TRAMEX ME5 User manual

USERGUIDE
MOISTUREENCOUNTER
- ME5 -

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MOISTUREENCOUNTER 5 USER GUIDE
TABLEOF CONTENTS
Introduction.......................................................................................3-4
Shallow-DepthFunctionality.....................................................5-6
Inst rument Features.....................................................................7-8
Operat ingInst ructions..............................................................9-12
ScalesandSensitivity.....................................................................10
Working Wit h your Moisture Encounter ME5:
SCALES..........................................................................................13-21
• Scale 1:Wood - Timber.......................................15
• Scale 2 :Shallow Dept h. ..................................... 16
• Scale 3 : Drywall (Comparat ive)....................17
• Scale 3 :Roo ng (Comparat ive)....................17
• Scale 4 :Plast er (Comparat ive) .....................18
• Scale 4 :Tile (Comparat ive)..............................19
• Scale 5 :Masonry (Comparat ive) .................20
Working wit h your Moisture Encount er ME5:
MATERIALS.........................................................................................22
• Wood and wood products
Scales1 & 2 ....................................................................22-24
• Wood Flooring
Scales 1 & 2....................................................................25-26
• Drywall (Comparative) Scale 3......................27
• Carpet,Vinyl & Low Density Coverings
(Comparat ive) Scale 3......................................................27
• Roo ng (Comparat ive) Scale 3....................28
% MC
% MC
% MC

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MOISTUREENCOUNTER 5 USER GUIDE
• Plaster (Comparat ive) Scale 4...........................29
• Tile (Comparat ive) Scale 4....................................29
• Masonry (Comparat ive) Scale 5.............................30
Working with your Moist ure Encounter ME5
Readings and SGTables................................................................31
• Notes on Speci c Gravit y (SG).......................................31
• How t o use t he Wood SGTables....................................32
• Wood SGTable,5% to 17% meter reading.............33
• Wood SGTable,18% to 30% meter reading..........34
• Relat ive humidit y and moist ure cont ent ...................35
Limitat ions............................................................................................36
Calibration.............................................................................................36
Warranty.................................................................................................37
Warranty Claims.................................................................................38
Product Development.....................................................................38
Safety......................................................................................................38
Contact Information........................................................................39

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MOISTUREENCOUNTER 5 USER GUIDE
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INTRODUCTION
Hi there!Thank you for trust ing our brand and choosing
t he Moisture Encount er ME5,f romTramex.It is our goal
t o ensure t hat you are always happy wit h what youbought
fromus,so please let us know if you have any questions
and rest assured, we are always here t o help.
The Moist ure Encount er ME5 enables non-invasive
moisture measurement and det ect ion in a wide range of
building materials.The instrument operat es on the prin-
ciple t hat t he elect rical impedance of a mat erial varies in
proport ion to it s moisture cont ent .
To measure/det ect moist ure, the t hree co-planar
conductive rubber elect rodes mount ed ont he base of
t he instrument case are light ly pressed ont o t he wood or
mat erial sample.The inst rument measures t he electrical
impedance of t he sample by creat ing a low frequency
alt ernat ing elect ric eld bet ween the electrodes.This
non-dest ructive eld penetrat es t he mat erial under test
to a depth of approximately 30mm (1 1/ 4 inches),or 10
mm (0.4 inches) in Shallow Dept hmode.The very small
alt ernat ing current owing t hrough the eld is inversely
proport ional t o t he impedance of t he mat erial.The instru-
ment detects t his current ,determines its amplitude and,
af ter processing,drives t he point er of t he moving coil
meter t o the computed moist ure value.

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As t here is a wide variat ion in the nominal elect rical
impedance of different mat erial types,t he instrument is
provided wit h ve select able scales which are optimized
for test ing:
1.Wood,Timber
2.Shallow Depth
3.Drywall,Roo ng
4.Plaster,Tile
5.Masonry
By select ionof an appropriate scale,t he instrument can
also be used for t he detectionand locationof elevated
moisture in or behind a range of covering mat erials such
as wall, oor and ceiling tiles,siding,carpet and laminat ed
oor coverings.
Shallow Dept h:
10 mm or
0.4 inches
Regular Dept h:
30mm or
1 1/ 4 inches

