i.e., lumber cut to certain predefined sizes, such as 2x4s). For a wooden subfloor you will need to use a 2-pronged moisture meter. However, it Continue reading MC in the home. Also, there is a risk of mold. 2. Leicester, NC 28748 1= z@ I have used spar urethane as a finish on a few other 12 to 18 MC (semi-wet) log projects that turned out wonderfully. Why You Should Use Relative Humidity (RH) Testing, Flooring, Millwork, Furniture & Cabinet Manufacturers, How to Choose a Moisture Measurement System for Your Sawmill Buying Guide, Acceptable Moisture Levels in Wood Knowing the Moisture Content, Free Download 5 Ways Pinless Moisture Meters Save You Time and Money. Having performed multiple (>500) soil moisture and density Sieve and Proctor, so I am well versed in moisture calculations (both add and subtract). (864) 506-4701, South Carolina Residential Construction Standards, http://www.rlcengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/RLC-Engineering-1.png. I have a black walnut slabbed up that has been air drying outside for 2 yrs. Squeaks from subfloors The floor installer is often the 'first cab off the rank' when there is a squeaking floor and the problem may There was a board that cracked along a glue line. This building was constructed around 1966 and this little space appears very dry, in spite of a recent leak from an nearby hot water tank. The best way to do this is to use an accurate moisture meter. Kiln-dried timber should be kept dry. This pin-type moisture meter is one of Delmhorst's most popular models. You will want closer to 6% in the drier climates and 9% MC for the more humid climates. Does coating wood with oil stabilize the moisture content in wood? Colorado is cold and dry. Use a level to determine if the floor is level within 3/16-inch change per 10 feet. Here current humidity is 76%. Acclimation is the process for conditioning the moisture content of wood flooring to the environment where it will be installed. Not only did the aggressive notching doom this joist, it affected the structural integrity of the floor system above. Floors-1/2" in 12' or 3/16" in 4'. We are checking moisture levels in several areas each day. The process is time-consuming but produces accurate results if followed correctly. The floor installer put the floors down without allowing the boards to acclimate. Generally the entire floor is dry. I manufacture ice cream sticks and disposable wooden cutlery from European Baltic birch wood in India. First time this has happened (splitting that is). For example, from 25% to 45% or from 45% to 65%. The interior home conditions are, AC running at 68-70*F. Exterior wall condition 104*F as checked with an IR thermometer of East wall not in the sun. Here is a link to our new line of meters: https://www.wagnermeters.com/moisture-meters/. The company they hired measured 47% in the wood and declares that this must be ripped out and replaced. Sorry, that time of year. Most are reading are between 13-15%. Mobeen, If a wooden sample gains moisture, then the sample will increase in size. Jerry, From a moisture standpoint, water in the basement can over time absorb into your subfloor. Once the summer cooling season ends, and the A/C is shut off, and the outside air cools, and the humidity drops significantly, the cool dry air now flowing beneath the home dries out the floor joists. If that is the case you need to remove the flooring and examine the subfloor. The water wasnt properly dried and organic growth was discovered by previous owner. The joist span tables start with 26 lumber and it goes all the way up to 212. What is a Proper Structural Engineering Inspection? Typically, allow about 3 weeks for hardwood to acclimate in the environment. On a hot, humid summer day, the air venting into the crawl space could be as much as 75% relative humidity and 85 degrees. The difference between the wood subfloor and the hardwood flooring shouldn't exceed 4% for solid strip hardwood . Is this accurate? In March of this year I had new white oak 2 flooring installed. Notches at the end of the joist should be no deeper than 1/4 the depth. Had fans and dehumidifer running for 17 days starting 2 days after leak. Since water conducts electricity and wood doesnt, the dryness of the wood can be determined by the amount of resistance to an electrical current. somewhere. 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. Thanks!!! Here is a link to a moisture meter I recommend: https://www.wagnermeters.com/shop/orion-910-deep/. I have one question with regards to pinless moisture meters and wallboard/Sheetrock. our question is do we need to replace the floor to avoid fungal problems? The home inspectors working for fees today seem to have one primary motive in mind: to cover their liabilities. Ideally, it should be between 7% and 9%. All that needs to be done at this home is to close-up the foundation vents during every air conditioning season and make sure the ground cover vapor barrier is spread completely over the underlying ground surface. Thanks. These home inspectors are insecure and inexperienced. The home inspectors working for fees today seem to have one primary motive in mind: to cover their liabilities. Very simple and understandable. Using a moisture meter before painting can help you determine the moisture content of the wood. 