Normal Moisture Levels In Attics

Wood in buildings usually has a wood moisture content of 5 to 15.

Normal moisture levels in attics.

The normal indoor humidity range in winter should be 15 to. 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. Humidity settings are another issue that can make or break the performance of your heating and cooling systems and your attic ventilation. This creates the perfect environment for mold and mildew to form.

Outside air moves into the attic leaves its. 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. 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. Wood moisture content is the weight of water in a piece of wood expressed as a percentage of oven dry weight of wood.

If there is excessive moisture accumulation in your attic it will condense on cold areas mainly on the underside of your roof deck. Fresh cut trees can have a wood moisture content over 200 while completely dried wood will have a wood moisture content of 0. In the wood scale the meter can detect moisture accurately over a range of 6 mc to 40 mc. The difference in the two spaces is the dry bulb temperature.

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. Why is this important to understand. The average rh of the environment where the wood will be used. The wood s final use.

Even in winter condensation can be problem if the attic is too warm. During the winter months the recommended relative humidity inside a house is anywhere between 30 50 percent. The acceptable moisture levels of wood and lumber are in the range of 6 to 8 for interior and 9 to 14 for exterior wood or for building envelope components within constructed assemblies. If you raise the attic temperature the rh in both places would be the same.

So they equalize pretty quickly. 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 acceptable moisture content in wood depends on two factors.