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SHALLOW-DEPTH FUNCTIONALITY:
The ME5 incorporates non-destruct ive dual-dept h f unc-
t ionalit y. The regular non-dest ruct ive penetrat ion depth is
30mm (1 ¼inches) when using :
Scale 1 - Wood,Timber;
Scale 3 - Drywall, Roo ng;
Scale 4 - Plaster,Tile;
Scale 5 - Masonry.
(The depth of eld penetrationwill depend onthe density
of t he mat erial being t ested.)
The Shallow Dept h scale is designed t o have a eld
penetrat ion of up t o 10mm (0.4 inches).
Shallow depth penetrat ion allows for:
• t he eliminat ion of subst rat e in uence when t esting
t he moist ure condit ions of t he coverings,
• greater accuracy and precision of the readings
within the coverings.
This non-destructive accuracy and precision is compara-
ble t o actual pin readings.
NOTE:
While t he Shallow Depth scale eliminat es t he in uence
of any subst rat e beyond 10mm (0.4 inches),t he regular
depth does not eliminat e t he surf ace coat ing.The regular
depth gives readings f rom the surface to a depth of up t o
30mm (1 ¼inches).

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Using the Dual-Depth functionalit y by swit ching bet ween
t he appropriat e ‘regular depth’ scale and shallow depth
scale,allows for a comparat ive of ‘surf ace’ versus ‘surf ace
+ core’ moisture.
• Shallow Depth reads t he surface or t op 10mm only.
• ‘Regular depth’ scales read t he surf ace and the
substrat e up t o 30mm.
• A comparat ive of moist ure condit ions bot h ‘wit hin
the materials’and ‘within and behind the materials’
canbe made ont his basis.

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INSTRUMENT FEATURES
Your Moist ure Encount er ME5 employs advanced analog
and digital t echnology t o enable t he incorporat ion of t he
many feat ures list ed below:
• There are 2 scales on t he meter face.A Wood Scale
and Comparat ive Scale.Refer t o t he t op Wood
scale when measuring moist ure in wood using Scale
1 - Wood,Timber; or whenmeasuring wood using
Scale 2 - Shallow Depth. Refer t o t he bot tom
Comparat ive Scale when t est ing all other mat erials.
• Four simple pushbut ton cont rols, ON/OFF, SCALE,
HOLD/ AUDIOand Bluetooth.
• Non-dest ruct ive moist ure readings t aken in wood
f rom 5% t o 30% are displayed on amoving coil
meter withlinear scale.
• Audio signal sounds whenmeter indicat es high
reading.
• Comparat ive readings between zero and 100 can
bet aken in or throughdrywall,ceramic or porcelain
tiles,carpet, oor coverings,roo ng,plaster,and
other mat erials suchas brick and cement block.The
meter scale is also color coded to assist in
identifyingareas of wet and dry.

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• Aut omat ic supply t imeout (5 minut es)conserves
bat tery life.
• Bluetoothconnectivity.
• Supply timeout is automatically extended if a
change in met er reading is detected or if any
but ton is pressed.
• 10 second bleep warning oninstrument sounder
prior to end of supply timeout period.
• Last used scale is memorized at supply timeout
and automatically selected next time ON/OFF
but ton is pressed. If Bluetoot h was selected prior
t o the Moist ure Encount er ME5 aut omatically
powering off it will be rest ored next t ime ON/OFF
is select ed.
• LEDs illuminat e for selected scale.
• HOLD/ AUDIObut t on f reezes moving coil met er
and LED will ash. HOLD facilit at es readings taken
out -of -sight.
• If HOLD/ AUDIOwas select ed prior t o supply
t imeout ,t he f rozenmet er reading is digitally
memorized and restored next time ON/ OFF is
selected.
• If t he bat tery volt age is gett ing low,t he ve
LEDs ashsequentially for ashort period.The
inst rument will continue t o operat e for some
time but it is recommended t hat t he bat teries be
changed as soon as convenient .

