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Examples Of The Concrete Moisture Meter

Concrete

Delmhorst Moisture Check-Dual Function (Pin & Pinless) Concrete Meter

Concrete itself is actually one of the most versatile materials in use today. If you just look around you in the city there are buildings, bridges and pavements all constructed out of concrete. On a smaller scale, concrete can be used to make such items as garden slabs and flower pots. It is even used in modern day art. With your Belle cement mixer you will not be striving to build a bridge

But around the home you can further enhance your garden with a barbeque patio or even bring out the artistic streak in you and make a statue to stand proudly on your lawn.To actually work with concrete is not difficult at all. There are just a couple of basic ideas and principles that once fully understood will make your experience of working with concrete that much easier. Just understanding concrete itself and how the stuff sets will give you a greater result be it if you are making an ordinary slab or some fine exquisite piece of art.

So What Is Concrete ?

Basically concrete is a mix of stone aggregate, cement and sand and when mixed in the correct ratio in your Belle cement mixer will form your concrete. Certain items can be added to concrete such as ground pigments to give it colour. To give the concrete added strength either steel mesh or bars can be added and to change the setting times there are chemicals which can speed up or slow down the setting process.

Safety With Concrete

When mixed up in your cement mixer concrete is made from sand, rock and cement. It is heavy to work with and both dry and wet concrete must be handled properly. Whatever you do, make sure you never underestimate the sheer weight of concrete. Even a small bucket is extremely heavy so always work sensibly.If you do get cement on your skin which is highly probable, there is no need to panic. But do wash it off when you can with clean water. The reason for this is that dry cement will damage your skin by sucking out any moisture. Wet cement contains calcium hydroxide which is a high PH corrosive chemical. So you actually want to limit your skin exposure to both dry and wet cement. For your hands a decent pair of appropriate and suitable gloves should be a must for you.

Moisture Meter Guide

The complete moisture meter website

Concrete is a composite material made of of a garnular aggregate mixed with a cement or binder, that fills up the space between the aggregate and binds them together. The uses of concrete are endless with roads, building structures, pavements, dams and swimming pools just a few of the most common uses. Concrete has been around since the Ancient Roman times with majestic examples of concrete use being found in the Colosseum and Pantheon. After the Roman times, concrete use became rather scarce and was only popularized again in the mid 18th century.

Whats in concrete

There are many different types of concrete to choose from. They all have the same basic ingredients, but by varying the proportions a different product is created.

Aggregate is the basis of any concrete. These are large chunks of course gravel or crushed rocks of limestone or granite. Sand is also used as an aggregate.

Cement is the binding ingredient. Fly ash and slag cement can also be used. All of these bind the aggregate.

Moisture Meter Guide 2010                                                                                               Contact details:garnett65@hotmail.com

Wagner C575 Concrete Moisture Meter

This moisture meter for testing concrete is a non damaging pin less version. It can be used to test concrete up to ¾ of an inch in depth. Ideally it should be used for qualitative quick scans. Features include an analog display, measuring scale of 0 - 20 and it provides relative readings.

Pin less Moisture Meter

Relative readings for concrete

Analog Display

Measurement Scale - 0 - 20

Depth of measurement- 3/4"

Non-Damaging

Here we have a moisture meter that is dual action. It can operate in a pin mode or on scan mode. So if you want a concrete moisture meter this is a very good instrument to own. You also have the capability to test wood with it as well. Versatility is the name of the game!

LCD display

Corrects for 69 wood species

Stated wood moisture range: 5% - 60% (pin mode)

Pin Mode (Invasive) measuring depth:  5/16"

RF Mode (Non Invasive) measuring depth: 3/4"

Datalogging Feature stores up to 1400 stored readings

Connector for optional external electrodes

Water plays a huge role. It is mixed with the aggregate and cement to produce a semi liquid that can be worked with. The water assists to give a hydration process where the mix hardens and strengthens. The water chemically reacts with the cement and bonds all the other components together.

Chemical mixtures can be added to give different properties. Any additional chemical mixture can be added to speed up or slow down the drying process of the concrete.

Reinforcements can be added to concrete. Concrete can have a high compressive strength but will always have a lower tensile strength. So such materials as steel, which have have tensile strenght, are added to strengthen the concrete.

Working With Concrete

To Care Is To Share

If by some chance you manage to get concrete dust or wet cement in your eyes you must wash your eyes immediately and then seek medical help. The grit itself can damage your eyes whilst the corrosive nature of the cement can provide a serious threat to your eyes itself.

But don’t be put off by these 2 safety factors. Always wear the correct protective equipment such as goggles and gloves or even a face mask and exercise caution and common sense and using your Belle cement mixer will be a safe breeze.

Rules When Working With Cement

When using the cement mixer it’s advisable to always mix the ingredients together in a dry form and making sure the mix is thorough before adding any water. If you do this then the aggregates will be coated with cement and the actual mixing process more efficient and uniform. This will enable the mix to have a stronger bond.

If making general concrete always remember the magic ratio 3 2 1  which is 3 parts gravel, 2 parts sand and 1 part cement. These ratios are changed for specific tasks and on the other page of this site you will find the correct mixing ratios for each particular substance and use.

Mixing Concrete

Water is crucial to the mixing of concrete. It doesn’t matter whether you are mixing concrete for construction work or fine casting, the addition of water to the dry ingredients is crucial. Remember that concrete is stronger with less water so only add the water amount you require to make the mix have the characteristics you require.

A good guide to work with is to only add the same volume amount of water as you have added with the cement volume put in the mix. If you need to add more water to your cement mixer, then do so judiciously and mix well. Be observant as the concrete characteristics can change very quickly. Just one extra pint of water can make a huge difference.

Reinforcement of Concrete

If you need to reinforce your concrete the standard practise is to install steel.. Even though in itself concrete has a high tensile strength the strength can be increased with the steel. To add steel just place the mesh close to the bottom of footings or slabs to give you maximum weight bearing capacities and do make sure that the mesh is buried within the concrete itself and not just covered with it.

Pouring Concrete

For making slabs you need forms in which to mould the concrete. These are constructed from wood prior to the pouring. Make sure the form is well constructed as the concrete is heavy and if not poured well will easily break any weak forms. Additional support to the forms is a good idea with such likes as dirt placed against the sides to give additional support. Even stakes can be used. Use polythene as well at the bottom of the form will ensure that you have no movement of moisture up through the concrete. When you do pour the concrete from your Belle cement mixer always tamp and toe the forms or vibrate the concrete to remove and prevent any honeycomb or holes in the cast surfaces. After 3 days you can remove any wooden forms from the concrete. These should come away easily as the concrete cures and the wood also should crack away from damp concrete.

Hardening, Forming And Finishing Concrete

If it is ordinary cast concrete you mix up with your Belle cement mixer then this mix will usually harden within 3 to 4 hours depending upon the temperature and the mix that was actually used. Concrete when beginning to set loses it’s wetness and shine so when you notice this happening do the final troweling to give the complete smoothness finish.

If by any chance the temperature is very high and the surface of the concrete is difficult to work with, a way around this is to spay small amounts of water on top and then just work it to a perfect finish. You may find that you have wet spots on the concrete. In this case just add cement in a sprinkling fashion and trowel it smooth. Concrete is porous and will always absorb moisture from the surrounding environment. When working with fresh or existing concrete it is always a good idea to test for the moisture content of the concrete. This is easy enough to do using a concrete moisture meter. This type of moisture meter will give instant and accurate moisture content readings from which you can work from to ensure that your concrete is in optimum condition.