Drywall moisture
user-6651407
| Posted in General Questions on
I have a section of drywall, interior wall of the laundry room, that has me completely dumbfounded. There is no sign of water damage, leakage, etc. but for some reason during the hot day it reads very high moisture on the wall setting of the pinless moisture meter. During the early morning hours, when it’s much cooler, before the sun gets hot, it reads very low and back to 0% in most of the wall.
I have a thermal imaging inspector coming, but he can’t come until the 10th.
My guess is missing an air seal to the vented attic. Hot air is coming in and causing condensation on the cold side of the drywall.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
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Replies
Birdie,
I'm guessing this is an exterior wall, not a partition. And I'm guessing that the wall gets direct sunlight.
I'm also guessing that you live somewhere with high outdoor humidity.
If these guesses are correct, this wall may be experiencing inward solar vapor drive. For more information, see "When Sunshine Drives Moisture Into Walls."
Birdie,
Do you have a traditional vented dryer? Have you checked the vent to make sure it is not blocked or that sections of the line have not separated?