What we did:
To measure the outside humidity, we installed another wireless transmitter with an RH sensor attached under the roof. Measurements were collected by the same central station and sent to the Internet. A review of readings confirmed that the leak was fixed. The moisture in the window sill did not change at all, with the changes in relative humidity happening outside. The leak was fixed in May and there was no more moisture intrusion.
Let’s take a look at this photo.
Window frame moisture monitoring
At the top you can see the discoloration of the paint caused from mold. This area of the house will need to be repainted once we know that the leak has been fixed.
The structure of the wood has been destroyed by water, even after the wood has dried out the warping did not go away.
There are PK probes hammered into the top of the window seal to detect the moisture of the wood. This is then further connected to the transmitter which reads the signal and then sends it to the internet where we could look at it from our home in Portland, OR. So even though we were not on location we were still able to monitor the leak and make sure it was fixed properly.
Wireless transmitter with outside relative humidity and temperature sensor
Outside Relative humidity and temperature sensor. Wireless transmitter.The transmitter is in a completely airtight housing, so it can be installed in areas of 100% relative humidity.
The next problem we found was the broken garden furniture which was another undiscovered sign of too much moisture. Even before we repainted the garden furniture in February, the wood was rotten underneath the old paint. The structure of the wood was destroyed, so it broke under the weight of the person. It was a guest that was renting our house out. In this case, only a piece of garden furniture was damaged. Dry rot can destroy structural components in a house and cause collapsing of roofs, floors, etc.
More to come.