DeFelsko PosiTector Concrete Inspection Kits

When mixing concrete, water must be added to create a workable mix, and to allow the cement to hydrate and cure. After hardening, much of this water remains as moisture within the porous concrete slab. Over the following months, this moisture is slowly emitted from the concrete until it eventually equalizes with the surrounding moisture levels.

When applying flooring materials or coatings to concrete, it is critical to ensure that the moisture level inside the concrete has decreased to acceptable levels. If not, moisture can accumulate below the flooring or coating, causing discoloration, cupping, buckling, blistering, adhesive failure, and mold growth. Flooring manufacturers recommend testing concrete moisture levels to verify RH readings are within proper tolerance, before installing a floor system.

ASTM F2170 - Standard Test Method for Determining Relative Humidity on Concrete Floor Slabs Using in situ Probes

As specified in ASTM F2170, in situ concrete moisture meter probes are placed within drilled holes in the concrete. The in situ probe can then measure the relative humidity (RH) and temperature within the concrete floor. In-situ probes directly measure the actual moisture conditions within the concrete using precision digital sensors-regardless of mix, aggregate types, floor thickness, or surface conditions. Potential sources of error are minimized compared to other methods, and in-situ sensors can be calibrated with traceability to national standards.

Several alternate technologies exist for measuring concrete moisture, each with limitations:

Non-destructive electronic concrete moisture meters measure the electrical impedance of the concrete, which is related to moisture levels. However, these meters can be affected by other factors such as variations in concrete composition, and the presence of reinforcing materials. ASTM recommends that these instruments be used as a comparator, and not for determining absolute moisture content.

The anhydrous calcium chloride concrete moisture test involves measuring the increase in weight of salt as it collects moisture from an encapsulated area of the concrete surface. However, significant doubts concerning the accuracy of this test have arisen. There is no practical way to calibrate these kits, they measure moisture only on the surface of the concrete, and they are heavily influenced by ambient conditions.

The DeFelsko PosiTector 200 arrives fully calibrated and ready to measure. A Long-Form Certificate of Calibration traceable to NIST or PTB is included, which documents actual readings taken by your instrument at our calibration laboratory on standards traceable to a national metrology institute. Beware of ‘Certificates’ or ‘Certificates of Conformance’ offered by competitors. These typically do not include actual instrument readings, and are often insufficient to meet common quality requirements

The DeFelsko PosiTector 200 is factory calibrated to measure most polymer coatings out of the box without calibration or adjustment. If required, a simple gage adjustment can be made to a coating sample of known thickness as close as possible in composition to the intended application. For best results, the thickness of the sample should be equal to or slightly greater than the maximum expected thickness of the coating to be measured.

PosiTector CMM IS probes communicate wirelessly via Bluetooth with either thePosiTector App (iOS/Android) or PosiTector DPM Advanced instruments.

Both solutions offer the ability to wirelessly view and store readings from PosiTector CMM IS probes.

• The PosiTector app has a custom interface for taking measurements in accordance with ASTM F2170, and allows users to import a PDF blueprint or image and overlay hole/probe locations. The date and time of all measurement steps can also be recorded. A custom PDF report including all data and metadata required by ASTM can be generated at the touch of a button.
• PosiTector DPM Advanced instruments display the relative humidity (RH) of the concrete slab and temperature measurements fromPosiTector CMM IS probes alongside the ambient temperature and relative humidity (RH) measurements from the connected PosiTector DPM probe. Easily store datasets into memory for later reporting with the PosiSoft suite of software.

In many cases, yes! However, the following should be noted:

• Metal Substrate Thickness: Because sound travels through metals approximately three times faster than it travels through most protective coatings, substrate thickness will largely determine the suitability of a particular coating thickness application for the DeFelsko PosiTector 200.
• Gage Adjustment: Adjustment to the DeFelsko PosiTector 200 gage’s Hi Range to eliminate unwanted metal substrate back-wall echoes is typically required for improved measurement repeatability. This process of adjustment is simplified through the use of the DeFelsko PosiTector 200 Advanced gage’s Graphics Mode. Although a DeFelsko PosiTector 200 Standard gage model has the capability to accurately measure single coat applications and a total coating system thickness of multi-layer applications, we strongly recommend the use of a DeFelsko PosiTector 200 Advanced gage model for measurement on metal substrates.
• Single Coat Applications: A minimum coating thickness of 13µm (0.5 mil) on a flat metal substrate with a minimum thickness of 1.25mm (50 mils) is usually required.
• Multi-Layer Applications –

1. Total thickness: In many circumstances, the total thickness of a multi-layer coating system over metal can be reliably measured. As in single coat applications, a minimum total coating system coating thickness of 13µm (0.5 mil) on a flat metal substrate with a minimum thickness of 1.25mm (50 mils) is usually required.
2. Individual layers: The DeFelsko PosiTector 200 will measure the thickness of individual layers when each layer is thicker than 125µm (5 mils) and the metal substrate is thicker than 6mm (0.25”). A greater difference in the acoustic characteristics of each layer results in a greater likelihood of accurate individual layer measurement.

A PosiTector 6000 probe is generally recommended over a DeFelsko PosiTector 200 probe for measuring coating thickness on metal substrates because –

• Lower cost
• Larger selection of probes (none requiring the use of an ultrasonic couplant gel)
• Greater accuracy
• Unlike DeFelsko PosiTector 200 probes, adjustment is not required for most protective coating properties
• Fully conform to international standards for measuring coating thickness over metal

The PosiTector CMM IS has numerous advantages over competitive in situ concrete moisture measurement solutions. Two of the largest innovations are the unique combined sleeve/probe design and being truly wireless; using Bluetooth communication:

• A combined sleeve and probe design makes PosiTector CMM IS probes easier to install. Requires no consumables. Easily remove probes from the hole using the extraction tool.
• Wireless Bluetooth 4.0 communication allows measurements to be taken without the need for a reader device, and without having to open the hole. Quick-pairing Bluetooth Smart technology allows for faster, easier inspections.

The PosiTector CMM IS measures concrete moisture as described in the ASTM F2170 test Method. It involves drilling a hole into the concrete (generally 40% of the depth of the slab), and using an electronic relative humidity probe to quantitatively measure the moisture directly in the slab. It is a destructive test that requires at least 24 hours of being in-situ before an acceptable reading is taken.

The PosiTest CMM measures concrete moisture as described in the ASTM F2659 test method using a non-destructive electronic impedance meter to instantaneously measure comparative moisture content within the top ¾” of a concrete slab.

Find the following helpful videos and articles to better understand concrete moisture measurement with in-situ probes or concrete moisture meters.