Best Moisture Meter for Home Inspectors

By Kinza | Updated 3 years ago

We might not think of home inspections as a big deal but it is a huge deal for the buyers and sellers. Before you by any residential or commercial property, you need to be sure it has gone through some basic tests of building inspection. The buyers need to have 100 percent surety as to what they are buying is free of any defect that will cause them money down the drain in a long run and similarly, the sellers also need to demonstrate that the property they are selling is not just a fraud. The home inspectors use a variety of tools, in addition to moisture meter, to check the moisture condition in the respective building. To save you the time and trouble of researching, we have listed the best moisture meters for home inspectors.

Importance of the right equipment

As a home inspector, you would already have a kit full of the tools required to evaluate a place. The basic tools present in the kit will be screwdriver, flashlight, knife, tape, ladder, electrical circuit tester and a lot of other tools that we might have skipped. Without the right equipment, no matter how good you are, you will never be able to evaluate the place to the precision and accuracy that the other person wants.

What are Moisture Meters?

So, you need to add moisture meters in your kit right now. As the name suggests, moisture meters evaluate the amount of moisture present in a certain material. Water can be incredibly damaging to the building if it enters places that it is not supposed to enter. Moisture-related problems are the leading cause of structural damage and you need to make sure the dry parts of the building are, in fact, actually dry. And moisture meter is the only tool for that purpose.

Requirements

When choosing a moisture meter for a building inspection job, you need to keep in mind some of the factors.

• The accuracy of a moisture meter.
• The speed of moisture meter.
• Ease of use.
• And of course, the versatility (which is keeping in mind how many types of building materials can it a test).

Reviews Of Best Moisture Meter for Home Inspectors

Plenty of moisture meters are available and most of them are not made for home use. In the light of that, not only is it important to identify the best moisture meter for home inspectors but to also understand that the inspector may have to use more than just moisture meter at an occasion.

To give you a clearer picture and a head start of where to start when looking for the best moisture meter for home inspectors, we have combined and shortlisted some below.

• TechCheck Plus Moisture Meter

This easy to use moisture meter is worth every penny when the challenging building inspection, drying job, and even installation when it’s thrown at it. The simplicity of this moisture meter, TechCheck Plus moisture meter, offers to make the job of the home inspectors easier and simpler. The advanced features of this new updated version of the older moisture meter is what makes it a better running moisture meter.

Key Features:

• This moisture meter features 2 modes; pin mode and a scan mode.
• The pin mode, in particular, features built-in scales for measuring moisture in wood and drywall.
• The fact that it can also measure moisture in dry walls states that it is also useful for testing moisture in Gyp-Crete floorings.
• It has a Spanish language option.
• The built-in light makes it easy to read the readings in the dark.
• It contains auto shut-off to save battery, in case you forget to switch it off.
• The rugged and sturdy construction of the device ensures reliability.

Comparison:

This moisture meter has features more advanced specifications than most of the moisture meters, with long term battery life and ease of use, it is considered as one of the best moisture meters for home inspectors.

Our Verdict:

We would recommend this moisture meter to people who need versatility and ease of use in their moisture meters. Basically, all the home inspectors that do not need a built-in thermo-hygrometer but need two modes of measurements for better and accurate results i.e pin and pinless modes.

• Protimeter BLD5365 Moisture Meter

This protimeter BLD5365 is one of the most popular moisture meters of its company. With a big wide screen and two modes of measurement, this moisture meter is considered very versatile and highly functional. It is great of measuring moisture in a variety of materials in the building and that is why it is considered versatile.

Key Features:

• This model, in particular, has two modes of measurements in it; non-invasive and pin mode.
• The pin mode is by far the most accurate and repeatable mode of measurement.
• You can also measure with accessory probes, deep probes to get deep into the wall.
• The non-invasive mode of measurement provides and equal moisture across the whole depth of measurement as compared to the highest moisture that it finds.
• The rugged and stylish design is what makes it reliable and wanted by customers.

Comparison:

This model comes with a wide range of accessory plug-ins and also a 2-year warranty. In addition to all these features, this moisture meter is extremely reasonable.

Our Verdict:

If you don’t want to put a hole in the walls of customers and need non-invasive measurements then this is a great option for you. Also, if you are a little tight on budget but need accuracy and precision, stop and just buy this one.

• Delmhorst ProScan W/CS Moisture Meter

ProScan moisture meter is one of those moisture meters that the home inspectors have full faith and confidence in. This moisture meter is different from the rest of moisture meters as it uses radio frequency to scan dry walls, concrete, wood and a lot of other building materials without even destroying the samples. This moisture meter is a non-invasive type, mostly made in USA.

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Key Features:

• ProScan is a non-invasive moisture meter that will quickly find moisture in any building material almost.
• This moisture meter is super-fast, accurate and non-destructive, which allows the users to take a reading without destroying the material.
• The big digital display makes it very easy to read the readings.
• It is calibrated to minimize false high readings.
• You can set the threshold of moisture to get notified. As soon as the measurement goes upto the set threshold the alert begins ringing.
• Comes with a rugged case.

Comparison:

The advanced features are what make this moisture stand out from the rest of moisture meters. The super-fast handling and its accurate results are priceless.

Our Verdict:

This pinless type moisture meter is one of the fastest moisture meters in the market for testing flat-surfaced building materials. We just simply have to push the meter’s scanning plate flat against the surface and push the button. The ease of handling is the most important factor why people love this and so will you.

• Delmhorst TOTAL CHECK/FP Moisture Meter

The Delmhorst’s total Check a 3-in-1 moisture meter s for those people who hate handling and keeping a lot of tools with them at a time and so they built a single device with a complete set of moisture testing tools. This device combines a pin-type moisture meter, and a thermo-hygrometer into a single tool. This fast and accurate device and taken other moisture meters by storm.

Key Features:

• It features a removable RH sensor that measures ambient temperature and RH and calculates dew point as well.
• It comes with 2 modes: the pin mode and the scan mode.
• It stores up to 1400 readings with time and stamp.
• The big display also shows the stored readings.
• The rugged construction of the device ensures reliability for long term use.
• It also lets you download the readings to your computer.

Comparison:

This moisture meter might be a little expensive but it sure I worth every penny spent on it. Not only is it great for accurate measurements but also it can store and transfer data as well.

Our Verdict:

For the home inspectors who prefer a single device for all the things, this one is the option for them.

• Meter MD-918 Moisture Meter

Dr.Meter MD-918 has reserved its spots in some of the best moisture meters for home inspectors, as well as the best one for money. This means that it gives the best accessible results in the most reasonable price. This moisture meter doesn’t measure moisture like the rest of moisture meters, it measures the percentage of moisture in timber by HF electromagnetic waves without making a hole in the metal surface.

Key Features:

• This moisture meter features non-invasive and non-marring modes. It adopts HF electromagnetic waves to measure moisture without damaging the object that you want to test.
• It is optional to 10 different grades of timber.
• It has an auto shut-off feature to save the battery.
• It ensures clear reading in an ultra large reading display.

Comparison:

This is one of the most reasonable moisture meters in the market, with every basic requirement you need in a moisture meter.

Our Verdict:

This might not be rugged as the other mentioned moisture meters but it is an amazing moisture meter for the amount of money that it comes in.

CONCLUSION:

We have provided you with some of the best moisture meters for home inspectors and the basic knowledge of what factors to look for when purchasing a moisture meter for this specific job. Now, you need to see which one of them is the best match for yourself and which moisture meter can you work with.