TIL a cheap $15 moisture meter saved my basement from mold

I nearly skipped buying it because I thought the old 'touch the wall' trick was good enough, but after testing it on some damp spots near the sump pump, the meter showed 22% moisture where I felt nothing. Anyone else find one of these gadgets that actually works better than guessing?

3 comments

3 Comments

kelly_nelson9516d ago

That meter sounds useful for sure, but I've been doing the touch and look method for years with no mold problems yet. Sometimes having a gadget makes you look for problems that aren't really there. A $15 meter might show a high reading because of surface moisture from humidity, not an actual leak or seepage issue. People spend too much money on tools they don't really need when common sense works just fine. If your basement feels dry and looks clean, running a meter around might just stress you out over nothing. Trust your hands and eyes before you trust a plastic box with a screen.

kai_park16d agoMost Upvoted

Think about it like those people who claim they don't need a smoke detector because they've never had a fire, @kelly_nelson95, it's just luck until it isn't. A $15 meter is cheap insurance for catching what your hands never will.

margaret_taylor4216d ago

My buddy said the same thing until he found a wet spot behind his washing machine that felt bone dry to the touch but was literally 30% moisture on the meter. The old hands and eyes method works great until it doesn't, kind of like guessing the oil level in your car by just looking at the dipstick hole from a distance. That plastic box with a screen actually saved me from ripping out drywall and finding a mold farm behind it later, so I'll trust it over my fingers that can't detect 22% moisture. Your hands are fine for catching a hot pan but they're not lab equipment buddy.