Normal Moisture Levels In Attics

This easy to follow diy guide will show you how to monitor your attic s heat and moisture levels so you can afford these problems.

Normal moisture levels in attics.

Wood in buildings usually has a wood moisture content of 5 to 15. Attics can get very hot and humid in the summer. The difference in the two spaces is the dry bulb temperature. The acceptable moisture content in wood depends on two factors.

But we can t leave it a week without the dehumidifier running that s all it takes to get up to an average 70 percent humidity and climbing. Why is this important to understand. Wood moisture content is the weight of water in a piece of wood expressed as a percentage of oven dry weight of wood. Humidity settings are another issue that can make or break the performance of your heating and cooling systems and your attic ventilation.

So they equalize pretty quickly. The average rh of the environment where the wood will be used. If you raise the attic temperature the rh in both places would be the same. If there is excessive moisture accumulation in your attic it will condense on cold areas mainly on the underside of your roof deck.

Outside air moves into the attic leaves its. Even in winter condensation can be problem if the attic is too warm. In the wood scale the meter can detect moisture accurately over a range of 6 mc to 40 mc. By adding moisture to the lower floor you increase the partial pressure of the water vapor which pushes it to areas of lower vapor pressure like the attic.

The normal indoor humidity range in winter should be 15 to. The short answer to this very involved question and the pages of temperature and humidity level data you sent is yes there is a risk that moisture from humid air in your attic will condense on. During the winter months the recommended relative humidity inside a house is anywhere between 30 50 percent. Fresh cut trees can have a wood moisture content over 200 while completely dried wood will have a wood moisture content of 0.

If looking at an attic at a 110 degree f temperature and 80 relative humidity the wood moisture content would correlate to a 14 7 wood moisture content. The wood s final use. The bd 2100 s drywall moisture meter readings are accurate in gypsum to moisture content percentages as low as 0 2 and as high as 50.