Moisture Detection

WARNING: CONTENT MAY BE DISTURBING FOR ANYONE WHO HAS BOUGHT A PLASTER-CLAD HOUSE IN THE SUMMER!

If your Pre-Purchase Inspector gave you a report carried out to New Zealand Standard “NZS 4306:2005 Residential Property Inspection” then you must have almost zero confidence that they found and reported all of the leaks and decay.

Sounds crazy eh. But the NZ Standard for inspections is VISUAL ONLY so what they can't see, they don't report. They can't see decay, and their moisture meters can't measure moisture accurately or find all of the damp spots. They 'may' report what 'might' be happening but that's not good enough when you are laying out hundreds of thousands or more for your dream home.

If the inspection was done in the summer, it's even more unreliable.

Do you want proof? Have a look at the photos below.

CASE STUDY

We put 51 moisture probes in an East Auckland house last January. Overall, the moisture levels in the framing weren't that bad. Only five in the 'Warning' range (between 18% and 25%) and none in the Red 'Danger' level (over 25%). These are shown on the house plan on the first photo.

We also used our meter in normal scan mode (what pre-purchase inspectors use), and no high moisture levels were indicated.

However, the timber samples at seventeen locations showed serious decay, Another twenty showed that decay had started. Now that's a lot of decay for any house! (see second photo - red dots = serious decay, orange dots = early decay).

The timber samples are the proof (see third photo - two samples show serious decay, two show early decay).

Timber treatment testing showed that the framing was untreated against decay or insects.

So when we read the probes again in the winter, we weren't surprised to see that eight were now in the Red zone and seven were at the 'Warning' level (see fourth photo).

A 'dry' house had morphed into a 'wet' house.

How does that happen?

Because decayed timber wets easily and then dries quickly, so a serious leak in the winter often can't be picked up by scanning or even our moisture probes after a long dry spell.

Your inspector can only find this out if he does invasive testing to test the timber condition at key risky areas.

If your inspector didn't (and 99% don't), then there are likely to be leaks and decay because nearly even house has at least one problem area. These are issues which can be found and fixed before causing more damage.

We have approved a number of Inspectors trained to use MDC Moisture Detection probes to identify leaks and timber damage.

These are vital during the pre-purchase inspection process to test whether there are real problems that are going to cost you money to fix.

Only use a Pre-Purchase Inspector who understands weathertightness and the need to properly test the house for leaks and decay.

For existing homeowners, only a full probe installation will tell you what is happening inside your walls. The knowledge helps you to keep your house safe, dry and worth more when you sell it.

https://www.moisturedetection.co.nz/services/moisture-probe-system/

Call us on (09) 271 0522 or visit our website for more information.

Thinking about buying a house with monolithic cladding?

Our latest blog gives you the rundown on why most pre-purchase inspectors just cannot tell you what you must find out before finalising your offer - and what to do about it.

The tools they use, and the constraints they have to operate under mean that buyers are left with unanswered questions and undetected , expensive defects.

Read our latest post here.
https://www.moisturedetection.co.nz/pre-purchase-inspections-fail-to-answer-the-most-important-questions/

This article really shows just how live and current the leaky home crisis still is for many people.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/real-estate/126021010/former-radio-hauraki-pirate-forced-to-sell-calamity-clifftop-leaky-home

Bill Calvart's dream monolithic clad house now being sold for around land value because it started leaking about ten years ago and has not been maintained.

Leaving aside the wrongs and rights of how houses were ever allowed to be built so they leaked and rotted, the saddest point here is that had Bill taken action sooner, he could be in a far stronger position now.

Maybe the house is in serious trouble, maybe it needs to be demolished, maybe reclad, maybe just some repairs - who knows? No-one does without an accurate investigation. Being built around 1994, it will have some treatment in the timber which helps to limit the decay so that is a positive.

If Moisture Detection Probes had been installed when Bill first thought there could be a problem, he would have known where the leaks were, if the timber was damaged or decayed, and how well treated the timber was. From this knowledge, he would have the opportunity to make the house safe and dry, for a fraction of the cost of the loss he is now facing.

The first step for anyone with a monolithic plaster clad house is to get a moisture probe system installed - usually around $3,000 for about 50 permanent, moisture measuring devices installed at every location which could leak. All moisture contents in the framing timber accurately measured. All samples analysed for decay. Samples tested for timber treatment. Detailed debrief to explain exactly what the results mean and your options for resolving any problems identified. Your own webpage with data overlaid on your house plans. $3,000! That's way less than your annual insurance, for a permanent leak detection system, to know exactly how to maintain your home, for peace of mind for plaster clad homeowners, and maximise the resale value.

If you want to keep your house safe and dry then call us on 09 271 0522.

If you want to buy Bill's house (or any plaster clad house) and want to know what problems you might be buying into, a moisture probe system will give you that information.

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