But the main points to be looking at are temperature, relative humidity, and dew point, but looking specifically at the dew point. As an example, two meters are shown, one is the Tramex Feedback Data Logger, which displays the readings on the App and it's showing that the ambient dew point is 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and also the Tramex CMEX5 concrete moisture meter that is showing 50 degrees for the ambient dew point through the hygrometer on that meter.

 

The second point is to look at the surface temperature of the concrete slab and again, this is important in relation to the dew point, to protect against any condensation issues that might be happening even not visible to the naked eye. Using an infrared surface thermometer, the temperature of the surface of the slab was taken and got 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Checking that against the ambient dew point, it is noted that the difference is at least 10 degrees above that ambient dew point, which indicates that there will not be going to have a dew point issue.

 

The third point is to be looking at the percentage of moisture content in the top three-quarter inch of the slab by using a Tramex Concrete Moisture Encounter depressed to the surface of the concrete. Make sure that it's a clean dry surface, free of any drywall mud, paint, or any coating on that surface that needs to be removed, to get a good indication of moisture. Keeping in mind that this will give an indication of surface moisture and it can be caused by ambient conditions, or it could be coming from below the slab, take readings at each location around the clock, 12 o'clock, three o'clock, six o'clock, nine o'clock, and we're going to keep the highest reading.

 

The fourth step is looking at the Concrete Moisture Probe, called "The Determinator". This instrument is an extension of the Concrete Moisture Encounter that drops the reading to the depth in the concrete you desire to take a reading. This reading should give a number in a healthy piece of concrete one-half to one percent higher than the surface reading. If a higher number than that is detected, this is going to indicate that your moisture is coming from below the slab. If a number lower than that is seen, it's going to indicate that your moisture is coming from above the slab.

 

The fifth step is to follow the ASTM F2170 for in situ RH readings. This is performed by drilling a hole to 40% depth of the concrete slab, then inserting a sleeve, and capping that sleeve. Wait 24 hours to insert the RH probe, this allows the heat created by drilling that hole to dissipate, so it doesn't affect the readings. After 24 hours, come back, insert the RH probe, and take readings, and this can be gathered with the rest of the data points to make consideration of the actual moisture condition of the concrete slab.