b]June 2009: [/b]We had installed Scandian Bonita Gold Series Tiger wood in last June (June 200) in two formals, one family room , stairs and upstairs room. Total is 1400 sq ft. The installer did not do any moisture test and communicated to us that since the subfloor (after removal of carpet) looks white and not gray that means there is no moisture present.
Issue from July 2009: Within 1-2 months, since July 2009 we started observing small cracks in 2-3 planks. I called the Installer many times and he came to see the house in the month of November with Distributor inspector. Till November many planks had such cracks. Both observed the issue very closely and found out that one of the uninstalled planks has similar very visible gaps. I had used Steam mop cleaner 2-3 times till November. Installer told me in November's visit that I should not have used the Steam mop. However, the distributor's inspector was very confident that the issue is with the wood. It took over a month for distributor to finalize the report and to forward it to the manufacturer.
Independent inspector in March: Manufacturer send an independent inspector to inspect the wood[/color]. Independent inspector came in March and she did close inspection and took moisture reading using moisture meter. She asked if any moisture test was done before installation. Answer was no. Two weeks later we received report from the installer. The report basically said that the issue is because of moisture. We talked to the installer and he now tells us that it is because of steam mop and asked us to get another Independent inspector do the test. Independent inspector in April: We called another independent inspector and he took all the readings and asked whether moisture test was don. His report came with moisture reading between 17% and 30%.
We called installer and communicated the same and he said that he had measured the moisture before installation. He never mentioned earlier that he measured moisture before installation.
Is the whole issue is because of steam mop. How can the moisture reading be so high even after six/seven months of not using steam cleaner?
Unopened box which was stored at room temperature was opened recently and it had three plans with cracks? Does manufacturer should take responsibility?
Moisture was not measured before installation after repeatedly asking the installer, is he responsible for it?
The upstairs living room has only 4-5 planks with cracks and with moisture reading less than downstairs part.
What option do we have? Shall we meet manufacturer and installer together? Can installer create back dates moisture measurement reports?
Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
THANKS IN ADVANCE.
SAP

Sounds like your relying on their findings.

It would behoove you to have your own un-biased investigation done.

I suggest contacting the NWFACP and finding an investigator in your region

http://www.nwfacp.org/findCp.aspx

Floorguy, Thanks for your reply and the link. As mentioend below, we already took the service of another independant inspector in April. I am not sure whether he was from http://www.nwfacp.org/findCp.aspx firm. I will check that. We are planning to meet our installer this week end, since we did not get chance to meet him face to face. Do you recommend to do inspection one more time before meeting the installer?
Thanks in advance.

Were they using a non-invasive meter or a pin meter for the mc tests? To me 30% sounds a little odd like they used a non-invasive meter. Next inspector that comes out...ask if they ever have installed hardwood for a living. lol

Typically a huge percentage never have and rely on manufacturers biased triaining. Thats all they know.

Cracks/checking outa the box usually means low mc. Installers should not be responsible for mositure issues after the fact as they can change in a matter of several days unless preventitive steps were taken, and if you objected due to the cost it's your fault.

fiber saturation point is like 28% so anything over that is non-sense. If the floor was reading that high it would be buckled and or cupped out the wazoo. VISUAL moisture test is some hair brain installer b.s. I would be willing to bet they are checks from too low r/h.

floormeintucson, thanks for the reply. We did not object for preventative moisture treatment before installation.

Can anybody guide about what should be the next step?

Also, following is additional information.
I do not see the option to load the image of "Tramex moisture encounter plus" meter which has scale 1,2 adn 3 where scale 1 is set for "Wood , Timber" and meter reading goes out of scale on one insatalled hard wood plank where cracks are visible.

[color=#800000]Following paragraph is from Manufaturer's independent inspector's report.
This flooring inspector carefully examined the floor and tested for the presence of moisture utilizing two different styles of Protimeter Professional grade moisture meters. The popular pin-type digital meter, that measures electrical resistance across the opposed set of pins, was pushed into the top of the flooring for a reading, then the MMS (Moisture Measurement System) non-intrusive, pin-less meter, with a "read through" signal penetration of one inch, was placed against the top of the floor to give an
indication of the moisture in the subsurface. This meter is the newest generation of moisture measurement inspection tools available. It incorporates an extremely sensitive processor that accurately records the presence of moisture on a digital scale. However, it should be mentioned that a moisture test is only as accurate as the day it is taken. It is very possible that a higher amount of moisture intrusion occurred days, weeks, or months earlier.
TESTING
Location of Test Result of Test
Moisture--Top of Boards 17.3%
Moisture--Subsurface 190 to 250
TIMBERMASTER PIN METER MMS NON-INTRUSIVE, PINLESS
Less than 5% is bone dry 0 - 99 is bone dry
5% - 5.9% is dry 100 - 125 is dry
6% - 6.9% is slightly dry 126 - 150 is slightly dry
7% - 9.9% is normal 151 - 170 is normal
10% - 11.9% is slightly elevated 171 - 180 is slightly elevated
12% - 14.9% is elevated 181 - 190 is elevated
15% - 16.9% is slightly high 191 - 200 is slightly high
17% - 19.9% is high 201 - 210 is high
20% - 24.9% is slightly excessive 211 - 220 is slightly excessive
25% - 29.9% is excessive 221 - 250 is excessive
30% - 34.9% is severe 251 - 300 is severe
35% - 49.9% is extremely severe 301 - 500 is extremely severe
50% or more is fully wet 501 - 1,000 is fully wet
THIS INDUSTRY PROVEN TESTING METHOD PRODUCED READINGS OF:MOISTURE[/color]