# Help with info on moisture meters. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 29, 2006, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-info-on-moisture-meters/366543 "2006-07-29T14:57:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2006, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-info-on-moisture-meters/366543/1 "2006-07-29T14:57:25Z")
I recently encountered a leakage problem in my home after the heavy rains. While some areas are obviously damaged, I thought I would check other areas for abnormal amounts of moisture in ceilings and walls. I thought that maybe I would purchase a moisture meter to do some checking. My initial research seems to indicate that there are very cheap models ($30) and then there is a price jump into the hundreds of dollars. It thought that maybe I could get something decent for under $100 but now I am leary of purchasing a cheapie. What is the difference that causes the huge price disparity? Will a cheapie serve my purposes or will it just give me unreliable information? Is there something out there for $50 - $100 that is useful and reliable? ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-info-on-moisture-meters/366543/2 "2006-07-31T12:43:03Z")
Let me bump this for the weekday crowd. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-info-on-moisture-meters/366543/3 "2006-07-31T15:17:18Z")
> [@Spartydog](#): > > Is there something out there for $50 - $100 that is useful and reliable? Yes! I suspect that all you need is a $30-50 digital read out of temperature and humidity. If you are really in NEED of high accuracy results spend whatever it takes. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-info-on-moisture-meters/366543/4 "2006-07-31T15:58:49Z")
The cheapies are O.K. for relative RH measurements. Which is probably all you need. If you want good \*absolute \* accuracy, you will need to spend more money, and/or have the unit calibrated. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-info-on-moisture-meters/366543/5 "2006-07-31T16:22:34Z")
> [@Spartydog](#): > > I thought that maybe I would purchase a moisture meter to do some checking. My initial research seems to indicate that there are very cheap models ($30) and then there is a price jump into the hundreds of dollars. It thought that maybe I could get something decent for under $100 but now I am leary of purchasing a cheapie. It just ocurred to me that what you are asking about is a CONTACT moisture meter, NOT an RH meter. These are NOT cheat. ~$400 more or less. A cheapie would give some indication of the presense of moisture and may be sufficient for determining if things have been dried out or not. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-info-on-moisture-meters/366543/6 "2006-07-31T17:24:41Z")
> [@spingears](#): > > It just ocurred to me that what you are asking about is a CONTACT moisture meter, NOT an RH meter. Hmm. So is he looking for a RH meter, or a device that measures the moisture content of a solid substance? ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-info-on-moisture-meters/366543/7 "2006-07-31T18:18:41Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Hmm. So is he looking for a RH meter, or a device that measures the moisture content of a solid substance? Yes. I want to check drywall, floors, joists, ceilings. I want to determine areas that may have been water damaged relative to the dry areas.