Solutions for control and remote monitoring of moisture content

Published 2022-12-11

We often talk about moisture content, but where is it? Here we explain what moisture content is and suggest ways to measure it before and during construction. Our solutions enable fast and reliable measurement of moisture content both on-site and remotely.

The moisture ratio is the ratio of the weight of water in a moist piece of wood to the weight of the same piece of wood when it is completely dry. Since in practice we can hardly weigh different pieces of wood in this way in a house construction, we instead measure the electrical resistance between two pins pressed or driven into the wood (indirect measurement).

The moisture content of wooden joists and panels changes much more slowly than the humidity of the air, although it eventually tends to equalize and become the same as the ambient air. This slow process has the advantage that a moisture ratio measurement gives a much better picture of the wood moisture in different phases of the house construction, compared to just measuring the air humidity.

Checking the moisture content of wood in building construction.

When the timber is delivered to the construction site, the moisture content can be checked with a Bollmann moisture content meter equipped with an impact hammer. With this instrument it is possible to set both the wood type and the wood temperature in order to obtain reliable measurements. It is, of course, an advantage if the timber delivered has not been exposed to a humid environment for a long period of time, but instead is at a moderate level. Too low a level – i.e. if the wood is too dry – can cause the wood strips to settle and become warped. In spruce or pine, on the other hand, levels above 17% can lead to mold infestation and above 24% can even cause rot.

If the humidity has been high during the initial stages of construction, the moisture content of the wood will increase as it strives to reach the same level as the air. So when it is time to close and weatherproof the house structure, it may be a good idea to check the surface moisture content (a few centimeters into the joists). This gives an indication of whether it is safe to “close in” the wooden structure or whether dehumidification (natural or with a construction fan or dehumidifier) is needed. For such checks, a testo 606-1 is ideal. It is an accurate moisture ratio meter with characteristic curves for e.g.. beech, spruce, larch, oak, pine and maple. It is also small enough to fit in your pocket.

Do you need to remotely monitor the dehumidification of wooden structures?

Wouldn’t it be handy to keep track of the dehumidification situation in your building remotely? Especially if you have several construction sites running at the same time. With a Celsicom remote monitoring system equipped with one or more wireless moisture sensors, you can read the moisture content of wooden structures wherever you are. All you have to do is bring your mobile phone or tablet with you. Simply log in to the Celsiview cloud service and view the metrics, in tables, bars or graphs. So you don’t even have to visit construction sites to find out when it’s time for the next phase of the construction project, without the risk of building moisture into the structure and risking major problems in the long run.

Reliable documentation of measurement data

Since the system automatically collects all measurement data in a centralized location with time stamps, locations and measurement values, you can easily create reports to support surveys and inspections.

Alerts via email and SMS (depending on the cloud service)

The system can also alert you if the measured values exceed or fall below limit values that you specify (can also be used as a notification when, for example, a dehumidification is completed). You can get immediate indications on your phone that something is not right, perhaps with the addition of wireless sensors that measure humidity, as it reacts much faster than the moisture content of the building material. Should there be a leakage of rain or ground water, you can fix the problem before the moisture content of the wooden structure is affected.

Learn more about Celsicom Easy Connect

More instruments and solutions

There are of course other measuring instruments and solutions than those suggested above. Ask your question in our questionnaire or call us on 031-704 10 70 and we will help you with advice and answer questions.