Moisture Content In Concrete Walls

Rising damp usually occurs in masonry.

Moisture content in concrete walls.

Some companies offer so called concrete moisture meters which can provide a qualitative surface level reading of concrete moisture. In extreme cases moisture intrusion leads to spalling and could even necessitate wall replacement. Perhaps the most useful type of moisture meters an all in one meter uses both pin and pinless technology to measure moisture levels. Why concrete moisture is tested.

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. Moisture supports the growth of mold and causes wall coatings to blister and peel. If excess moisture is present in a concrete slab when an impermeable surface treatment is installed it will become trapped under that covering. So knowing the relative humidity rh conditions is a must when trying to determine what a safe moisture content for wood walls is.

However these concrete moisture meters do not provide accurate quantitative measurements of moisture in concrete. How moisture gets into concrete. To determine the cause tape a square of impermeable plastic such as 6 mil polyethylene on a portion of the wall experiencing the moisture issues. 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. 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. 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 commercial buildings the uncontrolled intrusion of moisture into concrete and masonry walls may have costly consequences.

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. 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. 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. Some flooring system manufacturers have products that can handle 95 rh or mor 2.

In most cases it s enough to keep the.