Stud And/or Timber Moisture Readers
I am looking for your expertise and help.... I have an immediate need for a reasonable stud/timber moisture reader. The primary use will be measuring wood joists in crawl spaces and moisture prone areas. I am looking for a simple to use hand held unit that is relatively accurate and not too expensive. The device will be used by our field service, so it will be on a fleet vehicle with other tools and a small foot-print and a case would be nice.
Please post your ideas ans/or products and your experiences.
We have used these as loggers in the past but never on residential construction. Usually the moist areas are obvious. On new construction most of the lumber is wet
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To get a tax break by spending money, I always have to look at the bottom line benefit before making the investment. For example, if I pay $1000 a month for a mortgage to save $250 a month in taxes, then I would be losing $750 a month. The alternative is to pull from a CD at 2% or from other investments, such as the stock market that may be returning very little currently, so cost would be $20/month vs $750/month.
Now as for the thermal installation, reflective foil vs paint, two layers of drywall would seem to be as effective as the paint or foil and drywall, so I would exclude the second layer of drywall and make the foil or paint work if the numbers are to your advantage.