Do moisture meters work on concrete?

Here at Structure Tech, we love our moisture meters. We use dual-purpose moisture meters that have both pin probes and scanners, and we use them all over the house. We scan floors around toilets, suspected wet areas at walls and ceilings, we use our pin probes on carpet tack strips in finished basements… and that’s just the start. I firmly believe every home inspector should use moisture meters during home inspections, even though home inspection standards of practice don’t require this.

Most moisture meters don’t work on concrete

I will make this short and sweet: nobody has any business using a moisture meter on concrete unless it’s a concrete moisture meter. A concrete moisture meter is an expensive one-trick pony I’ve never owned. They’re useful if you’re going to install a floor covering over concrete, and that’s about all. For this reason, I’ve never owned a concrete moisture meter, and I surely never will. As a home inspector, I have no use for this tool.

Concrete Moisture Meter

If I try using my wood moisture meter on concrete, it’ll peg my meter. This doesn’t mean the concrete is wet; it just means I’m using the wrong tool for the job.

Written By

Reuben is a second-generation home inspector with a passion for his work. He grew up remodeling homes and learning about carpentry since he was old enough to hold a hammer. Reuben grew up thinking he was going to be a school teacher because he enjoyed teaching others so much. In a sense, that’s a lot of what home inspections are about, so Reuben truly does what he loves. Sharlene has worked with Structure Tech since 2000 and Reuben has been contributing to her blog since 2008.

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