I get the appeal of the moisture meter—less mess, less guesswork. But honestly, those things don’t always tell the whole story, especially if you’re dealing with older drywall or weird insula...
Totally get what you mean about the moisture meter not catching everything. Had a similar situation—meter said “dry,” but the musty smell told a different story. I’d rather patch a small hole than deal with mold later. Curious, how big was the area you ended up cutting out? Ever find insulation that was worse than the drywall?
I get where you’re coming from about just cutting out the questionable areas, but honestly, I’ve found moisture meters to be pretty reliable—if you use them right and check multiple spots. Sometimes that musty smell lingers even after things are technically dry, especially if you’ve got old insulation or wood behind the wall. I had a spot once where the meter read dry, but the insulation was packed with dust and just smelled funky no matter what. Ended up replacing it anyway, but in hindsight, not sure it was actually water damage. Sometimes it’s just old house funk...
