Floors:

Sub-floors:

Walls:

Psychrometry

Restoration companies have a tough time on this subject.

It is not that they don't know the importance of having great

inspection equipment, they do. The problem is that in order to

have the right tools, they will have to spend $2500 to $3000 per

inspection kit that they cannot charge (bill) for.

The nature of their business, however, necessitates that they

spend the money and get the right equipment.

These meters are used on the job to show the worker, and the

owner, where and to what extent the structure is WET...

To PROVE to them that the structure is WET.

So at the end of the job, they can show them the structure is DRY

FLOORS

HYDROSENSOR

Our #1 moisture meter is a HYDROSENSOR... a "moisture stick." It is a cane type instrument with pin probes on the tip which will sound an alarm when it registers moisture readings of more than 16%.

It is ideal for finding moisture in carpet, pad and sub-floor to provide a "footprint" of the perimeter of a water damaged area.

It can also show you, depth-wise, where the flooring is wet. As you slowly push the pin probe ends of the meter through the top of the carpet, the top of the pad then to the top of the sub-

flooring, you can see specifically which flooring components are wet, and which ones are dry.

NON-PENETRATING

For other types of flooring without carpet, a NON-PENETRATING meter is the best. It, too, can locate moisture in the flooring to provide a footprint of the affected area.

They are also helpful in taking readings in the non-affected areas of the structure to show what the normal moisture content (EMC - Equilibrium Moisture Content) of the materials

within that building are.

There are two types of Non-Penetrating meters.

1) Electrode Based Meter (EX: Protimeter's Surveymaster SM, or Delmhorst's Accuscan)- Which reads down through the material (Usually 3/4") and back up through the component, then gives an average moisture content of the material.

Superior at yielding more accurate percentages of moisture in a material.

2) _____ Based Meter (EX: Tramex) - Which reads down through the material and gives the reading of the first moisture it comes in contact with.

The Electrode based meter is much more accurate, as the Tramex meter will yield more false readings with surface moisture (secondary damage), and metals located inside walls.

However, the Tramex meter is great for testing moisture under vinyl flooring and other applications where the percentage of moisture is not as integral as whether or not there

is moisture there at all.

SUB-FLOORS
 

PENETRATING

Although the Non-Penetrating meter will give you a reading of the percentage of moisture located in a floor, the draw-back to it is that it can't tell you specifically WHERE the moisture is located through the flooring. It might be on the surface, in the middle or bottom of the flooring, or in the sub-flooring.

For this specificity, you must use a Penetrating meter. (or Hammer Probe)

A Penetrating meter is a pin probe that is literally driven down into flooring material to give specific location readings throughout the flooring and into the sub-floor.

A penetrating meter, such as a Hammer Probe, will tell you exactly how much moisture is located in the flooring, and how far down it goes.

WALLS

PENETRATING/NON-PENETRATING With ATTACHMENTS

For moisture to be located in walls, it takes the use of a penetrating and non-penetrating meter PLUS the use of probe attachments to take readings inside the wall's cavities

(Insulation Probe)

PSYCHROMETRIC READINGS

THERMO-HYGROMETER

This meter will take the readings of temperature and relative humidity of air to enable the contractor to calculate the SPECIFIC HUMIDITY (Grains Per Pound of Air, or GPP) on a job.

To take the readings for the specific measurement of moisture in the air, a rapid response thermo-hygrometer is necessary.

Your restoration company SHOULD BE TAKING READINGS EVERY DAY ON EVERY JOB!

These readings will tell you exactly how your drying job is proceeding, and if the structure is set up to dry.

It is VITAL that your company not only take the readings every day, but that they know what the readings mean (how to interpret them.) But we'll talk more about that in Question #3!

In order for the readings to mean anything, they MUST BE ACCURATE.

Readings Taken On A Typical Drying Job:

1) Inside Affected (Wet) Areas

2) Inside Unaffected (Dry) Areas

3) Outside

4) HVAC System

5) Each Dehumidifier

Most Thermo-hygrometers will acclimate to one reading (eventually!) But for accurate readings to be taken on a job, the unit being used must be able to acclimate rapidly to take

5 or more readings.

These successive readings will vary in both temperature and relative humidity from very low to very high. Most thermo-hygrometers cannot accomplish this adaptation without at

least 15 minutes to acclimate.

With "cheap" Thermo-Hygrometers, this takes TIME. (And TIME is MONEY!)

Through our research at our Vortex Drying System School, we have found only one

thermo-hygrometer chip to acclimate both rapidly and accurately when taking successive

psychrometric readings.

It is made by VAISALA, a company from Finland.

Therefore, we recommend only VAISALA chip-based Thermo-Hygrometers.

There are two models that this chip comes in:

The HM-34, which gives readings for Temperature and Relative Humidity & The P-41, Which also calculates the Dew Point and Grains Per Pound.

YOUR CONTRACTORS SHOULD HAVE ONE OF THESE VAISALA