acceptable moisture levels in floor joists

Wood Moisture Content (WMC) is often used as an indicator of decay problems in houses. 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. The EMC in the recommended temperature/humidity range coincides with the 6% to 9% range used by most flooring manufacturers during the manufacturing and shipping process. Not only did the aggressive notching doom this joist, it affected the structural integrity of the floor system above. Moisture content (MC) in raw slabs can take additional time to reach its Equilibrium Moisture Content. There is no balancing layer on the reverse of the panels which might obstrust breathing of the panel. Obviously, the ambient conditions within which the wood or paper is present can alter the MC% of the wood or paper. Sagging or Uneven Floors Solutions. )IS0i 1P *V? U? 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. 18 years ago the moist content (MC) of the beams and joist was 24% in an area of the crawl space that floods in spring. This means the weight of the water exceeds the weight of the wood by itself. I am having a section of our 3.25 Maple hardwood floor replaced. A moisture content that is too high will also slow the cure of the SLu and can affect the subsequent floor finish. These home inspectors are insecure and inexperienced. According to Dr. Eugene Wengert, professor and specialist in wood processing at the University of Wisconsin-Madisons Department of Forestry, wood should be dried to a water MC thats within two percentage points of the EMC where the wood is going to be used. Most floor joists are single or double, and most often made with 2x6s or 2x8s. I had it milled into 2.25 slabs and I stacked it on a deck area. What is an FHA Permanent Foundation for Manufactured Homes? I found your website at just the right time. Call JADE today for a crawlspace inspection and we can give you definitive answers to your crawl space problems! I will get further testing from those not involved. Please commenr? The pins are pressed into the wood to obtain a reading. Do you think that heated floor actually help to dry or do they make things worse and more humid! Water Level Survey: Are You Smarter Than an Egyptian? h_k0 r ?c|@+wpF=M^r? ( BzPxgA9P{j]s 3r\WQu\@U.Jy'h{>dccy. Simply put, the post offers some useful information. Sorry that this is so long-winded and I thank you in advance if you are willing to address this question for me. 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. Perhaps better drainage around your house will do the trick or treat. Should it be less? Headers, columns, and joists are rotting. What is the acceptable moisture level for plywood? Thank you for sharing such valuable information. 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. Floor joists transfer loads to the vertical beams of the house. The difference is the moisture meters measurement error. 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. Many of our customers are successfully using our hand held moisture meters on engineered flooring. This weight difference is then used to calculate the woods original moisture content. I hope that helps. The acceptable moisture levels in basement walls and floors will depend on many factors. There is over three foot of block above grade around the entire house. They said if i wanted to spend the money, a humidifier would help keep the humidity inside the house more consistent throughout the year. I have about 3,000 sqft on my first floor and this was relatively consistent throughout. This pin-type moisture meter is one of Delmhorst's most popular models. The floor immediately felt stronger. I want to use it to build a table and will be moving it to the location where I will work on it shortly. He asked if I could double-check the findings of another home inspection company that requested expert advice on some mold/fungus they found in the crawl space of the home. we are getting hardwoods from our Uk Suppliers and accoya coming in at 2% and once we use the timber we are reading 0% we have tested the reader and its accurate even joinery grade sapele wood and Tulip wood coming in at 0% we cover these in 3 coats of sikkens paint and sometimes we get jobs where we are having to go back as our joinery is moving and we are guessing its because of these moisture levels and had never checked previously. As a result, the normal moisture meter reading for these materials in between 0.5% and 1%. The average RH of the environment where the wood will be used. in other hardwood areas that wasnt close to the water, was measuring about 16-19%. Using a moisture meter before painting can help you determine the moisture content of the wood. What should be the approximate Highest MC to prevent wood problems to include finishes? I was thinking 10% MC would be ok but after reading your article Im not sure. Keep indoor humidity low. Repair is often required when WMC readings are in this range. Or perhaps I should advise them to buy Wagner meters, for better accuracy ;-). We have had very bad cracking in sheetrock and floors. The boards have dried nicely so far with minimal warpage or checking. It is impossible for me to tell you what the percentage of furniture should be, but if you know the EMC in the area it will be kept, you can check the MC continuously until you reach its EMC. This will drastically speed up the drying process. . Call 256-318-0982 or contact us today. 