Moisture meter

More estimating & workflow terms

• Moisture content

  The amount of water held in a building material, usually reported as a percentage of its dry weight. Restoration crews compare readings against a dry standard for that material to decide when a structure is dry enough to rebuild, and those records support the drying portion of a claim.

• Moisture mapping

  Tracing where water has travelled inside walls, ceilings and floors with a moisture meter, a thermal camera, or both, and marking the wet areas on a sketch. It is one main input to that decision - removal also turns on the water category and contamination.

• Mold remediation

  Removing mold growth and fixing the moisture source that feeds it, rather than wiping the surface clean. US restoration work normally follows the IICRC S520 mold standard for containment, removal and clearance checks, and clearance is usually confirmed by an independent third party.

• Negative air pressure

  Setting up containment with an air scrubber so air is pulled from the work area through a HEPA filter and exhausted, leaving the work area at lower pressure than the rooms around it. That keeps dust and mold spores inside the plastic during demolition and mold work.

• Ozone treatment

  Using ozone gas to oxidize the molecules that cause smoke odour after a fire, with people, pets and plants out of the space. It does not remove soot residue - surfaces still have to be cleaned first - and no US health agency approves ozone use in an occupied space.

• Pack-out

  Removing contents from a damaged home so they can be cleaned, stored, or inventoried while repairs happen. Pack-outs are billed by the item or by the hour, and carriers expect an inventory with quantities and condition, because undocumented contents are the easiest part of a claim to cut.

Common questions