The real question is not whether your drywall is dry but whether the moisture level it contains is safe and appropriate. An acceptable level of moisture content is between 5% and 12%. Even a higher level may not spell disaster if not confined to a small area.
A drywall service will know that homes have moisture levels of 50% and lower and this varies from home to home. An appropriate level of moisture for drywall is between 5-12%.
A moisture meter reading above 16% is generally considered damp, with higher readings posing greater risks. For plaster walls, readings over 20% may indicate significant water ingress, often caused by leaking pipes or external wall defects.
You should be aware that a moisture reading of 0-15% is quite normal and gives no cause for concern. However, moisture readings in excess of 15% indicate the need for further inspection. Levels between 25-30% indicate that there may be water ingress, meaning that remedial work could be required.
The walls and flooring in every bathroom that is being used on a regular basis will have some degree of moisture present. Normal bathroom walls and floors have a general moisture reading of around 3.5 to 5.5. Anything under 3.5 is great and anything above around 7.0 should be investigated and monitored.
The general rule is that any moisture reading over 16% is considered damp and needs attention. If your reading is over 20%, you may need to replace the drywall entirely. The walls in your home with healthy humidity levels should have a moisture reading between 12 to 15%.
Moisture meters help detect moisture spots with possible mold growth. If your MC reading in wood is more than 20%, you may want to check these areas for mold growth. When the MC is above 20%, this is possibly where mold growth can start to happen. Humans have reason to attach negative connotations to mold.
A quality meter will be highly accurate and have a measurement range of 6 to 30%. It will also provide a way for the user to verify calibration. Cheap moisture meters might promise accuracy, but they'll lack the evidence for it. They won't have any studies to prove their accuracy.
Moisture within and behind walls can be detected with a pinless moisture meter. A non-destructive moisture meter can accurately locate and measure elevated moisture levels without the need to break the wall's surface material.
Exterior waterproofing coats can be applied to the exterior walls to stop water from penetrating the walls. The barrier that a waterproof coat will create will insulate walls and keep out rain and moisture, keeping walls from becoming damp. You can treat dampness in the interior walls by waterproofing the roof.
The most common signs of structural damage due to high humidity include chipping paint or wood rot on window frames, wet walls resulting from condensation build-up, cracking floors, and plaster walls due to expansion and contraction caused by fluctuating temperatures between day and night as well as summer and winter ...
The best way to dry wet drywall is to dry it from the inside out. This can be done by using a fan or a dehumidifier. Use a moisture meter to check the moisture levels. Once you have started drying the drywall, checking the moisture levels with a moisture meter is important.
Pinless moisture meters are definitely the way to go for home inspectors. Not only is their technology highly advanced and accurate, but they are extremely fast and easy to use. Given all of these great features, pinless moisture meters might even be a great choice for homeowners.
The industry standard for acceptable moisture content (MC) in wood framing varies depending on the location. But typically, the number is somewhere between 9 and 14% MC.
Readings of 5 to 12% are considered normal, and up to 17% is considered acceptable.
A 20% damp level in a house is generally considered high and could indicate a moisture problem. Excess damp can lead to various issues, such as mould growth, structural damage, and potential health concerns.
During a home moisture inspection, these spots are standard places to test: Walls and ceilings. Concrete basement floors. Attics.
Moisture meters not only help identify the reasons for existing mold growth but also aid in preventing conditions that could lead to mold in the future.
Your moisture meter will now operate on a relative measurement scale (0-100), suitable for measuring non-solid wood or non-wood-based materials, including drywall.
A concentration of mold spores above 500 sp/m3 is considered high. Therefore, if your report comes up with high concentrations of mold, it will likely advise you to remediate the problem. However, it is important to note that even low concentrations of mold spores can cause health problems in some people.
Increase air circulation by using fans and by moving furniture from wall corners to promote air and heat circulation. Be sure that your house has a source of fresh air and can expel excessive moisture from the home.
Moisture is well absorbed by black tea, baking soda and silica gel. These are commonly available products which can be poured into a moisture-permeable fabric pouch and then placed in the bathroom. To give it some fragrance, add in dry flowers, ground coffee or orange slices.
Those high humidity levels are particularly problematic when the moisture can't escape through windows, doors and other forms of ventilation. That's when condensation comes into play, with the moisture condensing from a gas into a liquid on the nearest cold surface – which in many cases is your bathroom walls.