My adobe wall took 3 months to fully dry after a roof leak

Back in March we had that big rainstorm that flooded the whole valley. I had a leak in my flat roof that I didn't catch quick enough, and water got into a section of my interior adobe wall. Took me three months of running a dehumidifier and using a moisture meter twice a week before it got below 15 percent. Anyone else here dealt with moisture trapped in traditional adobe construction?

3 comments

3 Comments

richardharris16d ago

oh man, that brings back memories of when I had to deal with moisture in my place up in Santa Fe. I built a little shed out of adobe bricks I made myself and the roof leaked for like a week before I noticed. I tried everything to get it dry, even put a space heater in there for a whole month. Ended up having to cut out a section of the wall and rebuild it because the mud just never wanted to dry out all the way. Three months sounds about right honestly, adobe is like a sponge once it gets wet and it holds that moisture forever. I still check that spot with my moisture meter every now and then just to be safe lol.

eric_carr16d ago

That moisture meter habit is oddly specific but I totally get it. My buddy in Arizona built a rammed earth wall once and he still taps on it every time he walks past, like he's checking if the sound changed from last week. Funny how one bad experience with moisture can turn you into a paranoid wall whisperer for years after.

the_spencer16d ago

dude that moisture meter thing is so real lol. once you deal with this kind of damage you never really trust a wall again. i swear i still walk around my place with a flashlight checking for soft spots or weird discoloration after i had a similar issue with a retaining wall i built. adobe really is like a sponge like you said, it just drinks up whatever water comes its way and holds onto it forever. i think people who haven't worked with it don't get how hard it is to dry out fully. you basically have to accept that your wall is gonna be damp for at least a whole season before you can even think about patching it up proper. i bet that spot in your shed is probably one of the few places in your whole property you know inside and out now because of that whole mess lol.