acceptable moisture levels in floor joists

The same study showed a 40% loss in joint strength and concluded that a 20% MC may significantly compromise shear resistance of exterior walls. Do you think that heated floor actually help to dry or do they make things worse and more humid! Great article! Be on the lookout for flooring failures such as swelling, buckling, cupping, etc. Use a level to determine if the floor is level within 3/16-inch change per 10 feet. -XF% Can carpet be reinstalled? Three years ago, the floor sank in a heavy traffic area and an engineer told me Masonite was used to shim and had compressed. A moisture content reading of 25% is borderline to support mold. You can use our free APP called WoodH2O to help you decide on the best moisture content. Studies have shown, however, that mold growth can occur on wood at moisture content levels above 15 to 18 percent, and corrosion of metal fasteners in treated wood can occur when moisture content exceeds 18 to 20 percent. Though on occasion, they are made of 2x10s and tripled for additional . Great article, thanks for the info. Learn how your comment data is processed. It is best to replace the particle board subfloor. Pinless moisture meters are even easier to use. These mold spores land on the wet wood and take root. I was able to get the MC down to 15%. After reading your article and following comments, my question is : How much does the finish of a wood project for indoor use affect the moisture content? Its more important to understand that the wood is kiln-dried down to a certain bell-shaped range of MCs. Im looking for the % number that will be my upper boundary for oil application Would 12% be ok? Its hard to gauge anything off of a cheapo meter, but if and I mean if, we were to assume it was reading effectively, the numbers are too high. look forward to your comments. I had it milled into 2.25 slabs and I stacked it on a deck area. Decay fungi need liquid water to grow. Thats a big difference. I have an unusual question, if I was to sandwich recycled paper (similar to hardwood floor paper only heavier) between 2 layers of wood as a draft stop what should the moisture content be to avoid the paper absorbing any water and ending up with a mold issue thanks in advance for any info you can provide. Reaching these moisture content levels does not mean mold growth or corrosion . 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. 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 for the question. Thanks. I have some black walnut and cherry that Ive milled and want to make some charcuterie, cheese, bread boardsetc with, would the 6 8% dryness apply to this or what would you recommend? Take the readings in at least 20 spots per 1,000 square feet of flooring and average the results. 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. wood using pins while the MDF uses pinless? What wood do you recommend that does not have a high oil/water content? Any moisture content measured higher than that might result in movement, such as warping and twisting, once it dries. My question for you is: after a smallish unheated underground space (similar to a basement, i.e. (Itd effectively seal the cavity under the vanity, so once the trim is back on, i dont think itll dry out much more.) Typical moisture content for furniture in a home is 6-9%. Floors-1/2" in 12' or 3/16" in 4'. 0 WM=8DBaHh10tIKR/OH}X5Kpt'_]4Mfg9@w8~ n$R The photo shows a floor that is out of level over four or so boards adjacent to the external wall. Free Webinar The What, Why, and How of Wood Moisture Testing. 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. Softwoods, such as spruce, can have more moisture. I read your article and really like it. Here is a link to our website for more information: https://www.wagnermeters.com/shop/orion-950-smart/. or finally the product will be placed where. could you please guide or on how much should be the Expected Humidity % in high Humid areas like UAE considering these are mostly for Indoor purpose where ACs are on 247 at say 24 Degrees. Two questions I need a reliable, easy to use meter that can cover all species as I now have a portable mill and that can be used for treated. The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) has a chart that indicates the moisture content of wood at any given combination of temperature and humidity. I would like to rip two slabs and glue them together to make a nice large dining room table. 16% 20% Readings in this range indicate a possible elevated level of wood moisture. Its not growing or feeding on the wood. I had a quick looked around the crawl space and didnt notice any structure damage. Even at this, the estimate would be the high end of MC% prior to shipment, but only rough estimate. This is for furniture-grade hardwoods. I want to use it to build a table and will be moving it to the location where I will work on it shortly. 