Moisture Meter – Measuring Moisture Content of Wood

We have a serious moisture problem in this country when untreated timber comes into the picture!

The moisture content within timber has a very important bearing on the uses for that type of wood. Having a good understanding of how moisture and leaks effect timber types is therefore critical to determine utilization. Moisture meters are the fast way to read moisture levels in wood.

Here’s a quick lesson about wood moisture, how it works in timber… and why we have leaky homes and leaky buildings in NZ:

The makeup on wood is best described as 1000’s of tiny cells… and within those cells are cell walls and cavities. Heartwood and Sapwood in their raw form (freshly cut) are saturated with moisture, and you may have noticed this yourself when you cut down a tree. In between the saturated cells are very small spaces of air. Once the wood has been cut, and the drying out process of the timber begins, the first part of the cell to loose it’s moisture content is the cell cavity, and then the cell wall.

Important to understand: Once the moisture from the timber cell walls has completely evaporated and the timber itself has somewhat shrunk in the process, the woods moisture content will then be in equilibrium with its surroundings (EMC – Equilibrium Moisture Content).

Once the timber framework of your home has been put in place by the builder, from then on its integrity and life span will be subject to the variations in surrounding relative humidity (and to a lesser extent, temperature). In general, most countries around the world including New Zealand, will have wide variances in humidity between winter and summer months, therefore the Equilibrium Moisture Content of the timber will affected (swelling and shrinking) if it wasn’t originally dried to the average moisture content is will attain in use. That’s why moisture meters quickly help us to determine if the timber is either dried out, or wet.

Are you starting to get the picture about why the high moisture content in untreated timber is causing major issues here is NZ with leaky buildings?

How does temperature affect moisture readings?

Most companies will initially calibrate their moisture meters around 19 -21 degress. The problem with people who aren’t experienced and don’t know how to use a moisture meter correctly, is they aren’t aware of how to add or subject readings based on temperature corrections. The basic rule of thumb, is that you subtract 1 from the meter reading either way per 5 degrees in temperature variance (this only applies up to 70 degrees in temp). The best moisture meters for sale in NZ will have this correction feature as a function.

You should have knowledge about the different timber species used in NZ buildings prior to arriving at a benchmark moisture percentage to work with. Treated and untreated timber will require adjustments. Untreated timber will actually give the most true reading because there aren’t any chemical preservatives to throw the moisture reading out.

We use a moisture meter to test NZ houses daily, and it works out cheaper for us to do the moisture inspection for you then buying one for yourself.

(Source: Some of the above info was provided by NZ Forest Research Institute)

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Client Comments... (All testimonials can be verified as true and correct... updated for 2010)

I enlisted Dean’s services 2 days prior to “D-day” of us purchasing our first NZ home. Dean proved to be an extremely efficient and knowledgeable technician. He has a very good understanding not only of his specific field, but also of general building requirements. He was easily able to spot, and talk me through, existing as well as potential problems, and was very open to answering the myriads of questions I fired his way. Most importantly, he gave me non-biased answers, allowing me to make an objective decision regarding the purchase of a potentially leaky home. Thanks again for excellent service Dean! Simone P - Titirangi

We have lived for some time in an old weather board cottage which we have renovated over a period of years. Recently we discovered a leak, so we googled “find a leak” and found a comprehensive and detailed website of the same name. Next we spoke to Dean and an appointment was made. He was punctual, courteous and his experience was obvious. His thermal imaging equipment is ‘state of the art’ and the source leak was quickly detected.

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Dean was very professional and I would highly recommend anyone that is thinking of buying a property to get thermal testing done. Fortunately it was by pure chance that I even knew these tests were available after speaking to my neighbour and he advising me. The house we were looking at had water leaks and Dean has saved me many thousands of dollars in the long run. David G - West Auckland

Dean is a very professional and friendly guy. He goes step by step through the process which is very valuable. When he finds a potential problem he immediately notified to me and discussed with me in details on what actions could be taken. Anyway no major problems were detected in the property I wanted to purchase. However I greatly advice anyone to obtain Dean's professional service to make sure the property is in a satisfactory condition. Robbie P - Glen Eden

Thank you very much for the great service, very professional and appreciated the time taken to explain the process. Very glad to know that with all the stigma that goes with plaster houses, ours is not a leaky home. The report has helped pin-point some areas for maintenance which we plan to undertake sooner rather than later..Thanks again. Heather M - Maraetai

We were a bit apprehensive about what the leak detection might find, but found Dean’s confident, friendly and very capable approach extremely reassuring. While we were greatly relieved by the findings concerning the exterior of the house, Dean’s thoroughness in looking also for internal issues uncovered a surprise bath leak. Thanks Dean for solving the mysterious odour that’s been bothering us for the last 6 months! We highly recommend Dean to anyone with even the slightest concerns regarding moisture in their homes. Kevin - West Auckland

Thank you Dean for your prompt service. I was given 2 days to have a Building inspection done which found some dampness in the house. It was well worth the money spent as Dean found some other damp issues. He was very thorough and very informative and even though there were issues with the house they were all fixable so I was then able to re negotiate the purchase price. I would recommend anyone buying a house- any type of building structure to have ’Thermo Imaging’ as part of a building inspection. Thank you once again. Maree, Glendowie

We had some concerns about a recently renovation house including a lower basement. Being nosey I popped around to join Dean on his inspection. Apart from enjoying meeting him, Dean was enormously informative, approachable & friendly, I found the technology & information I gleaned fascinating. Fortunately, we identified no significant issues with the property. It gave us great peace of mind & we can enjoy our new home knowing we have bought a dry, water tight property with with hidden surprises. Thank you Dean for your help & reassurance. To my mind it is certainly worth the modest sum versus potential costs you could incur which could also mar one of most expensive purchases of your life.. Diane - Devonport

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