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Tagged As

• Flooding
• Humidity
• Moisture
• Remediation
• Water
• Water Damage

Keeping your home clean and dry is an important way to keep it healthy. With excess moisture, mold and mildew can develop, and bacteria can multiply. That’s why many cleantrust-Certified professionals use moisture meters during and after completion of flood cleanup or other water restoration/remediation work to ensure that your home is properly dried. [Note: Ad or content links featured on this page are not necessarily affiliated with IICRC (The cleantrust) and should not be considered a recommendation or endorsement by IICRC (The cleantrust)].

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What’s a Moisture Meter?

It’s an electronic moisture sensing device used to measure the internal moisture percentage of various construction materials, such as wood, gypsum board, masonry, etc. There are two general categories of moisture meters: penetrating and non-penetrating. Penetrating meters use sharp pins or probes that are inserted into materials to measure the moisture percentage contained therein. Non-penetrating meters transmit electrical impulses into the material and measure resistance in order to electronically determine moisture content. Different settings on non-penetrating meters enable technicians to detect moisture in materials of various densities; e.g., wood, drywall, masonry.

Moisture Testing – What’s Involved?

A cleantrust-Certified technician will often measure the moisture content of materials during the drying process and after he or she finishes the job to determine when they are as dry as they were before the water intrusion occurred, and at equilibrium with surrounding conditions. This is determined by comparing current results with moisture content measurements of similar materials in areas or in homes not impacted by the water. This is referred to as the “Dry Standard”.

Post-job moisture measurement is just another way skilled technicians can provide assurance to homeowners that the job has been done properly and that their homes are safe and dry.

Source: The IICRC Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration (The IICRC S500)

About IICRC

The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) is a certification and standard-setting nonprofit organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries. The IICRC serves the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Japan, in partnership with regional and international trade associations.

The mission of IICRC is to identify and promote an international standard of care that establishes and maintains the health, safety and welfare of the built environment.

The IICRC, with industry-wide participation, certifies - and develops certifications and standards for - inspection, cleaning and restoration. The IICRC also serves as a valuable consumer referral source for IICRC-Certified technicians and firms. There are currently more than 53,000 active IICRC-Certified technicians, many with multiple certifications, and more than 6,000 IICRC-Certified Firms around the world.