Moisture Content In Concrete Walls

Why concrete moisture is tested.

Moisture content in concrete walls.

Rising damp usually occurs in masonry. So knowing the relative humidity rh conditions is a must when trying to determine what a safe moisture content for wood walls is. With concrete being such a common building material professionals in the construction restoration and home inspection industries all need a means of accurately detecting moisture in concrete. In commercial buildings the uncontrolled intrusion of moisture into concrete and masonry walls may have costly consequences.

For example if the temperature in the room is around 80 degrees fahrenheit and the rh is 50 then a safe level of moisture in the wall would be about 9 1 mc. Perhaps the most useful type of moisture meters an all in one meter uses both pin and pinless technology to measure moisture levels. If excess moisture is present in a concrete slab when an impermeable surface treatment is installed it will become trapped under that covering. It also saturates insulation reducing energy efficiency.

Some companies offer so called concrete moisture meters which can provide a qualitative surface level reading of concrete moisture. Painting a bathroom or painting a kitchen requires extra attention to detail because of the amount of moisture content the walls are likely to have. If you have damp patches bubbling paint crumbling plaster or powdery deposits on wall surfaces close to the floor rising damp is probably the culprit. In most cases it s enough to keep the.

This guide describes common field methods for the determination of moisture content in painted and unpainted exterior concrete and masonry walls cmu brick stone manufactured and natural poured in place pre cast and tilt up exterior insulation finishing systems eifs stucco and concrete and masonry ceilings panels planks and cast in place. This versatile option can be used to read. Over time hydrostatic pressure will force that moisture upwards and can cause bubbles in surface treatments and cracks in covering materials that are installed above it. Moisture supports the growth of mold and causes wall coatings to blister and peel.

Some flooring system manufacturers have products that can handle 95 rh or mor 2. How moisture gets into concrete. Moisture on the interior of basement walls may be caused by either condensation of interior moisture or leakage of liquid water through the wall. Acceptable moisture levels in concrete according to astm standard when testing via astm f2170 the rh level of a concrete slab needs to be at or below 75 unless the flooring system manufacturer provides alternate guidelines.

In extreme cases moisture intrusion leads to spalling and could even necessitate wall replacement.