25% is to high and indicates a problem, I know such meters as yours are frowned upon by some but it has provided you with a good guide that is there is a moisture issue in this area.Although I mentioned rising damp you need to rule out condensation first, is there adequate ventilation etc do you hang soaking towels on the towel rail ? Have you ever noticed condensation on windows etc during use,what readings do you get from other walls. I may have missed it somewherebut is it simply a wc room or a shower room ?
Is my builder fobbing me off? Damp patch...
- Thread starter Grouseman
- Start date
Sponsored Links
- Joined
- 26 Aug 2016
- Messages
- 6,833
- Reaction score
- 1,011
- Country
trouble is with that kind of meter all you'll get is a relative idea of how conductive the wall is.
To take an extreme example, if you use it on a piece of metal it will say it's max dampness, because it's so conductive, even if it's completely dry.
It's lucky that timber has pretty standard resistance based on the dampness so you can just read it off the screen, but for plaster you'd have to get into weighing a known volume or something complicated! Or there is something you can add that detects water by changing colour.
However if you use an IR thermometer and a humidity meter you can pretty much know whether you're at risk of condensation.
To the OP I think if I had a fiver to put one way or another, I'd say condensation. Lower down on a wall is usually cooler, and the air may not be moving, plus the drying out of the building work.
To take an extreme example, if you use it on a piece of metal it will say it's max dampness, because it's so conductive, even if it's completely dry.
It's lucky that timber has pretty standard resistance based on the dampness so you can just read it off the screen, but for plaster you'd have to get into weighing a known volume or something complicated! Or there is something you can add that detects water by changing colour.
However if you use an IR thermometer and a humidity meter you can pretty much know whether you're at risk of condensation.
To the OP I think if I had a fiver to put one way or another, I'd say condensation. Lower down on a wall is usually cooler, and the air may not be moving, plus the drying out of the building work.
micric is right, 25% is actually a high reading, anything above 17% should start to ring alarm bells. Not sure about that Stanley meter but certainly the proper meters are not a diagnosis tool on their own but it confirms something is not right.
Plot the readings across the wall at varying heights and you should be able to locate the source of the moisture by tracking the highest readings. My money is on one of those pipes having a tiny pin hole of very small weep on a joint.
Sponsored Links
Thanks. So that rules out any potential major sources of condensation. Are the other skirtings and walls within the room giving similar readings ?
Any issues on the other side of the wall ?
DIYnot Local
Staff member
If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.
Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.
Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local
