Are my floorboards damp enough to have to replace?

[Live&Learn]

Can you mark where the wet patch is? It may give clues to the source of the water.

you have said they only 'look damp'. A meter will help confirm it.

There are no "wet" patches, the boards were bone-dry.

Thanks

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

There are no "wet" patches, the boards were bone-dry.

Your initial post in this thread mentions damp floorboards, which you were asking about the need to replace them and buying a damp meter - now you are suggesting they are bone-dry. I'm confused..

 

[ETAF]

The user manual for that tool station damp meter is here, different model number, as given on the toolstation site

https://www.drapertools.com/products/manuals/43618ins.pdf

Has a Wood setting
I have used a different damp meter from amazon, still a cheap tool, BUT i used mainly for comparative measurements and a damp issue we had rather than looking at the absolute number it produced. And having resolved a potential damp issue I monitored over 3 months to see if the numbers changed.
Same thing with son-in-law , and we found a small leak in the shower tray, as we were able to see the readings increase, along an ajoining wall and skirting, were it looked like the water was coming in from a different source.

 

[Live&Learn]

Your initial post in this thread mentions damp floorboards, which you were asking about the need to replace them and buying a damp meter - now you are suggesting they are bone-dry. I'm confused..

Yes, they seem damp (but they are not damp to the touch)

I apologise if I am using incorrect terminology. They look like they do in the pictures but they are dry to the touch. Maybe the word to be used is "stained"?

 

[ETAF]

did you get the meter?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

The user manual for that tool station damp meter is here, different model number, as given on the toolstation site

https://www.drapertools.com/products/manuals/43618ins.pdf

Has a Wood setting

It gives no clues about the % values to expect, but a good place to start is by testing a known to be dry section of wood which has been indoors for a few years, as a reference. Then any reading higher than that suggests moisture. I think generally is should be around 15 to 20% for dry wood.

I make good use of my damp meter, in my utility room in winter. I have a fan, dehumidifier and washing lines rigged up for clothes drying and it is always chilly in there - difficult to tell whether clothes are just cold or still damp. The meter instantly confirms which

 

[ETAF]

my Unit
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brennenstu...d=1&keywords=damp+meter&qid=1607778086&sr=8-5
has this info in the user info
Moisture Content
wood (%)
Low
5 – 11,9 %
Middle
12 – 15,9 %
High
16 – 50 %

BUT i NEVER used those numbers , I always tried a reference , even a skirting board in a different room

 

[Live&Learn]

did you get the meter?

Yes, it was low moisture content so we put underlay and laminate straight on it.

Thanks.

 

[foxhole]

A meter will only detect moisture in timber , on a wall it detects condensation as it’s not capable of penetrating the plaster .