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. Wood Moisture Content (WMC) is often used as an indicator of decay problems in houses. Treated wood is typically still wet when its delivered to the job site. Here is a link to our moisture meters, thermo-hygrometer, and Smart Logger. What You Should Know About Septic Systems, Interior Slab Foundation Settlement: Evaluations and Cost of Repair. . Interior walls non-insulated at around 7-8% mc. Hi Larry, We are a joinery company and we have a project here in UAE which is located in another part of the emirates and the humidity in that area is very high especially during summer because it is near the coastal area. Mold starts to grow in the mid to high 20 percent moisture contents. Dryer wood produces more resistance than wetter wood. If low WMC readings were obtained during the winter, and other signs of high moisture levels are present, obtain additional readings during the summer. Under the floor. The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) has specific installation guidelines for wood flooring and how they relate to moisture content. Down pour of rain onto underlayment of attached garage. I am not aware of a standard moisture content for packaging food or any other product. Free Webinar The What, Why, and How of Wood Moisture Testing. The next sheet is 21.5% adjacent to 2X4. While playing around with my pinless meter and checking the interior East and west walls on hot days, I notice the moisture content being very high 60% mc to off scale. In their warehouse, and perhaps partly also in the container. We have a free App called WoodH2O that will tell you the moisture content given certain temperature and humidity conditions. . Take the readings in at least 20 spots per 1,000 square feet of flooring and average the results. Water was coming out of this outlet and onto the floor? Bird, who runs the School of Fine Woodworking outside Knoxville, Tennessee, says he knows wood shrinks seasonally but wants to minimize the shrinkage and expansion by drying the wood to a moisture content of about 8%. If any of these conditions occur, tell your installer right away. We are manufacturer of eng wood flooring. Best, Kyle. To avoid this problem, wood flooring should never be stored where environmental conditions are uncontrolled, such as garages and exterior patios. Most floor joists are single or double, and most often made with 2x6s or 2x8s. Other than causing structural damage, too much water can result in mold growth. I really appreciate your treatise on this matter. Any input would be most appreciated. I have seen home built in the dead of winter, covered in snow, and still dry out enough for a successful home build. We just bought a home where we discovered the plumbing was leaking over a number years with a kitchen flood occurring in the last 3-5 years due to a busted water line. New roof first week of November. I installed a sump pump and 6 mil vapor barrier, but the barrier is not sealed around piers and the ground is moist under the barrier all year. Make sure theyre aligned with the grain and not across it. The normal outside equilibration moisture content (EMC) for Indiana is anywhere from 13% to 16%. 16% - 20%- Readings in this range indicate a possible elevated level of wood moisture. 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. In the most serious cases, entire joists may need to be removed, but many times they can be "sistered," or attached to another supporting joist for additional strength. 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. The three main sources of moisture: Condensation, Foundation wall transfer, and leaks. This is a perfectly normal moisture content and one that will not support fungal growth. With a Wagner L606, I am getting MC readings 12%->15.5% . A high reading in one area indicates a problem that must be corrected. 15% is too high, at least for hardwoods. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Its more important to understand that the wood is kiln-dried down to a certain bell-shaped range of MCs. Im down to ~13-19% MC near floor level, based on a cheapo moisture meters readings. Wagner Meters has a couple of resources to help you determine the moisture content more suited to your outdoor environment. It gains or loses water moisture as the relative humidity (RH) of the surrounding air changes. guide-standards-tolerances.pdf. A 212 joist of the same species and quality can span nearly 25'. We will be building fir windows. The Building Code states that houses must be built so that a 50-year flood will not enter the building. 10? Sagging or Uneven Floors Solutions. They are returning to remove one plank and take it back to see what they can do to meet my satisfaction. . 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. endstream endobj 80 0 obj <>stream Were in northern Indiana, humid summers long cold winters. Please help with T%, I have seen where 30% moisture loss by weight is a good rule of thumb to shoot for. And it's important to keep in mind that a glued-up panel behaves basically as one wide piece of lumber. Thanks. 17 and the flooring is at 6 to 7. Crawl Space Inspections: Once a Year Keeps the Contractors Away! I know the rule of thumb is 1 year of dry time per inch of thickness of wood. Set the meter to the species that makes up the bulk, in this case, the plywood. Wood is a hygroscopic material, meaning it picks up or loses moisture based on the ambient conditions. info@rlcengineering.com The wood scale provides accurate, quantitative readings of moisture over the range of 5% to 30% MC in wood. BD-2100 Pin Meter. thanks so much in advance. Again, the correct moisture content will depend on the surrounding conditions.