The Future of Moisture Testing: True Remote Monitoring

As a flooring professional, you can appreciate how technology has vastly improved concrete moisture testing over the last few decades. Even so, you still have to go to the jobsite from time to time to monitor how the slab is drying.

But now, you can take concrete moisture testing to the next level—and avoid these hassles—with True Remote Monitoring.

True Remote Monitoring™, a partnership between Rapid RH® L6 by Wagner Meters and Floorcloud™, allows you to monitor concrete moisture conditions from anywhere in the world. You no longer have to be on the job site to stay informed regarding the drying of the concrete.

We’re going to see how True Remote Monitoring can make a difference in your flooring business by exploring the following:

To start, let’s look at how moisture testing has advanced to where we are now.

The Evolution of Concrete Moisture Testing

Concrete moisture testing began in the 1950s with the calcium chloride test. This test involved calculating the moisture vapor emission rate (MVER) by weighing calcium chloride crystals before and after their placement on the concrete.

That was the way things were done for 40 years.

But then in the 1990s, breakthroughs in research began to show calcium chloride wasn’t the most accurate method—or very accurate at all. Floors had failed, even with tests showing the moisture levels were “okay.” Something had to be done.

People realized accurate moisture testing was vital to ensuring the quality of the project. Without it, you could unknowingly install flooring over concrete before it finished drying—and possibly ruin the floor.

The Technical University of Lund in Sweden conducted some of the first research to address the need for better moisture testing. Eventually, they came up with a solution: the NordTest, which was the basis for relative humidity (RH) testing.

Since then, concrete moisture testing has continued to advance. Digital technology has been integrated more and more into our lives over the years, and concrete moisture testing has gone digital too.

Wagner Meters has developed digital options that work with our Rapid RH test. You can purchase the DataGrabber® to store results and use the free DataMaster™ app to document those results in an organized, thorough fashion.

The Smart Logger™ monitors ambient conditions in the room to track any changes and how they might affect the concrete.

The C555 concrete moisture meter can help detect areas of higher moisture in the concrete slab that require further testing.

Then, there’s True Remote Monitoring.

True Remote Monitoring involves three systems: the Rapid RH system, the Data Grabber range extender, and Floorcloud

What True Remote Monitoring is

True Remote Monitoring is a system that works with the Rapid RH system and DataGrabber. It allows you to monitor your concrete’s relative humidity from anywhere in the world (as long as you have cellular network connectivity or some other form of internet). You can have peace of mind and check your sensors without being at the jobsite!

True Remote Monitoring involves both the Rapid RH and Floorcloud, a platform that allows you to remotely monitor the conditions of the concrete, such as:

  • Ambient climate conditions
  • Relative humidity in the concrete
  • Temperature
  • Dew point

The data you collect is transmitted to a cloud database, where you can compare it against the manufacturers’ specifications and determine the next course of action.

Floorcloud is easy to work with. There are only three steps:

  1. Create a project.
  2. Select the products you want to use.
  3. Connect to the sensors.

Like we said, True Remote Monitoring makes your job less complicated and more efficient. Here’s how.

The Benefits of True Remote Monitoring

Remote concrete moisture monitoring has so many advantages over regular moisture monitoring. These include:

  • Fewer trips to the jobsite prior to flooring installation. True Remote Monitoring tells you all the ambient and concrete conditions from wherever you’re at, so you don’t have to be at the jobsite to collect information.
  • Less wasted time. True Remote Monitoring enables you to schedule and mobilize labor, products, and equipment for jobsites when the concrete is ready. That way, you don’t have to guess.
  • Monitoring of the job site’s conditions while the flooring acclimates and gets installed. This way, you can ensure you’re within the flooring manufacturer’s specifications.
  • Seamless creation of documentation that can then be shared with various parties concerned and securely stored in the cloud.

Let’s zero in on some aspects:

Time and cost efficiency

True Remote Monitoring is a step up from every other method of getting job data

True Remote Monitoring allows you to access its readings from anywhere in the world. This reduces the number of times you have to travel to the jobsite to collect more readings, which saves you travel expenses and allows you to redirect your busy schedule to other important things.

How else does it improve your scheduling?

Consider this:

You organize labor and materials to arrive on a certain date, only to find out the concrete is not dry enough at that date or the ambient conditions weren’t to spec. This creates a lot of unnecessary downtime and confusion.

All of this is a thing of the past with True Remote Monitoring. You only have to schedule one time, increasing not only your own efficiency but also everyone else’s. And you can avoid driving out to the jobsite to check on it.

Professionalism and quality enhancement

With remote monitoring, you’re raising the bar for flooring installation.

You don’t have to check and recheck and play guessing games. It tells you when the concrete has reached the appropriate moisture level and when you’re safe to install a floor covering over it.

This way, moisture monitoring isn’t the labyrinth of guesswork and constant checking it used to be. It’s more like a passive background monitoring system. In any situation, a service running in the background is far easier to work with and much less stressful than one always in front of you demanding attention.

Collaboration and data management

True Remote Monitoring gives you the advantage of being able to better communicate with others involved in the installation process.

You can share the moisture data with all of the jobsite parties. Then, they too are aware of the details, allowing them to plan their schedules better and more efficiently. The data is also clear and concise, and you can give accurate information to those involved, instead of being vague because you don’t know.

Clear language, data, and scheduling improve communication between general contractors and others in the immediate ring of the project—but also with other stakeholders who might want to know what’s happening.

Along with that, your data is more organized and secure when it’s shared across the cloud.

The Future Outlook with True Remote Monitoring

Construction projects are evolving, and True Remote Monitoring is moving to meet the needs of these new dynamics. We’ll be improving the technology to better help with project management and execution.

Add True Remote Monitoring to Your Digital Toolbox

The way things are done is always changing in this digital age, and True Remote Monitoring answers the call for improvement.

No longer will you have to worry as much about scheduling, time, and costs. True Remote Monitoring will help you plan without worry and guesswork.

No longer will you have to be sure all parties are informed. True Remote Monitoring can share every result with those who need it.

Who wouldn’t want their work life to be that much easier and simpler? Learn more about the True Remote Monitoring system today.

Last updated on September 25th, 2024

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