The $900 moisture meter that lied to me on a flip house

Picked up a pinless moisture meter from a big box store, figured it was fine. Used it to check a basement wall in a place I was flipping in Tacoma before buying new drywall. Meter said 12 percent, dry as a bone. Went ahead with the install. Three weeks later the drywall was sweating and molding. Actual reading with a borrowed probe meter was 28 percent. Cost me $900 in materials and my own labor to rip it all out and start over. Anyone else have a tool that gave them a false sense of security and cost more than the damn tool itself?

2 comments

2 Comments

brooke4482d ago

Heard about @sagejackson’s laser level thing, and my buddy had a similar deal with a cheap stud finder that said a wall was clear, but he drilled right into a pipe and flooded his laundry room. Cost him way more than the $40 tool, and he still jokes about it.

sagejackson2d ago

Buddy of mine had the same thing happen with a cheap laser level on a bathroom remodel... level said it was dead on, but the tile ended up sloped enough to make the shower door jam crooked. Cost him a whole weekend and a redo on the grout, way more than the tool was worth.