Hello everyone,
We built a house in 2015 and shortly afterward covered the attic floor with OSB boards (including cross battens). Looking back, I’ve read that OSB might not be the best choice and can potentially lead to mold growth, but I’m not keen on tearing everything out again. It’s an unheated attic.
Now, one could cut open a few spots to check for mold, or—here’s the question—should I use a moisture meter? I have an electronic one with a metal probe on the front, which measures moisture content. I’ve already taken several readings in the attic, and all the values were good—so dry.
Would it be possible to use the meter to detect damp areas without causing damage, allowing me to identify spots with a higher risk of mold? OR is that not advisable, and should I actually remove the boards and check directly?
Thanks for your opinions.
We built a house in 2015 and shortly afterward covered the attic floor with OSB boards (including cross battens). Looking back, I’ve read that OSB might not be the best choice and can potentially lead to mold growth, but I’m not keen on tearing everything out again. It’s an unheated attic.
Now, one could cut open a few spots to check for mold, or—here’s the question—should I use a moisture meter? I have an electronic one with a metal probe on the front, which measures moisture content. I’ve already taken several readings in the attic, and all the values were good—so dry.
Would it be possible to use the meter to detect damp areas without causing damage, allowing me to identify spots with a higher risk of mold? OR is that not advisable, and should I actually remove the boards and check directly?
Thanks for your opinions.
Majo83 schrieb:
Hello everyone,
We built a house in 2015 and shortly afterwards covered the attic floor with OSB boards (including cross battens).
Now, in hindsight, I’ve read that OSB might not be the best choice and can lead to mold growth, but I’m not keen on tearing everything out again.
It’s an unheated attic.
One option would be to cut open some spots to check for mold, or… that’s my question: Should I use a moisture meter?
I have an electronic one with a metal probe that measures moisture content.
I’ve already measured at several places up there and all values were fine—dry.
Would it be possible to use this device to detect damp areas without causing damage, areas which could indicate a higher risk of mold?
OR is it not advisable and I SHOULD remove the boards and check visually?
Thanks for your opinionHi,
somehow I don’t quite understand the question.
What do you mean by “appropriate time”?
We were advised to wait about one year before installing OSB boards. We followed that guideline.
Also, like @Jochen104, we left a small perimeter gap (it is actually quite difficult to fit OSB boards flush in the corners). We left about 5-10cm (2-4 inches) clearance on the sides and 10-15cm (4-6 inches) at the gable walls.
The ceiling structure of the upper floor in our case (from below) — without guarantee of accuracy: gypsum drywall – counter battens – vapor barrier – ceiling joists. Insulation goes between the ceiling joists.
A friend even said: If you have a vapor barrier installed, no moisture should really penetrate from below. If that is correct — where is the moisture supposed to come from?
B
Bieber08154 Jan 2016 19:49f-pNo schrieb:
We were once advised to wait about 1 year before installing the OSB panels. Do you know the reason behind this recommendation?
Bieber0815 schrieb:
Do you know the background of this recommendation?The reason given at the time was that the house will continue to dry out even after the drying phase and after moving in. This ongoing drying process can last for years, but after about a year, the OSB boards can be installed.
At that time, the explanation made perfect sense to me.
The comment from my acquaintance:
f-pNo schrieb:
If you have the vapor barrier installed, moisture shouldn’t actually penetrate from below.came about a year later. However, it is somewhat understandable. Therefore, the earlier question
f-pNo schrieb:
If this is correct – where is the moisture supposed to come from?is something I would genuinely be interested in myself.We waited one year and installed the boards in December. Just before Christmas, it was finished – hooray.
f-pNo schrieb:
A friend even said: If you have the vapor barrier installed, moisture shouldn’t actually penetrate from below. If that’s correct – where would the moisture come from? Warning, non-expert opinion:
I suspect that small amounts of moisture might come from the masonry and the timber frame (I believe they can still contain residual moisture up to 15%). If you have a vapor barrier underneath and a mostly airtight layer with OSB panels above, I can definitely imagine that mold could develop.
That’s why, as I mentioned before, we left a ventilation gap and have not yet laid all the panels. For us, they will only go on the front part of the shed roof anyway, since I can’t use the rear area, and the main beam gets in the way.
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