To close the loop here. I went down again with my new pinless moisture meter and took a number of measurements:
I'm not going to go as far as saying 80% RH in the crawlspace is no concern, but it is a level where I would not expect the wood moisture content to reach a level where mold or rot should occur. Since additionally you have not observed any, it's not jumping out to me as clearly requiring action.
At the same time, I could see why some would suggest 70%, as that provides a very high degree of confidence there will not be issues. I can even more easily see why water damage remediation companies seem to aggressively warn against even reaching that level, since doing so can help generate business for them.
1. The joists measured at between 1-2%
2. The pillars measured at between 3-4%
3) The large horizontal beams on top of the pillars (no idea what they are called) clocked in at 2-3.5%.
The RH in the space measures out at 71-77% over two weeks of observation - once the vapor barrier was taped and sealed and brought up the walls.
Based on this, I hypothesize that I don't have to worry about mold. Right?
Statistics: Posted by edgeagg — Thu Sep 12, 2024 6:20 pm — Replies 25 — Views 1263