What is percentage of moisture?
Percentage of moisture (often abbreviated as % or w/m%) is a dimensionless ratio that reflects the amount of water present in air compared to the maximum amount that would be present in that air at a given temperature. It is a common measurement in meteorology.
How is it determined?
Humidity can be measured in terms of absolute and relative humidity by the Moisture Meter. Absolute humidity is the mass of water vapor contained in a parcel of dry air at a certain temperature. Warmer air holds more moisture than cold air. The relative humidity is the ratio of the highest absolute humidity against the current absolute humidity, which is dependent on temperature.
What does a 100% reading mean?
If a chunk of air is at 100% relative humidity, that means that the air cannot accept any more moisture and must shed it in the form of water droplets. When this happens, it will feel cooler than the air actually is. This is because sweat can evaporate into the air and make it feel warmer.
Why is it important?
A high moisture content in wood can cause a variety of problems, including shrinkage and separation. For example, if you are building a home with kiln-dried lumber, you must make sure that the moisture content is low enough to avoid rotting and splitting.
What is the difference between wet and dry basis?
Moisture content is often reported on a wet basis, but many of these reports do not mention whether the sample was dried or weighed. This can cause confusion and lead to inaccurate results when comparing moisture content between wet and dry bases.