What is the greatest cause of water and moisture damage to a home?
The key cause of potential danger and damage in a unit is the amount of moisture present in the external and internal walls, and the time that moisture remains within the wall, undetected. Other factors associated with design, construction, detailing and materials will either increase or reduce a home's risk of moisture damage.
Does damage occur as soon as water enters the walls of a house?
Our joint study with Auckland University proved that water present in walls does not automatically mean damage is rampant, and visa versa, particularly if the wall has been left in an ‘unknown' condition for a long period. Damage is more likely to occur to buildings not maintained, or those built incorrectly the first time.
Are there other ways and means of detecting this damage?
There are a number of various techniques available, but the only practical and reliable method to get ongoing detection of excessive levels of moisture in building walls is with our patented, deep-penetrating, moisture detection probes. MDC Research and case study history has shown that only by on-going measurement of the timber in the house itself using a moisture detection probe, can home owners, architects, builders and inspectors be certain that it does comply with the performance requirements of legislation. A crude measure of maximum timber moisture content (MC) set by industry standards is 18% in untreated timber and 20% in treated timber.
Where are the probes installed and is any damage done to the house in the process?
Skilled installers drill holes into the skirting boards in areas of potential leaks. The position of those probes is pre-planned by experts using their knowledge and experience, working from the building plans. These are at points of the building that are deemed to be ‘at risk' due to the presence of building details such as: parapets, deck connections, roof-to-wall joints, low groundline clearances, windows, ranch-sliders and any other penetration through the external cladding surface.
Why are they installed in the bottom plate?
MDC research has shown that the most effective and reliable method of measuring building moisture is to measure levels at the accumulation points of the building. Bottom plates are typically the first part of the building that rots. This is because the bottom plate acts as an accumulation point for all the moisture that enters the building in the surrounding above area. Gravity and water surface tension moves the water onto the bottom plate, where it accumulates and causes damage.
How deep do the probes go?
The probe is about the length of a standard ballpoint pen (100mm). Probes are typically inserted deep into the timber framing inside the walls – an area that until now has been hidden from even the most experienced building inspector -- in sections that are assessed as being a potential leak risk.
If we need to drill through the exterior, the probe is sealed into the cladding to prevent leakage. We have yet to have an external probe leak.
Why do you need to measure so far into the wall?
MDC research has shown that due to natural phenomena, moisture levels can vary markedly between the inside face of a wall and the outside face – and in almost all situations in New Zealand, the wall is wettest on the outside face. Research has also shown that because of this, buildings typically rot from the outside in. This means that if you were to take moisture readings from the inside face of the wall, the readings would generate an inaccurate picture of your house.
What does the finished product look like?
Once installed, the moisture detection unit (Mdu) probe is visible only as a tidy 14mm diameter “shirt button” on the skirting board. It sits well below eye level and is often hidden by furniture and curtains. Clients have said that they have completely forgotten they were even there.
How much damage do they do to the walls of the house?
The Mdu Probes avoid all the nasty issues that come with other methods, such as leaving ugly ‘fang marks' or cut-outs on the house exterior, or relying on a number of ‘maybes' and assumptions. We get the facts.
How long will installation take?
A large home will probably take most of a day to install: a smaller home, about half the time. Where pre-existing problems indicate the presence of rot, these times might be extended.
What about the hassle-factor? Does furniture have to be moved? Are mounds of wire, plastic and timber left all over the place?
Some furniture will inevitably be moved to assist the installer in drilling accurately and installing securely. This will be moved and returned with care.
We have had two occasions so far where unit owners – unaware that their tenants had let us in to install – phoned to complain that we had not inserted the probes. We took their embarrassment at finding out that the job was completed as a tribute to the low impact of the whole process.
Is anything else done to support the probe readings?
During installation, timber drillings are extracted to provide a wood sample. This is labelled and checked for deterioration. It remains linked to the individual probe it came from, both as a measure of performance and as a secondary coefficient; thereby adding a second level of reliability not previously available to property owners, unless holes were cut into their walls.
All of this information is cross-referenced into comprehensive reports which we can provide.
Does living in a ‘leaky building' affect my health?
While financial loss is the major concern for leaky home owners, the damage done to the health of the occupants of homes with infected rot is incalculable. There are many cases of serious damage to lungs, skin and eyes. In the USA , health-damage claims run into millions.
How often and when should the probes be read?
The probes are permanent, so they can be read immediately after heavy rain to ensure repairs and maintenance have been effective. To underpin accurate interpretations of how a house is performing, it is recommended every probe gets read at least twice a year to keep track of the seasonal change in the building. Readings done in summer (when rainfall is light) will have little value unless it is coupled with a winter reading. Any building can be dry in summer…..but how will it perform when it rains and the weather turns cold and windy?
What are the advantages of ongoing readings?
That way they can also provide a record of the building's on-going performance, thereby dispelling any so-called ‘stigma' implications that a leaky home will always be ‘damaged goods'. Imagine you were choosing to buy a car and had two options – they were identical in every way except one had passed WOF tests every 6 months of its life, the other never got checked. Which one would you choose?
When should the probes be installed?
They must ideally be installed before remedial work is commenced. That way, problem areas are highlighted before work is planned and done. It also provides a ‘before and after' measure of the impact the remedial work has had on the building. If it is only possible to install probes after remedial work has commenced, they could still be vital in highlighting new areas of concern.
Is the information ‘real time'?
The monitoring process provides ‘real time' information and facts about leaky homes – the Mdu Probes have now been installed into thousands of walls. Hard-to-identify leaks you did not have a hope of finding before are now leading to serious claims on builders, developers, architects and local authorities.
You will never be fobbed off again with a lot of mumbo-jumbo and promises. What-we-read-on-the-system-is-what-you-have-got in your home.
Is the information available to anyone?
All the information we obtain on your home is stored on our database under a confidential code. Other than MDC, only you and anyone else you authorise can access it. If you require the information and expert comment with legal proceedings, we can assist.
Are the MDC reports complicated and filled with jargon?
Our reports employ a simple, colour-code for highlighting different levels of moisture performance:
• a green reading is inside the safe-and-desirable range;
• a yellow-to-orange rating indicates the need for on-going monitoring and that maintenance should be considered; and
• a red rating requires investigation and the probability that remediation be undertaken before damage becomes more costly.
What do leaky home owners want?
You want certainty. Words and promises cannot reassure in a situation like this. You have to have conclusive and consistent facts on the existing and potential problems. And once the damage has been repaired, you will also need on-going monitoring against future moisture damage and an assurance that any remedial work is fixing the problem, rather than continuing the cycle of extensive and costly damage.
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