Moisture Check

[Habib John Gonzalez <habibg@netidea.com>]

Yesterday was moisture recording day for my unheated load bearing utility
building. As usual, the moisture content at the the three sites is stable
around 14.6 %. This building is finished and the probes are built into the
walls.

It seemed like a good time to visit Carl Schlichting in nearby Passmore, BC.
Carl and his family have moved into their 3900 sq.ft. two story post & beam
bale home over the Christmas holidays. Interestingly, only the outside of the
building is covered, with a single coat of cement stucco. The building has
been heated for over two months and the CMHC style moisture sensors are not
yet installed.

We did a very casual moisture survey: seven sites, two readings each-one at
mid bale and the other deep, near the stucco; sites were chosen randomly on
both floors,a few high, most were low or mid wall. The probe was a New
Holland Hay/Forage Tester.

The moisture content varied between 14.4 and 14.9% throughout the house.
The bathroom MC's were consistently 14.4% at both probe depths.
At three sites the deep reading was higher than the mid bale site, the
variation was between +.3 to +.5% MC. During the cold spells of -17 degrees
C, Carl observed moisture on the outside walls, these disappeared with warmer
temperatures.

The house has both a heated slab and a wood heater. The builder said the
carved posts and beams have undergone 'significant' checking since the heat
has been turned on, the inside air is dry even with a pot of water kept on
the wood heater.

There is a second floor reading room at the head of the stairs. The bales
under the picture window are unparged on both sides and the temperature in
these bales was 8 degrees F. warmer than the bales with the single coat of
exterior stucco. Carl commented the bales were happily exhaling a lot of
heat.

What does it all mean? I dunno, but it is a look at a heated bale building
with only the exterior parged and there was no obvious moisture build up
under the exterior stucco.

Comments, observations, please.


all the best,


Habib

Sustainable Works
C-5, S-10, RR#1
Winlaw, BC, Canada VOG 2J0
ph/fax:250/226-7972
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