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. info@rlcengineering.com As a general rule, with geographic exceptions, wood flooring performs best when the interior environment is controlled to stay within an RH range of 30% to 50% and a temperature range of 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that wood intended for interior use in this location should not only be dried to around 6% but should be kept at this moisture content both before and during the manufacturing process. It will be there for a few months before I begin working on it. Chris. I dont know what to believe except the company who installed the vapor and dehumidifier said the vapor barrier needs to be changed out because of all the sewage and drainage stains after the plumbing is fixed. The Building Code states that houses must be built so that a 50-year flood will not enter the building. During the increased average temperatures of spring and summer, timber moisture content reduces to more acceptable levels. Since water conducts electricity and wood doesnt, the dryness of the wood can be determined by the amount of resistance to an electrical current. moisture will typically measure 7-10%. If the wood is covered by a material like MDF or other, do we take 2x the measurements? The typical moisture content for hardwoods that will be indoors is 6-9 percent. Floors-1/2" in 12' or 3/16" in 4'. However, a general rule of thumb is that the basement's humidity level is not over 30 - 50 percent. I live in upstate South Carolina. The ASTM D4442 standard determines the accuracy of wood moisture meters. Continue reading MC in the home. With the WoodH2O-app I could deduct the EMC for The Netherlands would be between 15 and 16. I would have thought that if the floor gave a 99.9% water saturation reading, it would have had to have been noticeably wet. Acclimation is the process for conditioning the moisture content of wood flooring to the environment where it will be installed. We are shipping some acacia chopping board to colorado ( US) with moisture ranges from 10-14% while shipping from India but once product received all get cracked . We dont know if we still should be having a commercial drying process? Hi Larry, just finished a black Walnut dining room table back in November. 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. 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. Wood moisture content is always varying. A study by Imamura and Kiguchi (1999) showed that wood moisture content in excess of 20% can cause a 5% loss of nail shank diameter in four years and a projected 25% loss in 30 years. I suspect the moisture was the culprit? There was a board that cracked along a glue line. Floor joists come in dimensional lumber lengths from 8 to 16 feet or more. Thanks. The substructure may show decayed areas, ranging from small to very large, of rotten floor joist, sills, and . this is an interesting read I landed upon as I was searching for MC in wood items. look forward to your comments. The electrical current will then move from pin to pin and measure the resistance encountered. provide a good substrate for a wide range of wet area finishes. Structural flooring for laying direct to joists or battens is a minimum of 19mm thick. The other was for a $100 retail gift card. We havent gone any further since the condition was found so close to us purchasing the home. This type of floor-leveling is DIY-friendly and costs approximately $1.50 per square foot when applied 1/8-inch thick. When you do this, you not only ensure that the entire batch is okay on average, but youre also far likelier to catch boards that are statistical outliers and could cause problems. Condensation present on the . If this is confusing, dont worry. 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. This is more likely to occur to occur in lower-grade boards, where knots and uneven grains are already present. There will most likely be some shrinkage, so if possible, choose the clearest boards possible to lessen the possibility of any major cracking. I have used spar urethane as a finish on a few other 12 to 18 MC (semi-wet) log projects that turned out wonderfully. You mentioned the humidity outside is 55%. Its still there and causing stains and scaring inexperienced home inspectors who frighten buyers, but its dormant. Now the fungus goes dormant. As stated, fungal spores are beneath the home because they are in the air we breathe-the same air that gets circulated beneath the home. Be on the lookout for flooring failures such as swelling, buckling, cupping, etc. The acceptable moisture levels in a crawl space are between 30% and 50%, with under 55% being the ideal. 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. You can use a dehumidifier when you need your crawl space drier, but it's essential to maintain proper moisture levels as much as possible. The ideal moisture content for hardwoods is between 6% and about 9%, depending on the ambient conditions around the wood.