Value of moisture meter

[jim44646]

Last week while on an outing I discovered the floor beside my side of bed was sopping wet. Upon investigation I found a cracked bypass valve on water heater. Shut water of tillgot home and soaked up water with towels. Installed new bypass kit and was done. WRONG. While under TT checking grounds my underbelly plastic looked a little baggy. I started probing with moisture meter. Oh what I found. That leaky valve had sent water down the gas line hole into my under belly and the water followed the floor beam all the way to the other side soaking the fiberglass insulation as it went. I didn't want to do it but I cut the belly membrane open to find water laying every where, it just ran out. If it hadn't been for the meter I would not have known every thing was so wet And soon rot would have set in.
I did order a roll of Flex-Mend, Under belly repair tape.
Not sure yet whether to try and dry out fiberglass or replace.

PS. Puddles of water dripping from insulatio are forming under TT .

 

[campbugjan1]

I had a similar situation last fall. I opened the membrane, pulled out the wet insulation and left the belly open to insure it dried well for two weeks. Then I replaced all the insulation with new...Home Depot had the proper thickness..and then taped it closed with the underbelly tape. It was a fairly big job for this old woman but I feel it is done correctly...Janalee

 

[poppyandnana]

x2 what Janalee did!

 

[jim44646]

Most of what I'm finding is dry but to get at the wet the dry needs to come out. Where the problem lies is where the insulation is pinched between frame and floor joists. That's where it's the wettest and the hardest to remove.

 

[Anita11]

Where can you purchase one of these moisture meters and what is it called?

 

[jim44646]

There are differant ones out there. The one I have is a Sonin 4 way. It tests for Moisture, Stud, Volt, and Metal. I used mine allot when looking for new camper. I'd walk around trailer I was looking at. Reach under and probe a spot. If I found wet wood under the membrane I'd walk away. I check my camper all the time, just in case.
Everyone should have one in their tool kit.
http://inspectusa.com/sonin-moistur...tage-finder-p-589.html?utm_source=google-base

SONIN 50215 Moisture/Stud/AC Voltage/Metal Detector on eBay!

 

[Anita11]

Jim,

This is by the same company but only has the moisture capability. It only has lights for 3 ranges...is that the same on yours? Would this work just as good?

http://www.amazon.com/Sonin-50210-C...=1374108619&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=sonin+4+way

 

[jim44646]

Jim,

This is by the same company but only has the moisture capability. It only has lights for 3 ranges...is that the same on yours? Would this work just as good?

http://www.amazon.com/Sonin-50210-C...=1374108619&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=sonin+4+way

Mine has 8 light ranges. It will detect moisture on high humidity days. It also has other capabilities that I use for other things.
The one you show will still be just as good at detecting destructive moisture. Any excessive moisture is bad. Causes rot

 

[Anita11]

Hmmm...yours detects 8% moisture and the unit I bookmarked detects 14%. I wonder if 14% is enough or if I should just get the 8% unit. I don't need one detecting humidity lol

 

[jim44646]

Hmmm...yours detects 8% moisture and the unit I bookmarked detects 14%. I wonder if 14% is enough or if I should just get the 8% unit. I don't need one detecting humidity lol

14% is good enough. Wood workers like their wood to be in the 6%-15% range. I checked a piece of partical board yesterday that wasn't exposed to any weather and read 12%. Very humid day. 14% is still somewhat dry. 18% and up is wet and time to worry. When I checked the underbelly and it peged at 22% I knew I better be getting in there and start drying things out.
We had a leak in the church roof and was spalding a wall. I used the meter to determine if we had fixed the leak or not. When the percentage started comming down I knew wall plaster was drying out.

 

[Anita11]

Jim,

Thanks for the information, I REALLY appreciate it. I am going to buy it!

 

[Anita11]

In the video the guy said that EVERY refrigerator has a hose sticking out the back. I have a 1994 Saturn and I can't find mine. I checked my camper information and I cannot find anything about a drainage hose. I took the cover off the back of the camper and it looks like it has never leaked in there. Where is my drainage hose?????

 

[jim44646]

Wrong thread but I'll answer anyway. On my Sunny there's a corrugated condensate tube, with a bug stop in the end, sticking out side cover. On my Jayco there was a rubber condensate to over a drip pan that collected the condensate. Water always evaperated, never had to empty.
FRVTS-No3-RV Refrigerator -RV Refrigerators -Dometic refrigerator -RV refrigerator Troubleshooting - YouTube

FVRTC No 5 Part II of No 3 RV Dometic - Norcold -Atwood-RV Refrigerator Condensation Drain - - YouTube

 

[campbugjan1]

Speaking woman to woman Anita..because we have our own way of doing things..I would put two or three ice cubes in the drip pan in the fridge (under those Fins) and then, with the outside fridge cover off, watch and see where the drips will come out. I remember vaguely having one with no tube --I think it may just evaporate from the fridge heat. It is surely worth a try..One of my trailers had the tube sticking out thru the fridge cover vents outside. Its also possible your fins aren't icing up to cause the water,..or the tube may have been pulled off outside somehow.Janalee
P.S.make sure your drip pan drain inside is lined up properly with the tube/drain to outside or it would just drain into your fridge!

 

[Anita11]

Jim, Woops...sorry about that. I don't know how I managed to do that. Weird, but thanks for answering the question anyways. Thank you for posting the videos, they were very interesting.

Janalee, thank you for the advice. After watching the videos and double checking my camper, I realized that the tray doesn't have a anything that would indicate that it attaches to a drain tube and there is not a drain tube anywhere within the refrigerator. It is simply a tray. I think I just have to keep my eye on it to ensure that it does not overflow. My camper is older (1994 Saturn 17 ft long) and that might be how they did things back then.

When we take it to the camper place to have the window replaced I will have them double check just to be on the safe side.

You guys are the best! Thank you soooo much for always being so nice and helpful.

 

[campbugjan1]

Okay then Anita..if you have taken the tray out and there is nothing on it to suggest it mates to something else enabling it to drain..then behold! It doesn't drain!! I really think I had one like that and just had to empty it carefully..won't be a problem as long as you keep watch! Janalee

 

[jim44646]

Finally. After 5 weeks with the underbelly open it's dry enough to start putting the insulation back in and taping the underbelly shut with flex-mend. The high humidity this summer sure didn't help the drying situation. Should be back camping in a week or so.

 

[Anita11]

Jim,

Wow, 5 weeks is a long time but at least you know that it is done right...no rot is going to form.