2013-10-14 03:14:29. Although, in this example, the moisture content of the timber rarely goes above 17%, it is not uncommon for winter moisture contents, in pitched roofs, to peak above 25%. We also have an Orion 950 moisture meter that will automatically give you EMC (Equilibrium Moisture Content) and other useful statistics. Hi and good day , I would like to find out what r the right temperature readings for workable wood slabs in South Africa specially Matumi wood slabs. The other question is what should the moisture content be on treated lumber that will be for the framing of the deck? The acceptable wood moisture content normally ranges from 6% to 8% for woodworkers who build cabinets, fine furniture, musical instruments, dishes, toys, decorative art, boat restoration, or various other wood products. Just press the scanning plate against the woods surface, turn on the meter, and receive the reading. I checked it with my new moisture meter and had a reading of between 8-13.5%. We just had a hydrometer installed in the crawlspace and it is reading 38% as of today. All Rights Reserved. Effects of Moisture on I-Joists and LVL April 2007 P.O. The acceptable moisture levels in a crawl space are between 30% and 50%, with under 55% being the ideal. This method uses the oven-dry method and then compares the results to those obtained using a moisture meter. As this moisture condenses on the floor system, it wets the wood. This is expensive and its ridiculous. Cracks in Concrete Slabs: Should I Be Concerned? Question: Just to make sure that you get accurate moisture measurements, has your moisture meter been checked for calibration? As lumber dries, it may split, cup and warp. When the wood neither gains nor loses moisture, we say that the wood has reached its equilibrium moisture content (EMC). Whats the Difference Between a Home Inspection and an Engineering Inspection? I cant speak for other pinless meters but our Wagner meters are not sensitive to the temperatures you indicated. Failure to do this will result in warping, cracking, and other problems after the construction of the wood product. What is the optimal MC of the fir stock for construction of the windows? I really need to know as I am getting so many different opinions Thanks. 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. What should be the approximate Highest MC to prevent wood problems to include finishes? New roof first week of November. I used my Wagner meter and it Measured in the 10% area. On truss/joist spacing of 16" (406mm) o/c or less, the industry standard for single- panel subflooring is nominal 5/8" (19/32", 15.1 mm) CD Exposure 1 Plywood subfloor panels ( CD Exposure 1) or 23/32" OSB Exposure 1 subfloor panels, 4' x 8' sheets. moisture will typically measure 7-10%. Please dont pay for a Borate spray unless the buyer wants to pay for it. I strongly recommend using a moisture meter, along with a thermo-hygrometer, or even a smart logger before you start building, to ensure the wood is at an optimal moisture content in an environment that has an acceptable relative humidity and temperature range. Elaine. There will be statistical outliers on both the low and the high end and youll want to catch these by using a quality moisture meter. While oven-dry testing, if followed correctly, offers accurate results, there are a few drawbacks: These three drawbacks mean that oven-dry testing usually isnt the option of choice for hobbyists who work with wood. On a hot, humid summer day, the air venting into the crawl space could be as much as 75% relative humidity and 85 degrees. If he is using a high-quality product from companies such as Delmhorst, they provide a slide hammer pin attachment, and they need to use insulated-shaft pins. Would the screws skew the measurements? 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 more specific way to know would be to measure the relative humidity and temperature in your homes air and then plug the numbers into a calculator like this https://www.spikevm.com/calculators/logging/equilibrium.php This will tell you what the MC% should be based on your specific environment. hellow! Thanks. Normal moisture content of wood ranges from 7% to 19%. Any input would be most appreciated. You can Google moisture content of wood necessary to support fungal growth and see for yourself. The plumber said that the floor has an elevated moisture reading and took a photo showing the 99.9% (maximum reading) on the meter while the meter was on the floor. Below 12% Readings in this range are common to kiln or oven dried woods and furniture grades of wood, and represent dry conditions. 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. Post and beam constructions don't have to be kiln-dried but should be air-dried. Using South Carolina Residential Construction Standards to Solve Problems, Website by Integritive Web Design :: Asheville, NC. For more information, see our article comparing Pinless Moisture Meters vs. Pin Meters. During the summer months in the northeast region, wood subfloors and floor joists often measure 19. Wood shrinks or swells as its moisture content changes, but only when water is taken up or given off from the cell walls. I have seen that 13.5% is high for furniture and you should aim below 12%. The installer should then check the moisture content of multiple boards and average the results. Thank you, In wood products manufacturing, 6-8% is pretty much the norm, at least in North America. Should I remove more foam to be sure. Lower differential means slower heat loss. Damn those shop classes I didnt take. Therefore, in order to avoid post-construction problems, a woodworker building a cabinet for this particular interior environment would need to dry his wood to a moisture content of 8- 9% beforehand and then keep it that dry during the construction process. Please give us a call at (800) 634-9961 or email info@wagnermeters.com, if youd prefer. We found out that RH at the final location was under 20%. Copyright - RLC Engineering, LLC. 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. Moisture content (MC) in raw slabs can take additional time to reach its Equilibrium Moisture Content. Based on common guidelines or recommendations, the acceptable moisture levels for wood are as follows: Keep in mind that a woods acceptable moisture level will depend primarily on how it will be finally used and the average RH where it will be finally used. Timber logs & Lumber into India company remained actively involved in harvesting and sale of Hardwood logs of Indian origin. Just across the threshold to a white oak floor installed in ~1914 and the MC is 15%->16%. 