PCE Instruments PCE-WP 21 User manual

PCE Americas Inc.

711 Commerce Way

Suite 8

Jupiter, FL 33458 USA

From outside US: +1

Tel: (561) 320-9162

Fax: (561) 320-9176

info@pce-americas.com

PCE Instruments UK Ltd.

Units 12/13

Southpoint Business Park

Ensign Way

Hampshire / Southampton

United Kingdom, SO31 4RF

From outside UK: +44

Tel: (0) 2380 98703 0

Fax: (0) 2380 98703 9

info@pce-instruments.com

www.pce-instruments.com/english

www.pce-instruments.com

PCE-WP 21

USER MANUAL

1. Description and applications

PCE- WP-21 is an electronic instrument used for measuring the moisture content of concrete. It is widely

used for measuring the moisture content of concrete floors before painting or applying tiles, parquets,

carpets, etc.

The final reading provided by this device is the average moisture level in a layer of concrete 50 mm thick.

PCE-WP-21 measures the dielectric constant (SIC).

2. Technical data

Range 1.0 % - 8.0 %

Thickness of layer measured About 50 mm

Display type LCD

Accuracy ± 0.7 %

Resolution 0.1

Power 9V, (1 battery 6F22)

Battery life About 5000 measurements

Low power indication Yes

Size 165 x 80 x 33 mm device

270 x 180 x 55 mm case

3. Preparing the instrument

Before conducting any measurements, you should do the following:

a) When measuring a lightweight type of concrete (density between 1.6 and 1.8 kg/dm3):

i. Set the switch to LIGHT CONCRETE.

ii. While holding the device in the air, press the POWER ON button (ON/OFF) and use the

CALIBRATION knob to set the device to the value indicated below the LIGHT

CONCRETE sign (-3.7).

b) When measuring a normal type of concrete (density between 1.8 and 2.4 kg/dm3):

i. Set the switch to NORMAL CONCRETE.

ii. While holding the device in the air, press the POWER ON button (ON/OFF) and use the

CALIBRATION knob to set the device to the value indicated below the NORMAL

CONCRETE sign (-5.6).

4. Measurements

The measurements should be conducted in several places. These places should be flat, smooth and

clean. The actual result of the measurements is the arithmetic average of all the measurements.

Hold the device as shown in Fig. 1. Use your right thumb to press the POWER ON button (ON/OFF).

Press the electrodes hard against the concrete. Read the result. If the result is out of range (below 1% or

above 8%), the measurement should be considered approximate. All results below 1% (for example: -1.2,

0.6) indicate only that the moisture content is below 1%. All results above 8% (for example: 8.3, 9.6)

indicate only that the moisture content is above 8%. In both of these cases, the numbers displayed on the

LCD CANNOT be considered as moisture content values.

Fig. 1

5. Remarks

Besides the moisture content, the results are also influenced by:

• Bulk density of the concrete

• Graining and type of aggregate

• Use of admixtures

• Temperature of the concrete

• Value of the water-cement indicator (W/C)

• Water chemical constitution

• Salinity of the concrete (in case of old concrete)

• Smoothness of the surface

In case a very high accuracy of measurement is required, the device should be calibrated to compensate

for the influence of the factors listed above. Such calibration should be done using the dry oven test.

During normal use it is enough to compensate only for the bulk density of the concrete.

The device cannot be used to measure the moisture content of concrete that is densely reinforced or

contains admixtures that conduct electricity. The measurement should not be done closer than 50 mm

from the nearest reinforcement.

The results of the measurement can be totally distorted by the occurrences of stray currents (for example:

those coming from a malfunctioning electrical installation). The accuracy of the device can also be very

low while measuring very fresh or recently dampened concrete. This is due to the interference from the

very moist top layer of the concrete.

6. Changing the battery and storage

The device is equipped with a power level control circuit. When the power drops below the acceptable

level, a LO BAT sign appears on the left side of the LCD. This indicates that the battery has expired and

should be replaced with a new one.

To replace the battery, unscrew the screw on the back of the instrument and carefully remove the back

panel.

Store the device in a dry place.

7. Terms and conditions

Please find PCE Instruments’ general terms and conditions at https://www.pce-

instruments.com/english/terms#AGB.

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