Moisture Content In Concrete Walls

Moisture supports the growth of mold and causes wall coatings to blister and peel.

Moisture content in concrete walls.

The exterior walls are covered with a moisture barrier and siding while the interior generally features another moisture barrier underneath the sheathing. 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. Rising damp usually occurs in masonry. In commercial buildings the uncontrolled intrusion of moisture into concrete and masonry walls may have costly consequences.

In most cases it s enough to keep the. How moisture gets into concrete. It also saturates insulation reducing energy efficiency. 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. 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. 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.

This versatile option can be used to read. 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. Why concrete moisture is tested. 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.

Perhaps the most useful type of moisture meters an all in one meter uses both pin and pinless technology to measure moisture levels. In extreme cases moisture intrusion leads to spalling and could even necessitate wall replacement. If excess moisture is present in a concrete slab when an impermeable surface treatment is installed it will become trapped under that covering. However these concrete moisture meters do not provide accurate quantitative measurements of moisture in concrete.

Some companies offer so called concrete moisture meters which can provide a qualitative surface level reading of concrete moisture.