Testing Moisture Of Gypsum Floor Cement

A concrete moisture meter measures concrete water percentage in a non destructive manner.

Testing moisture of gypsum floor cement. Concrete slabs and floors can be excellent subfloor surfaces for tile and other floor coverings but too much moisture in the concrete can cause problems with flooring installations. It is vitally important to test your concrete slab s moisture before installing flooring over it. Astm f2659 preliminary evaluation of comparative moisture condition of concrete gypsum cement and other floor slabs and screeds using a non destructive electronic moisture meter. One advantage of using a pinless moisture meter for concrete moisture testing is that it can provide near instant results.

The acceptable moisture content of the gypsum when using these meters should be 5 or less. The recommended moisture meters. Testing gyp crete with a drywall moisture meter is functionally similar to how you would test drywall. Moisture testing should be conducted with the area or building at service conditions i e.

Moisture testing is an essential part of determining the suitability of a concrete slab to receive a resilient floor covering. Moisture in concrete should be measured by an anhydrous calcium chloride test kit per the astm f 1869 test method or by using an in situ probe test for relative humidity rh per the astm f 2170. Therefore it s advisable to have a floor tested for moisture content prior to installing flooring or moisture barriers. If the astm f 1869 test would be sufficient on its own then the concrete moisture meter test should be enough to verify and support its results.

The recommended procedure to test for dryness is to use a moisture meter with a gypsum scale. Testing with either method will tell you how precisely how much moisture is present making it possible to choose a surface flooring that is appropriate. The issue here is that flooring manufacturers do not recognize these tests as acceptable moisture tests for vinyl flooring. After the gyp crete has been given the minimum recommended amount of time to set simply push the pins or probe of the meter to the desired depth and take a reading.

And one for every 1 000 sq. This guide focuses on obtaining the comparative moisture condition within the upper 1 25 4 mm stratum in concrete gypsum anhydrite floor slabs and screeds for field tests. To test the moisture conditions within the slab the best indicator of the total moisture picture is relative humidity testing using in situ probes. A definitive test that measures the amount of moisture released from the concrete requires a calcium chloride kit or a relative humidity meter.

Three tests must be performed for the first 1 000 sq. A series of test holes are drilled into the slab and a small probe is placed into the hole where it is allowed to equilibrate with the slab before readings are taken. When you need a fast indication of surface moisture in concrete. Moisture testing must be performed on all concrete slabs regardless of their age or grade level including areas where resilient flooring has already been installed.

Due to the wide variation of material mixtures and additives used in floor slabs and screeds this methodology may not be appropriate for all applications. The meter is ideal for determining the moisture conditions of concrete.