acceptable moisture levels in floor joists

Hi and good day , I would like to find out what r the right temperature readings for workable wood slabs in South Africa specially Matumi wood slabs. Does it have another common name? I dont know what type of floor you have, but if it gets wet enough, about 25% moisture content or higher, mold can grow. As this moisture condenses on the floor system, it wets the wood. Joist spans may not be on the minds of most do-it-yourselfers, but joist spans are everywhere: above our heads in the ceiling joists and below our feet as flooring joists. If the wood is covered by a material like MDF or other, do we take 2x the measurements? Softwoods, such as spruce, can have more moisture. Even with lower temperatures, the ideal range for wood keeps relative humidity between 55% and 75%. Bird, who runs the School of Fine Woodworking outside Knoxville, Tennessee, says he knows wood shrinks seasonally but wants to minimize the shrinkage and expansion by drying the wood to a moisture content of about 8%. These WMC readings are usually provided by pest control operators, and are included in the termite letter (form CL-100 Official South Carolina Wood Infestation Report). Below 12% Readings in this range are common to kiln or oven dried woods and furniture grades of wood, and represent dry conditions. we are presently constructing a new timber frame residence on ocean front in BC, Canada. They were installed over existing plywood subfloor. They need to carry a moisture meter with them under houses and probe the floor joists to measure wood moisture content. Im not sure which part of Europe you are from, but typically the Indonesian climate is very humid compared to other parts of the world. If decay or WMC readings over 28% are present, find and fix the sources of liquid water quickly. If I dry too much, theres discoloration and breakage of product during polishing. Varying humidity levels can cause wood to lose or gain water and shrink or expand. Observed water leaking along seams of several sheets of original plywood in attic. Thanks for the question. Im down to ~13-19% MC near floor level, based on a cheapo moisture meters readings. Where are you located? I wanted to know if is there any standard which specifies the acceptable range of moisture content for wood used in packaging industry like pine wood. The water was there for at most 6 hours, then we vacuumed it all and started the process of drying. This means the weight of the water exceeds the weight of the wood by itself. Other than causing structural damage, too much water can result in mold growth. From a strictly static MC%, 16-20% MC for long duration is going to promote mold growth. Being that we live in Central Florida, 40 miles North of Tampa and using this chart page 5 ( https://research.cnr.ncsu.edu/blogs/wpe/files/2016/08/Equilibrium-Moisture-Content-of-Exterior-Wood-in-the-US.pdf) were it states EMC for wood exposed outside for our area of 12.5 to 14.0 when I put the moisture meter to the wood it should be in those ranges if going to be used outside? However, this range will vary slightly according to the geographic region because of varying RH levels. Stopping the moisture is much cheaper and easier than repairing the structure. Interior walls non-insulated at around 7-8% mc. About 5/16 penetration into the wood measures 8% using pins only. Check joints and bottom plates as moisture can get trapped here. These home inspectors are insecure and inexperienced. Good luck. If possible, keep indoor humidity below 60 percent (ideally between 30 and 50 percent) relative humidity. I read your article and really like it. I was thinking 10% MC would be ok but after reading your article Im not sure. The home inspectors working for fees today seem to have one primary motive in mind: to cover their liabilities. -25% moisture content in a VENTED crawl space. (864) 506-4701, South Carolina Residential Construction Standards, http://www.rlcengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/RLC-Engineering-1.png. Also, the glue manufacturer should ideally give you some specifications for max and min moisture content. I have about 3,000 sqft on my first floor and this was relatively consistent throughout. It does the same for wood, and is especially hard on softwoods, such as pine or fir. When I purchase it its soaking wet and Ive always given it a few weeks, stickered and covered for at least 2 weeks, sometimes up to a month, to get it down to around 17-19%. Water Level Survey: Are You Smarter Than an Egyptian? Back to top. I requested the treated lumber be brought in a few weeks prior to build, stickered and put under cover to acclimate and dry it. Because the moisture content of wood is equal to the weight of the water in the wood divided by the weight of the wood without the water, its possible for the moisture content to exceed 100%. Here is a link to a calculator and table: http://www.csgnetwork.com/emctablecalc.html. While playing around with my pinless meter and checking the interior East and west walls on hot days, I notice the moisture content being very high 60% mc to off scale. If the subfloor is not acceptable, it can often be overlaid with 1/2 -inch plywood. ft., based on a standard AStM F-1869 (Calcium Chloride) test, or 80% rh, based on AStM F-2170. Freshly cut wood has a lot of moisture in it. I would like to rip two slabs and glue them together to make a nice large dining room table. It was such a good read. Cheers, Howard Pruden in Edmonton, Alberta where its cold and dry. So the question is are those burrs or fuzzing on the edges?, Wed love to have you give us a call to discuss which moisture meter is best for you. 15% is too high, at least for hardwoods. The wood has been kiln dried and packed in corrugate. 