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Moisture content of a piece of material
- Moisture meter readings indicate the moisture content of a piece of material—wood, or sometimes concrete, gypsum, or drywall. Moisture content (MC) is the amount of water in a piece of wood. It is the weight of the water divided by the weight of the wood, expressed as a percentage. This number shows up on the moisture meter.
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Find out which reading is considered normal on a moisture meter. Learn what is the normal moisture value on different materials and surfaces.
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- How Moisture Testing Works
- What Are Moisture Reading Scales?
- Pro Tips For Measuring Moisture with A Reference Scale Moisture Meter
- What Can Affect The Accuracy of A Moisture Content Measurement?
- How The Condition of The Moisture Meter Impacts Reading Accuracy
- Making Sure The Meter Is in The Correct Moisture Reading Scale
- How Extreme Temperatures Can Impact Moisture Readings For Pin Meters
- How Flaws in Materials Can Affect Pinless Moisture Meter Readings
- How Surface Moisture Skews Moisture Testing Results
- Checking The Accuracy of Moisture Meter Readings
Understanding how a moisture meter works is crucial for understanding moisture meter readings and what can affect them. There are two primary methods by which moisture testingin solid materials works: 1. Electrical Resistance Moisture Testing.This method uses a pair of electrodes that are inserted into the material being tested. Then, an electric c...
Different materials will have physical properties that make them react differently when tested with a moisture meter. For example, wood has a different level of electrical resistance than drywall—this will affect how a moisture meter gauges the amount of moisture each material possesses. So, a moisture meter is usually calibrated to provide accurat...
When using a reference scale moisture meter, it can be helpful to take a moisture reading from a sample of material that you know is dry before conducting further tests. This gives you a comparison point for future reference—allowing you to more reliably identify moisture-compromised materials. Additionally, when using a reference scale meter, it’s...
There are several things that can impact moisture meter accuracy—and different types of moisture meters may be affected differently. Some examples of things that can impact the accuracy of moisture testing include: 1. The condition of the meter; 2. Whether the meter is in the correct reading scale mode; 3. The temperature of the material being test...
Damage to a moisture metercan have a significant impact on the meter’s accuracy. For example, a dented or scratched scanning plate on a pinless moisture meter can keep the meter from making smooth contact with the surface of the material being tested. This throws off the moisture reading’s accuracy. Broken or rusted contact pins might not conduct e...
Some higher-end moisture meters may have the ability to switch between different moisture reading scales. However, as convenient as this feature is, it can lead to some erroneous readings if the user keeps the meter in the wrong reading scale when testing other materials. Part of knowing how to understand moisture meter readings to get accurate res...
Because pin meters work on the principle of electrical resistance, the current temperature of the material being testedcan have a significant impact on the accuracy of moisture testing. At higher temperatures, the electrical resistance of a material decreases. At lower temperatures, the resistance of a material increases. In most cases, this isn’t ...
While pinless moisture meters aren’t as susceptible to inaccuracy from changes in material temperature, they can be affected by flaws in a material. Why would flaws in the material being tested matter? Because the electromagnetic frequencies used to scan the material in question use distortions in the radio wave to measure moisture content in build...
A final major factor that can affect the accuracy of moisture meter readings is the presence of water on the surface of an object. With pin meters, the standing water on the top of a piece of wood can cause the electrical current to be routed through the water instead of the material being tested. With pinless meters, surface moisture can spoil the...
Over time, a moisture meter may, through repeated use or accidental damage, fall out of calibration and start generating erroneous moisture testing results. Because of this fact, it’s important to test the accuracy of a moisture meter before putting it to use. There are a few ways to check moisture meter accuracy, including: 1. Using a Second Moist...
- The Reference Scale. The reference scale is quite different from most other moisture measurement scales. Most reading scales are designed to provide a specific, quantitative measurement of moisture content (%MC) in a given type of material.
- The Wood Scale. The wood scale is, as the name implies, optimized for getting precise %MC measurements in wood materials. This scale is often used in the flooring, construction, lumber, and restoration industries.
- The Drywall Scale. With most moisture meters, drywall is measured using the reference scale and comparisons to dry materials. However, Delmhorst offers several moisture meters that are calibrated specifically for drywall.
- Hay Scale. Hay moisture meters work by providing a percentage-based moisture content measurement of moisture in hay. These meters typically work best when measuring a haystack or bale because the hay will be more tightly packed.
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- Reference scale. The moisture reading scales are designed to determine a specific, quantitative amount of moisture content (%MC) in a particular type of material.
- Wood scale. From the name, it’s clear that the wood scale is used for determining moisture content in wood materials. It’s commonly used in the flooring, construction, lumber, and restoration industries.
- Drywall scale. Drywall scales are used to determine the moisture content of construction, home inspection, and water damage restoration industries. It uses a reference scale and does a comparison with dry materials to determine the amount of moisture present.
- Hay scale. As the name suggests, the hay scale moisture meter is used for detecting the moisture content of hay. The hay scale range generally remains between 6% to 40%.
Moisture content (MC) is a reference to the amount of moisture present in a material. This value is often represented as a percentage of the material’s mass (such as X% MC). The amount of moisture in an object can be measured in several different ways, such as with oven-dry tests or moisture meters.
With readings representative of actual moisture content in wood and WME (see below) in a wide range of building materials, pin-type meter measurements should be used to confirm the readings found by a pinless meter and are the predominant confirmation of excessive moisture.
What do the moisture meter readings mean? Moisture meter readings indicate the moisture content of a piece of material—wood, or sometimes concrete, gypsum, or drywall. Moisture content (MC) is the amount of water in a piece of wood.
