Concrete Moisture Testing

An accurate Concrete Moisture Test is vital before installation of flooring or impermeable membranes to avoid the development of mould and eventual failure of finishes due to trapped moisture. Most often reliance is on a single test which can lead to disastrous consequences as no single concrete moisture test reveals everything that should be considered in deciding when floor finishes can be installed or a coating applied.

EBS are independent specialists with more than 30 years of experience in carrying out a range of Non-destructive Testing, Environmental Monitoring for Damp & Moisture in Concrete Floors and  providing independent and Cost Effective Solutions.

Moisture trapped in concrete floors due to a failure in building services such as, plumbing, under floor heating, flooding, fire fighting, failure of or an inadequately installed damp proof membrane or design and construction issues, can lead to disastrous consequences both for the occupants of the building, the building fabric, services, finishes, contents and collections. Common symptoms and failures caused by trapped excess moisture are e.g. bubbling, blistering and delamination of floor coverings, dampness at the base of walls and skirting and mould infestation when an impermeable floor covering traps excess moisture in the slab.

EBS are independent consultants in advising and carrying out a Concrete Moisture Test for residual moisture, moisture mapping and moisture profiling with a range of non-destructive tests with the aid of a variety of state of the art electronic moisture meters.

Following the non-destructive testing EBS will carry out a Concrete Moisture Test using the Hygrometer probe method in accordance with BS 8201:2011. This involves inserting a plug in the floor, allowing sufficient time for the entrapped air to reach moisture equilibrium with the screed (allow a period of at least 72h to elapse before taking the first reading). The relative humidity should be below 75% to be acceptable and dry.

EBS Ltd have successfully completed drying out, Concrete Moisture Test, environmental monitoring and risk assessment for moisture & moulds at:

• The National Library of Scotland
• Marlborough House, Hastings
• Pier House, West London
• Sark Hall and School
• new apartments in Greenwich and Addlestone
• Luxury Apartments in Mayfair
• Shops in Guernsey

Environmental Building Solutions Ltd is often asked to provide a second opinion, where extensive/excessive exposure work has been recommended by others to dry a building. Over 30 years of experience in this field has helped our Clients, Loss Adjusters and Insurers in saving considerable money and unnecessary large scale destruction of building fabric.

EBS independent, non-destructive inspection techniques, risk assessment of damp, residual moisture and resulting mould infestation assessment is therefore very popular with insurance companies and private clients.

We used state of the art technologies, including thermal imaging, tracer dyes, endoscopy and a range of surface and depth measuring moisture meters, to determine the extent of moisture damage and moisture mapping throughout the affected areas and provide cost effective solutions.  

Our in house scientists can examine mould growth on the under floor insulation material to determine the type, extent, toxicity, pathogenicity and level of mould contamination due to the moisture ingress.

EBS Ltd, have no vested interest in hiring out drying equipment and in carrying out building or remedial works which is why you should only employ an independent company such as EBS.  We also have a proven track record of solving tricky building problems by avoiding destructive, inconvenient and exceptionally expensive solutions.

EBS Ltd have been involved with a range of fire and flood damaged buildings, carrying out the concrete moisture test, environmental monitoring, hazardous material testing, moisture monitoring, mould risk assessment and forensic investigations.