541-679-2612 www.Roseburg.com. The typical moisture content for hardwoods that will be indoors is 6-9 percent. 800-634-9961, or email sales@wagnermeters.com. Thanks for the article, really appreciate the info! With regard to mold growing on your furniture, I would have to defer you back to the shipping company as they have more experience dealing with these types of issues. Add an answer. If after the inspection we find that your sagging floor joists need support or your home's foundation needs repair we may recommend using IntelliJack, JES Helical Piers, or JES Push Piers. Now the fungus goes dormant. Use a wet/dry shop vacuum, sump pump, or rags to clean up standing water or excess moisture from the floor and from the surface of the wood. Damn those shop classes I didnt take. Sometimes moving the air around is enough to remove moisture and dry surfaces. If he is using a high-quality product from companies such as Delmhorst, they provide a slide hammer pin attachment, and they need to use insulated-shaft pins. With the WoodH2O-app I could deduct the EMC for The Netherlands would be between 15 and 16. The general process for using pin-type moisture meters is as follows. 2-1/4", the moisture content between the flooring planks and the subfloor should not exceed 2%. He added that plastic sheet ground covering that his company laid over my crawl space had been moved in spots and that I no longer had full coverage. . Since water conducts electricity and wood doesnt, the dryness of the wood can be determined by the amount of resistance to an electrical current. Waterproof membrane . It is not fair to ask the seller of this home to pay some pest control firm to spray Borate on the floor system. Writing all the way from Australia, Steven. You should be able to specify a lower moisture content. Yes, our moisture meters read MDF. What can we do to get the row products closer in moisture content, we are currently using fans, We are in northern lower Michigan I am the general contractor for the house, and want to avoid any problems, would love to talk to you on the phone, my number is 9894647248, Mark Skiba, This is a great site about moisture content. As with any wood product, the environment where the finished product will Live will determine the correct moisture content. The interior home conditions are, AC running at 68-70*F. Exterior wall condition 104*F as checked with an IR thermometer of East wall not in the sun. Room size, L-shaped, is 21.5 x 12.5 and leg of L is 8.5 x 11. On truss/joist spacing of 16" (406mm) o/c or less, the industry standard for single- panel subflooring is nominal 5/8" (19/32", 15.1 mm) CD Exposure 1 Plywood subfloor panels ( CD Exposure 1) or 23/32" OSB Exposure 1 subfloor panels, 4' x 8' sheets. Your help for resolving this issue would be highly appreciated . I am having a section of our 3.25 Maple hardwood floor replaced. This is for furniture-grade hardwoods. -XF% Would it still be 9% for pressure treated wood? Here current humidity is 76%. Wagner Meters has a couple of resources to help you determine the moisture content more suited to your outdoor environment. Why Do So Many Homes Have Cracks in Their Brick Veneer? My question for you is, now that it is stained, can I still get an accurate MC? 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. The moisture content of wooden substructure members is routinely being disclosed in the closing process of real estate transactions. Pinless meters also dont leave damaging pinholes on the woods surface. Call JADE today for a crawlspace inspection and we can give you definitive answers to your crawl space problems! can be laid with falls and set downs. 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 . If you want, just give me a call at 800-634-9961, ext 225. After you remove the old flooring, you'll need to ensure the subfloor is properly prepared before laying the new vinyl, hardwood or laminate flooring. Toilet overflowed and moisture meter is reading 30% in worst area. The thinner veneers wont have much bearing on the reading. The acceptable moisture levels of wood and lumber are in the range of 6% to 8% for interior and 9% to 14% for exterior wood or for building envelope components within constructed assemblies. I am building a farm style dining table with pecan 2 thick X 8-0 long boards. I would also consider the environment where the table will live. This can be a problem once installed in furniture or a floor. What are acceptable ranges of moisture for composite materials like MDF and Plywood, for indoor furniture use? Elaine. A termite repair company (also licensed contractors) told me that I needed to replace the planks on my second story deck. Because of the different materials involved, they will react differently to high heat, thus giving you an un-even plywood surface. 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. I live in michigan (humid summer, long cold winter). However, a general rule of thumb is that the basement's humidity level is not over 30 - 50 percent. 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. To achieve this, Acceptable Solution E2/AS1 says that, on near-level sites, the floor level must be no less than 150 mm above the crown of the road or the lowest point of the boundary. One of his own service guys said foundation caps needed to be replaced. Furniture grade wood is typically dried to a target of 6%-9%. I called them back out in August of 2019 because after installing a humidifier and in the prime of humid season, the floors were showing no signs of improvement. Thanks in advance for your input! The joist span tables start with 26 lumber and it goes all the way up to 212. The wood sample being tested is dried in a special oven or kiln and its weight periodically checked. For example, a 26 Southern Pine joist can span 12'.

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