Learned that lesson myself with my old Victorian place. Thought I was being smart by patching up a leak quickly, but older homes have their quirks—moisture can hide in places you wouldn't expect. Ended up dealing with mold and wood rot months later, which was way pricier than just waiting an extra day or two. Curious if anyone's had luck using moisture meters to gauge drying times accurately... might be worth the investment?
Moisture meters can help, but honestly they're not foolproof—especially in older homes. I've found hidden pockets of moisture behind plaster walls that meters completely missed. Better to combine them with visual checks and maybe thermal imaging if you're really concerned...
Good points about moisture meters, but honestly thermal imaging isn't always reliable either. I've had situations where thermal cameras showed nothing unusual, but when we opened up the wall—bam, mold city. Sometimes leaks are so subtle they don't create enough temperature difference to show up clearly. I usually trust visual inspections and a bit of gut instinct more than any single tool. Combining methods is definitely smart, but even then, surprises happen...especially in older homes.
Totally get what you're saying about thermal imaging. When we redid our bathroom, the thermal camera showed nothing weird either, but I just had this nagging feeling something was off. Sure enough, when we opened things up, there was a slow drip behind the tiles—nothing major yet, but definitely heading toward mold territory. Honestly, combining visual checks with moisture meters and thermal imaging seems like the safest bet. No single tool is foolproof, especially in older houses where surprises seem to lurk everywhere...
Yeah, thermal imaging's handy but definitely not bulletproof. I've seen leaks hide behind waterproofing membranes, and the camera showed zilch. Moisture meters and just plain old gut instinct have saved me more times than I'd like to admit...