1. This will drastically speed up the drying process. A high reading in one area indicates a problem that must be corrected. 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. You can hardly see the humps except the first pier that popped up . If low WMC readings were obtained during the winter, and other signs of high moisture levels are present, obtain additional readings during the summer. A subfloor needs to be clean, dry, level and structurally sound. Both slab-on-ground and suspended concrete floors for wet areas: are deemed impervious when steel trowel finished or polished. I have a question, I have moisture in the crawl space, we insulated the crawl with closed cell, cannot get the osb subfloor below. Keep monitoring it. I live on the fl coast so what should the moisture level be? He added that plastic sheet ground covering that his company laid over my crawl space had been moved in spots and that I no longer had full coverage. Will your meters work to find MC levels for composites? Notice that the EMC of the in-use location is the same as the MC: So, using this chart, we know that in an area of the country where the RH inside a home or office is anywhere from 26-32%, both the EMC of the in-use location and the wood moisture content kept in that location will be 6%. When I purchase it its soaking wet and Ive always given it a few weeks, stickered and covered for at least 2 weeks, sometimes up to a month, to get it down to around 17-19%. The inspector said his meter reading taken from my basement on subflooring/joists/framing was too high. Water was coming out of this outlet and onto the floor? If so, then you'll want to know. https://www.wagnermeters.com/wood-moisture-meters/. Drying equipment removed 3 days ago. The pins are pressed into the wood to obtain a reading. Utilize the chart on following page to record the environmental readings at the time of installation. Am I possibly getting false positives? I would like to load eucalyptus and pine wood logs to India . Hello Larry I am from Bangladesh. Keep air conditioning drip pans clean and the drain lines unobstructed and flowing properly. The shipping time is approximately 45 day in a 40 container to the west coast . 24 and 26 framing studs should measure 19% moisture content or less. 1= z@ We are checking moisture levels in several areas each day. So chart would indicate around 9%. Step 1: Check the Floor. Hope this helps. Moisture contents in wood floor joists in houses with moisture problems are exceeding the 20% maximum level for air dried lumber. Good moisture content for softwoods is 10% to 14% moisture. Readings can be elevated if there is a stud directly behind the sheetrock. What do you recommend? I found your website at just the right time. board. The normal moisture content of wood (or EMC) varies from 7%-19% depending on the RH in the air. Good moisture content for hardwoods is 6% to 9% moisture. Cut out a portion (approx 1/2" I think) from the top of the floor joists. Since water conducts electricity and wood doesnt, the dryness of the wood can be determined by the amount of resistance to an electrical current. To make sure the wood is properly dried, he always uses a moisture meter before working with it. However, the ideal humidity range in some climates may be higher or lower. I will get further testing from those not involved. Thanks for the question. Hello Folks, I am new to wood turning and do not have a ready supply of dry/seasoned (my wood is green) wood. This article is really helpful. )IS0i 1P *V? U? Ideally Ill wait until reaching final drying but sometimes I need to use wood before that point. Thanks for any help you can provide! What are Acceptable Moisture Levels in Wood? 7. So, is it really this wet or is our meter over-reading? Spruce isnt a hardwood so Im assuming I could get away with a shorter dry time. Moisture levels in your crawl space that go beyond 70% lead to mold growth and health concerns. What would one expect to read in plywood subfloor and old growth pine floor joist? First, test the moisture level of the subfloor. 3.Vacuum and/or Wipe Excess Moisture. The floors have started cupping across the entire area with more in some parts. Make sure theyre aligned with the grain and not across it. 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. The new wood was brought in in bundles ~2 x 2 x 6 and left that way to acclimate for ~2 weeks. 12.5% is gettin there but not quite to the 6-9% mentioned in the article. Dryer wood produces more resistance than wetter wood. Your contractor may use something called a moisture meter to see what the approach should be for joist damage, or it may be more obvious based on the appearance of the wood. If the leaks have damaged the sub floor or joists, call a licensed general contractor for repair. z .XWb*QGF^v4MQ`_dRw{\;\'03Uhx-SeJlc!m\8X^,Z/hU5Ewdzz:`nZ!