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Water damage can cause more than just major structural damage to your home. Beyond the rotting of woodwork and framing, issues with joints, swelling of door frames, and crumbling masonry, moisture can also open up your home to all sorts of unwanted pests.
If you find yourself with a pest problem, especially a pest problem that keeps happening no matter what you do to solve it, you may actually have a moisture issue on your hands. When moisture compromises the structural integrity of your home, it makes it that much easier for pests to find their way into your personal space.
How Moisture Invites Pests
Just like we do, insects and rodents need water and shelter to survive. Especially when temperatures drop and they are looking for a warm place to stay, pests find their way into the cracks and crevices of your home, turning it into their new hot spot. What makes your home an even more inviting place for all sorts of creepy crawlies? An easy access point and lots of water and moisture.
Any water leak or unseen puddle of water can give mosquitoes the perfect place to lay eggs, but beyond that, wood damage fosters the perfect access point for wood boring insects like termites, carpenter ants, and powderpost beetles. This compounds on existing moisture damage, but also gives these insects places within the wood to lay eggs, and the more moist the wood, the quicker the larvae grown into even more wood-hungry insects looking to do damage to your home.
Additionally, small rodents can slip into the smallest of crevices created by rot and water damage, and start a new nest inside your home. This can make moisture problems even worse, as mice have been known to chew clear through plastic water pipes and create flooding and additional moisture damage.
How to Prevent Unwanted Visitors
What’s the best way to protect your home from these pests? Repair the leaks and cracks where moisture can start to seep and flow into your home, bringing insects and rodents with it. But finding the source of a moisture issue can be challenging.
The most effective way to locate the areas of moisture is with a universal moisture meter, which can take moisture readings no matter the material. With the ability to take accurate readings of wood, drywall, composite, and more, you will never have to worry whether your reading is correct. Once you’ve located the source of the water, it’s much easier to make necessary repairs that will last, keeping the pests outside where they belong.
Where should you begin your search for moisture within your home? When inspecting for water damage, use your moisture meter to check the following locations to keep pests out:
- Leaking pipes and pipe joints, and the framing and wood surrounding them
- Caulking and framing around bathtubs
- Window frames and door frames
- Cracks and corners, especially in basements
- Around sinks and cabinets
- Exterior walls, both inside and out
- Around the foundation of your home
- Stucco walls, especially in homes built in the 1970s through the 1990s, which are experiencing major mold, rot, and water issues
Not only do Kett’s moisture meters stand the test of time, but they are also multi-functional. Learn more about the versatility of a universal moisture meter here. From home improvement projects and construction to installing drywall, woodworking, storing grain, and papermaking, and options to program and reprogram the meter, there’s not much our moisture meter can’t do - including help keep your home pest free.
Ready to shop for a moisture meter of your very own, or have questions for our team? Contact Kett today to learn more about our moisture meters and get started on the path to a dry home that’s free from insects and pests.