Your drywall service should know that drywall must have a moisture content of less than one percent to be acceptable to use. Often a higher level causes mold and bacteria to grow. It will have to be removed or dried out to be safe. Moisture levels over one percent can comprise the boards used in walls.
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.
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%.
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.
If there are no cold-condensing surfaces and the relative humidity (RH) is maintained below 60 percent indoors, there will not be enough water in those materials for mold to grow. However, if the RH stays above 70 percent indoors for extended periods of time, mold will almost certainly grow.
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.
Mold needs 55% or higher humidity in order to grow. Also, remember that reducing humidity below 30% isn't a good idea, either. This can cause health problems, making your eyes nose and skin dry, and exasperate lung and skin conditions.
Moisture can be the number one enemy of drywall; any good drywall service can tell you that. According to Hunker, moisture levels of about 17% mean the drywall is compromised and will need to be replaced.
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.
Mold will grow in your home with humidity levels over 55% or higher. It can be controlled with a dehumidifier and good ventilation. Dry walls with a moisture level of over 17% may often need to be removed and replaced by a drywall service.
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.
Moist air can make drywall wet, leading to mold and mildew growth. Poor ventilation: Poor ventilation can trap moisture in the air, which can lead to mold and mildew growth on drywall.
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.
While relative humidity sometimes affects moisture levels, the acceptable and appropriate moisture level for drywall is a moisture content of between 5 and 12%.
Mold on drywall looks like dark stains or patches and usually covers a high-moisture area. Most often, mold grows in humid or poorly ventilated areas of a home such as bathrooms, basements, kitchens, and laundry rooms.
While relative humidity can have some effect on moisture levels, drywall is considered to have an appropriate level of moisture if it has a moisture content of between 5 and 12%.
Levels below 8 to 30 ng/L are considered a low level of mold that affects individuals who are allergic to molds. Levels above 150 ng/L indicate a substantial amount of active mold formation, implying that likely all residents of the house will be affected.
Their spores are respirable, meaning the mold spores can be drawn into the lungs during normal breathing. Both Penicillium and Aspergillus are xerophilic, which means they can grow in low moisture environments; however, both still require a moisture content (MC) of at least 16%.
According to Kett.com, a moisture level of up to 17% indicates that the drywall is recoverable, but anything beyond 17% indicates that the drywall has been damaged and must be replaced or cannot be utilized. That said, time is of the essence when it comes to avoiding mold damage.
When any part of your home's drywall is infested with mold, you need to take care of the problem immediately, or the mold could spread across more of your home, and it could cause serious medical problems for any members of your household.
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.
Keeping the air conditioner set at 78 degrees or lower prevents mold buildup in the summer. Even when leaving for a few days or vacation, don't set it above 80. A higher setting won't provide enough dehumidification from the cooling process to prevent spores from growing.
The relative humidity of 55% or over is a comfortable environment for mold to grow. To prevent mold growth in your home, you need to keep the humidity between 30% and 50%, ideally around 35%-45%, but not too low.