Appreciation post: The $12 moisture meter my boss gave me is a game changer

I always thought checking subfloors was just a quick visual thing, but that little tool found a damp spot in a Phoenix kitchen install last week. Saved me from laying LVP over a future mold problem. Anyone else have a simple tool that's prevented a major headache?

3 comments

3 Comments

davis.victor1mo ago

Good call on the moisture meter. I keep a cheap infrared thermometer in my bag, catches hot electrical connections before they start a fire.

grace5651mo ago

My buddy's old panel had a breaker that felt warm to the touch. He ignored it for weeks until his neighbor, a guy like @davis.victor, lent him an infrared thermometer. The thing read 150 degrees on that one terminal. They shut it down right then. Found a loose connection that was all black and crispy. Could have been really bad.

wesley8731mo ago

Almost bought a moisture meter last year but talked myself out of it... figured my boot stomp test was good enough. Then I spent three days last month ripping up a bathroom floor I just put in. The plywood felt fine, but it was secretly soaked from a slow leak. That cheap meter would have paid for itself about ten times over.