Moisture meter readings can give a piece of accurate information regarding the unseen condition of a house. House inspectors can utilize readings of moisture contents to locate areas that are prone to develop adverse issues like bacteria, molds, and pest infestations.
But the question is, can a simple moisture meter detect pest infestations? In today’s article, it’ll describe the importance of moisture meter as a tool for pest detection.
Moisture Serves as a Caution for Pest Infestation
Many building & house inspections in Boroondara utilizes moisture meters to check if the pest infestation is existing within the floors, walls, or ceilings of a particular house. Moisture meters can detect moisture in some areas where pests can grow and manifest secretly.
Adverse elements such as fungi and molds can develop with a 20% moisture content. But pest infestation is an entirely different – species like a beetle and can live inside the wood even with 12% moisture content on it, which is way too low.
These types of pests can create visible property damage and can ruin the face value of a particular home or building amenities. Mostly, woods are the favorite spots of these pest species, that’s why a house inspector needs to locate all the possible areas where infestations exist. With the help of pin-less and pin-type moisture meter, finding pest infestation makes it possible.
Detection Ability
Building and home inspectors commonly utilize pin-less moisture meter to spot areas which can be a victim of pest infestations. These reliable meters have radio frequencies to scan specific surface areas for moisture presence. Also, it is more efficient if used when inspecting areas that human intervention is not possible.
On the contrary, if a pin-less moisture meter is not available, a house inspector can use a pin-type meter. If the inspector uses these meters, he needs to place two contact pins to the affected areas to acquire an accurate moisture reading.
This type of meter is more accurate compared to pin-less meter, but it only covers small areas. So, if an inspector wants to check a particular property effectively, he needs to use both meters accordingly.
Common Pest Infestation Areas
This troublesome pest infestation is a result of uncontrolled moisture penetration in a house’s surface. A thorough house inspection is recommended to check all the possible areas where a presence of moisture exist such as:
- Unsealed windows, minor infrastructure’s openings, door cracks, and wall spaces
- Plumbing behind walls
- Damp basements and unused attics
- Areas prepared for extreme weather
- Low-quality materials used for house installation such as woods
- Cracked pipelines or faulty drain systems.
Reliable home inspectors use moisture meters to assist homeowners in taking some actions against these moisture penetrations, which can cause a damaging pest infestation.
Also, it is crucial for a house inspector to appropriately equipped with the most advanced or reliable detection tools so he can quickly spot problematic areas. Besides, a house inspector who uses moisture meters is more successful than those who don’t. So if you’re planning to hire a building & house inspections in Boroondara agency, ask them if they’re going to use these meters.
