Acceptable Moisture Levels In Carpet

These meters measure the moisture in many types of building materials.

Acceptable moisture levels in carpet.

A reading of 14 wouldn t necessarily throw up a red flag and is most likely the result of installing carpet on a slab below grade. Checking for moisture below carpet using a moisture meter during a home inspection. This will vary from product to product. Moisture meter showing high moisture content in gypsum board behind tile.

Before you lay the first plank you must ensure that the moisture level in the concrete subfloor is low enough that it will not affect your flooring. Testing for moisture and alkalinity shall be done by an independent third party agency in a timely manner. Test results must show acceptable conditions within manufacturer s moisture and alkalinity limits before. To use a moisture meter check the affected area and compare the reading to a control reading in a non affected area see section titled response equipment.

For example in wood surfaces with mc readings above 20 mold spores can develop. Maximum acceptable moisture levels for mannington commercial carpet products all concrete slabs must be tested for moisture emissions regardless of the grade level or time in place before covering with resilient floor coverings. The majority of commercial and industrial buildings are constructed with a concrete substrate laid over prepared soil called slab on grade. Hardwood floors the maximum subfloor moisture level will be either 12 or 13 depending upon the manufacturer.

Many investigators use moisture meters to find wet areas where mold may be growing. When you install hardwood laminate or vinyl flooring over a concrete subfloor one of the most important steps to take to ensure the lasting beauty and stability of your floors is moisture testing. 07 the contractor shall provide substrates within moisture and alkalinity levels acceptable for floor covering materials. The rule of thumb is that moisture levels that exceed 20 are when you have a problem.

Checking for moisture below carpet using a moisture meter during a home inspection. Then the hardwood flooring moisture content must be within 2 4 of the subfloor moisture. These meters which measure moisture content mc accurately test surfaces and areas for moisture which may make the material being tested susceptible to fungal growth and spread. Other materials such as drywall have different tolerances for mc before mold.

Floor covering manufacturers whether producers of tile wood carpet or high performance floor coatings publish the maximum allowable moisture content of the concrete over which their flooring products can be installed based on results of various astm.