OPERATINGINSTRUCTIONS
The instrument f ace wit h brief not es on the push but ton
cont rols and LED indicat ors is shown below.
85mm
1 = Moving coil met er.
2 = LED Scale Indicat ors.
3 = Bluet oot h ON/OFF
4 = Bluet oot h LED
5 = Hold/Audio.
6 = Power ON/ OFF.
7 = Scale Select .
1
5
4
6
3
160mm
2
7
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SCALES AND SENSITIVITY
Scales1 and 2,whenused with wood,will givea %MC
reading.
Scales3,4 and 5 havea preset sensitivity appropriateto
t he densit y of t he mat erials indicat ed.
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OPERATINGINSTRUCTIONS
1. Press the ON/ OFF but tont o power up.The LED
for t he last used scale will light .
2. To change the scale, press t he t he Scale Select
but t on unt il t he LED opposit e the required scale
lights.
3. Hold your Moisture Encounter ME5 directly on
t he mat erial being tested ensuring t he electrodes
ont he base are f ully in cont act wit h the surf ace.
The meter should be held by t he rubber grips
when taking readings.It is advised t o not slide
t he met er across t he surface under t est.Place
t he met er on the surf ace,record t he reading,lif t
and repeat .
4. For wood or wood products read the moist ure
cont ent from the upper line (Wood) of t he met er
dial which is marked f rom 5% t o 30%.Audio sig-
nal will sound whenmeter indicates high reading.
5. To turn audio signal onor off,press HOLD/ AUDIO
but t on t wice in quick succession.
6. To t urn Bluetooth On/ Of f, press t he Bluet ooth
but t on.The blue LED will iluminat e when on.
7. For drywall,roo ng,plast er,tile or masonry com-
parat ive readings are t aken f rom the lower line on
t he met er dial,which is marked f rom 0 t o 100.

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8. The instrument will aut omatically power-of f af t er
ve minut es if no but ton is pressed or if no change
in meter readingis det ect ed.If a butt on is pressed
or t he meter reading changes,the power-off will be
extended for a f urt her ve minut es.
9. To f reeze readings press t he HOLD/ AUDIObut t on
once.While on Hold,t he LED for t he selected scale
will ash slowly.This facilit y is extremely useful if
readings are being t aken in areas where it is dif cult
to see the inst rument dial.To remove freeze,press
t he HOLD/ AUDIObut ton again.
Best Practice
It is advised t o avoid sliding or dragging t he met er
across t he surface under t est.Place and press t he
meter ont he surface,record t he reading,lif t and
repeat .

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Note - Scale Choice, Material density and Scale
Sensit ivity:
It is import ant t hat t he appropriate scale is
used f or the t ype of mat erial being t ested.This
ensures that the most accurate and meaningful
readings are obt ained.The scale descript ions
onthe instrument show the materials that the
meter was calibrat ed t o.This should beused as
a guide,ie t he least sensit ive Scale 5 t o be used
for t he most dense mat erial.
SCALES - WORKINGWITH YOURMOISTURE
ENCOUNTER ME5:
Note - Depth of Non-Destructive Penetration:
Depth of non-destructive Penet rat ion eld of
each Scale 1,3,4 and 5
Depending on the densit y of t he mat erial being
t est ed,t hese elds penet rat e the mat erial under
t est to approximat ely 30mm (1 1/ 4 inches) f rom
t he surf ace.Whent esting t hin mat erials such as
wood veneers it is recommended t hat t hey are
st acked to at least that thickness.

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Depth of Penetration eld Scale 2 Shallow
Depth
The shallow depth scale 2, eld dept h of
penetrat ionis reduced t o approximat ely 10mm
(0.4 inches) also depending on the densit y of t he
mat erial.
Use Shallow Dept h scale in conjunct ion wit h all
scales and mat erials t o get a more complet e
comparat ive understanding of t he moisture
dist ributionat dif ferent depths both wit hin the
mat erials,and withinand behind t he materials.
Place, Lif t, Place. Do not Slide.
It is advised t o not slide the meter across the
surface under t est. Place t he meter on the
surface, record the reading, lif t and repeat .

