Concrete moisture meters are a type of moisture meters that is necessary to have. It is known that excess moisture in the concrete could cause latent problems such as condensation or failure of the adhesive under the floor covering. In this case, concrete moisture meters are a type of moisture meters used by installers of flooring to measure the moisture levels of concrete.
Concrete moisture meters have been used for decades to measure the moisture content in different materials and substances. Concrete meters have evolved from the successful wood moisture meter as flooring contractors tried to use their wood meters to measure the moisture in concrete. Concrete meters are designed to detect moisture to a depth of 1” of a concrete slab in order to avoid the rebar reinforcement below the surface. They are designed to be used as a relative test.
To determine a final moisture content reading, there is no ASTM standard for using concrete moisture meters. Concrete meters, either non-pin or pin meters are affected by what it sees in the concrete. This can be anything from the density of the concrete and aggregate size to the chemical properties of the slab.
Concrete moisture meters measure only the top inch at most and this area is drier than the concrete further down. Once a floor covering has been installed, the moisture in the slab equilibrates. In order to ensure the equilibrated moisture will be a safe level for a floor covering, a relative humidity sensor must be drilled and placed at 40% of the depth of the slab. This depth has been proven to be the relative humidity percentage that the slab will equilibrate once the top has been covered by a floor covering.
The concrete moisture meters measure the moisture content of solid materials such as concrete slabs or tiled floors. They use the dielectric constant or permittivity for the measurement. They will allow measurement through decorator panels and will detect moisture in the wall behind.
One of concrete moisture meters you can choose in the market is Tramex Concrete Encounter Moisture Meter. This meter works to test new or older concrete substrates. It is known that any changes could alter the drainage from or around the property. Perhaps there is a slow plumbing leak. This moisture meter can detect readings as deep as four inches into concrete.
These concrete moisture meters are lightweight pocket sized tools and battery operated. Moisture testing should not be overlooked. Any wide variances will likely result in problems with your new hardwood floor. Indeed, the situations like this do not happen immediately. Floor covering failures as a result of moisture problems are usually noticeable within the first year after installation.
Related to the floor covering failures, often the only solutions are complete removal, assessment and correction of what caused the problems, and reinstallation. But, today, with concrete moisture meters, everything will be different.
Another option of concrete moisture meters is Tramex Concrete Encounter CMEXpert – Moisture and Humidity Meter. This moisture meter features 4 scales concrete, gypsum, CM equivalent and a reference scale. It is a pocket size non-destructive digital display moisture meter for measuring percentage moisture content in concrete and comparative readings in other floor screeds. It is a digital version of the Tramex Concrete Encounter CME4 hand-held electronic impedance moisture meter.
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