Finally stopped using my phone timer for concrete curing

I used to just set a phone alarm and guess when the slab was good to walk on. Three months ago I bought a $20 concrete moisture meter from Home Depot. Now I check the actual moisture level instead of just waiting a random number of hours. Last week it saved me from letting a crew walk on a slab that was still at 85% moisture. Has anyone else had a botched pour from trusting the clock instead of a real reading?

3 comments

3 Comments

jennifer96522d ago

Your moisture meter might be making you overthink things that have worked fine for decades. Concrete mix designs and weather conditions vary so much that a $20 toy from Home Depot can give wildly different readings depending on where you poke it. Trust your eyes and your experience, not a gadget that could be off by 15% either way.

kim19122d ago

You know, I used to be all in on moisture meters and thought everyone who didn't use one was being lazy. But you've got a real point here. I've seen two different meters give completely different numbers on the same slab, same spot, within five minutes. That kind of thing makes you realize you can't really trust a cheap tool over what your own eyes and feel are telling you. I'm starting to think experience really does beat a gadget most of the time.

norathomas22d agoMost Upvoted

That two-meter difference @kim191 saw is exactly why I stopped trusting mine altogether. If you can't get consistent numbers from the same spot, the tool's useless you might as well just use your hand.