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SCALES - WORKINGWITH YOURMOISTURE
ENCOUNTER ME5
SCALE 1: WOOD - TIMBER(%MC)
a. Whentesting wood & Wood Products,select Scale
1 and light ly press t he rubber electrodes direct ly t o
t he surf ace.Read t he moisture % f rom the t op line
of t he analog dial where calibrat ionis marked f rom
5% t o 30%. If readings are in the high range (red)
and if the audio is turned on,it will sound whenread-
ings go above 18%.
b. If possible, always t ake readings wit h the length of
the instrument parallel t o the direct ion of t he wood
grain.
c. Avoid taking readingsonwood fromthe top of a
st ack stored out side as t hese may be af fect ed by
surface moist ure f rom recent rain.
d. Calibrat ion test s were carried out by Forbairt ,t he
Irish Instit ut e for Industrial Researchand St andards,
and are based on Scot s Pine,whichhas a published
speci c gravit y (SG) of 0.40.For wood having an SG
other t han 0.40 see “Not es onSpeci c Gravit y” on
page31 and “How to usethe Wood SGAdjustment
Tables” on page 32.
% MC

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SCALE 2: SHALLOW DEPTH (%MCFOR WOOD OR
COMPARATIVE)
The Shallow Depth scale is calibrat ed t o work in conjunc-
t ion wit h all Scales.When using both shallow and regular
scales the user can get a comparat ive of moist ure condi-
tions up t o adepth of 10mm (0.4 inches)and moist ure
condit ions up t o a depth of 30mm (1 1⁄ 4 inches).
Shallow depth scale used on wood will give a%MCat
SG0.40, as Scale 1 does for wood.While t he Shallow
Dept hscale eliminat es t he in uence of any subst rat e
beyond 10mm (0.4 inches), the regular dept hdoes not
eliminat e the surface coat ing.The regular dept h Scales
3,4 & 5 gives readings from the surf ace to a depth of up
t o 30mm (1 1⁄ 4 inches).
This dual-dept hfeat ure gives t he user more versat ilit y
and allows for abet ter understanding of moisture condi-
tions at dif ferent depths and ‘wit hin’ / ‘wit hin and behind’
a wide variet y of mat erials.

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SCALE 3: DRYWALL (COMPARATIVE)
Scale 3 has ahigh sensit ivity and deep non-dest ructive
penetrat ing eld.The Moist ure Encount er ME5 can iden-
tif y excess moisture wit hin and behind drywall. As calibra-
tionis not pract ical on this type of construction,readings
should be taken f rom the comparat ive bot t om line of t he
meter dial (0 to 100).
Scale 2 Shallow Dept h can be ut ilised for Drywall if
readings are required whilst reducing t he in uence of the
substrat e mat erials.
SCALE 3: ROOFING(COMPARATIVE)
Scale 3 has highsensitivity and deep non-destructive
penetrat ing eld.This scale allows the user t o detect t he
presence of moisture in built -up roo ng syst ems covered
wit hmulti-ply roo ng felt ,PVC, modi ed bit umen(t orch-
on) or other non-conduct ive membranes.As calibrat ion is
not practical ont his t ype of construction,readings should
be taken from the comparat ive bott om line of t he met er
dial (0-100).

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SCALE4: PLASTER(COMPARATIVE)
Scale 4 has amedium sensitivity and a deep non-
destructive penetrating eld and canbeused t odetect
t he presence of moist ure in plastered walls and ceilings.
The moisture pro le of t he surface can be det ermined
by t aking readings across t he ent ire surf ace.Place and
press t he met er light ly on the surf ace,record and repeat.
As calibrationis not pract ical on this t ype of construction,
readings should be t aken f rom the comparat ive bot tom
line of t he met er dial (0-100).The shallow depth scale
canbe ut ilised for plast er if readings are required whilst
reducing t he in uence of t he substrat e mat erials.
Note - Acceptably Dry Plaster
The Moist ure Encount er 5 will give low readings when
t he plaster is accept ably dry.Due t o t he hygroscopic
nat ure of t his mat erial,moisture values are af fected
by ambient humidity and thus can vary according to
t he climat e condit ions.We recommend checking what
is ‘accept ably dry’in your areaand use t he instrument
t o compare t hese wit h readings t hat are ‘acceptable’
or 'unacceptable'.

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SCALE4:TILE(COMPARATIVE)
Due to the medium sensitivity and deep non-dest ructive
penetrating eld,this scale should beused whendetect-
ing t he presence of moist ure both wit hin and behind t he
ceramic and porcelain t ile subst rat e mat erial.As calibra-
tionis not pract ical on this type of construction,readings
should be taken f rom the comparat ive bot t om line of t he
meter dial (0-100).The shallow depth scale can be ut ilised
for t ile if readings are required only wit hin t he t ile, whilst
reducing t he in uence of t he substrat e mat erials.