(7reWD4X. During my visit, I crawled to the four main corners of the crawl space and probed the floor system with an electronic moisture meter during this traverse. Please provide us with regular updates. The best way to do this is to use an accurate moisture meter. If the subfloor is not acceptable, it can often be overlaid with 1/2 -inch plywood. the curb is built with 3 2/4s stacked on each other. We had boards that were also cracking/splitting and other places where small pinholes were showing up. It is a 2-3 feet wide wet area that drains to a line connected to the city system. I have removed the 1 3/4 edge and resawn to take out the splinter (1/4) re bicuited . Very simple and understandable. Larry Loffer is a senior technician at Wagner Meters, where he has over 30 years of experience in wood moisture measurement. Were in northern Indiana, humid summers long cold winters. We are manufacturer of eng wood flooring. Heres how it works. If the MC of plywood is above 20%, can it be redried in a kiln or would that harm the glue? In other words, the water weighs more than the wood fibers. Obviously, the ambient conditions within which the wood or paper is present can alter the MC% of the wood or paper. Softwoods typically have higher moisture content than hardwoods. Are the measurements of all wood the same? The wood scale provides accurate, quantitative readings of moisture over the range of 5% to 30% MC in wood. But the table will be inside? 2. Surface molds may develop. >V@Ica4R%f%l&/R*liDqx/nB*?1MH}Su>VeyZ3?>vMLqcwY^U. Would it still be 9% for pressure treated wood? My question for you is, now that it is stained, can I still get an accurate MC? If you need further clarification http://www.nwfa.org is an excellent source. Do you agree with this? The plywood setting is .57. board, and a 12-in. endstream endobj 80 0 obj <>stream 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. The purpose of the vapor barrier is to keep moisture away from materials that expand and contract. Mold starts to grow in the mid to high 20 percent moisture contents. Different joinery (currently using pocket holes)? 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. While the surface of the floor might feel dry, there could be higher moisture inside. Since wood is hygroscopic, it loses or gains moisture depending on the relative humidity of the surrounding air. The crawl space must be a minimum of 18" to the bottom of the floor joists, and the soil in the crawl space covered with a heavy duty plastic moisture barrier, and sealed at the seams. This is more likely to occur to occur in lower-grade boards, where knots and uneven grains are already present. The reading was sky high in the pan and up two tiles high on the wall. I dont know what type of floor you have, but if it gets wet enough, about 25% moisture content or higher, mold can grow. We dont know if we still have leaks? However, kiln drying is used to speed up the process. 12% is good for softwoods, but again, it depends on the relative humidity and temperature where the finished product will be kept. Add an answer. Pin-type meters use penetrating electrodes and measure the woods moisture content using electrical resistance. . The wood looks awful, and the staining the did is even worse. Wood is a hygroscopic material that contains water, even after it is cut from a tree. Ev summary Acceptable wood moisture readings on a meter normally range from 6% to 8% for woodworking. Longer pins with insulated shafts are designed for the purpose. I would think at least fixing your dehumidifier is a must. Example: 1.2mm Hickory wear layer 9mm thick plywood compose of 7 layers, 2 layers acacia, 4 layers of Eucalyptus\2 layers Acacia and one layer Poplar. board will move 3 times the amount as a 4-in. Turn on the meter. Next, check the moisture of new floorboards. A moisture meter will help verify. Ceilings account for 35%, walls - 25% and windows 25%. As the humidity increases, the MC increases, causing the wood to expand. Fresh cut trees can have a wood moisture content over 200%, while completely dried wood will have a wood moisture content of 0%. 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. Furniture maker Lonnie Bird weighs in, I dont want the wood to shrink after I use it because the wood will warp or split.. Phil, what are you making with the cedar, and in what type of environment will it be? However, the company who maintains the dehumidifier said he tested some of the joist which he said only registered 10 on his device. For joists where the rot infestation has been thoroughly dealt with: it is acceptable to leave the joist as it is. meter readings of up to 2.0% and in-slab relative humidity (RH) below 75%. This makes pinless moisture meters perfect for measuring the moisture content of things like expensive hardwood floors. This can be a problem once installed in furniture or a floor. A good moisture content is between 6 9% for Colorado. 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. Kiln-dried timber should be kept dry. Prior to the flooring installation, make sure your subfloor has not experienced leaks or other water damage. Foundation Underpinning Repair: Unnecessary? Many thanks for your advice, really appreciate it! Treatment levels for timber and timber-based materials used under tiles in wet areas where the waterproofing membrane cannot easily be inspected or maintained should be: H1.2 for timber floor joists and wall framing around showers; H3 (CCA treated) for plywood. For a wooden subfloor you will need to use a 2-pronged moisture meter. Home Moisture Meters Acceptable Moisture Levels in Wood Knowing the Moisture Content. I am planning an under-house excursion tomorrow. To establish a baseline for wood flooring acclimation, the installer will need to calculate the optimal moisture level of the wood by dividing the regions high season and low season EMC. Limit the length of notches to 1/3 of the joist's depth. We have a free App called WoodH2O that will tell you the moisture content given certain temperature and humidity conditions. Thanks for the email. Now the fungus goes dormant. The joists can be longer or shorter as required by space and size, and are typically spaced at either 450mm or 600mm apart.

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