TRAMEX ME5 User manual
USER GUIDE
MOISTURE ENCOUNTER
-ME5 -
1
MOISTURE ENCOUNTER 5 USER GUIDE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction.......................................................................................2-3
Instrument Features.....................................................................4-5
Operating Instructions.................................................................6-8
Working With your Moisture Encounter ME5:
•Scale 1: Wood - Timber..................................................9-17
ƛ Testing wood and wood products............................9-11
ƛ Relative humidity and moisture content..................12
ƛ Wood Flooring........................................................................13
ƛ Notes on Specific Gravity (SG)......................................14
ƛ How to use the Wood SGTables....................................15
ƛ Wood SG Table, 5% to 17% meter reading............16
ƛ Wood SG Table, 18% to 30% meter reading.........17
•Scale2: ShallowDepth.......................................................18
•Scale 3: Drywall- Roofing..........................................18-19
ƛ Testing Drywall......................................................................18
ƛ Testing Roofing .............................................................18-19
•Scale 4: Plaster - Tile / Scale 5: Masonry..........20-22
ƛ Testing on ceramic and porcelain tiles and other
wall and floor coverings.............................................20-22
Limitations...........................................................................................22
Calibration....................................................................................22-23
Warranty and Warranty Claims..........................................23-24
Product Development....................................................................25
Safety......................................................................................................25
ContactInformation........................................................................26
2
MOISTURE ENCOUNTER 5 USER GUIDE
- Back to Top -
INTRODUCTION
Hi there! Thank you for trusting our brand and choosing
the Moisture Encounter ME5, from Tramex. It is our goal
to ensure that you are always happy with what you bought
from us, so please let us know if you have any questions
and rest assured, we are always here to help.
The Moisture Encounter ME5 enables non-invasive
moisture measurement and detection in a wide range of
building materials. The instrument operates on the prin-
ciple that the electrical impedance of a material varies in
proportion to its moisture content.
To measure/detect moisture, the two co-planar conduc-
tive rubber electrodes mounted on the base of the
instrument case are lightly pressed onto the wood or
material sample. The instrument measures the electrical
impedance of the sample by creating a low frequency
alternating electric field between the electrodes.This
field penetrates the material under test to a depth of ap-
proximately 30mm (1 1/4 inches), or 10 mm (0.4 inches)
in Shallow Depth mode.The very small alternating current
flowing through the field is inversely proportional to the
impedance of the material. The instrument detects this
current, determines its amplitude and, after process-
ing, drives the pointer of the moving coil meter to the
computed moisture value.
3
MOISTURE ENCOUNTER 5 USER GUIDE
- Back to Top -
As there is a wide variation in the nominal electrical
impedance of different material types, the instrument is
provided with five selectable scales which are optimized
for testing
1. Wood, Timber;
2. Shallow Depth;
3. Drywall, Roofing;
4. Plaster, Tile;
5. Masonry.
By selection of an appropriate scale, the instrument can
also be used for the detection and location of elevated
moisture in or behind a range of covering materials such
as wall, floor, and ceiling tiles, siding, carpet, ceramic or
porcelain tiles and laminated floor coverings.
4
MOISTURE ENCOUNTER 5 USER GUIDE
- Back to Top -
INSTRUMENT FEATURES
Your Moisture Encounter ME5 employs advanced analog
and digital technology to enable the incorporation of the
many features listed below:
• Four simple pushbutton controls, ON/OFF, SCALE,
HOLD/AUDIO and Bluetooth.
• Non-destructive moisture readings taken in wood
from 5% to 30% are displayed on a moving coil
meter with linear scale.
• Audio signal sounds when meter indicates high
reading.
• Comparative readings between zero and 100 can
be taken in or through drywall, ceramic or porcelain
tiles, carpet, floor coverings, roofing, plaster, and
other materials such as brick and cement block. The
meter scale is also color coded to assist in
identifying areas of wet and dry.
• Automatic supply timeout (5 minutes) conserves
battery life.
• Bluetooth connectivity.
• Supply timeout is automatically extended if a
change in meter reading is detected or if any button
is pressed.
• 10 second bleep warning on instrument sounder
prior to end of supply timeout period.
• Last used scale is memorized at supply timeout and
automatically selected next time ON/OFF button
is pressed.
5
MOISTURE ENCOUNTER 5 USER GUIDE
- Back to Top -
• If Bluetooth was selected prior to the Moisture
Encounter ME5 automatically powering off it will
be restored next time ON/OFF is selected.
• Five LEDs show selected scale, indicate if HOLD/
AUDIO selected and provide warning of battery
nearing end of useful life.
• HOLD/AUDIO button freezes moving coil meter,
which facilitates readings taken out-of-sight.
• If HOLD/AUDIO was selected prior to supply
timeout, the frozen meter reading is digitally
memorized and restored next time ON/OFF is
selected.
If the battery voltage is getting low, the five
LEDs will flash sequentially for a short period.
The instrument will continue to operate for
some time but it is recommended that the bat-
teries be changed as soon as convenient.
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
The instrument face with brief notes on the push button
controls and LED indicators is shown below.
85mm
1 = Moving coil meter.
2 = LED Scale Indicators.
3 = Bluetooth ON/OFF button
4 = Bluetooth LED
5 = Hold/Audio button.
6 = Power ON/OFF button.
7 = Scale Select button.
1
5
4
6
3
160mm
2
7
6
MOISTURE ENCOUNTER 5 USER GUIDE
- Back to Top -
7
MOISTURE ENCOUNTER 5 USER GUIDE
- Back to Top -
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
1. Press the ON/OFF button to power up. The LED
for the last used scale will light.
2. To change the scale, press the the Scale Select
button until the LED opposite the required scale
lights.
3. Hold your Moisture Encounter ME5 directly on
the material being tested ensuring both conduc-
tive rubber electrodes are fully in contact with
the surface.The meter should be held by the
rubber grips when taking readings. It is advised
to not slide the meter across the surface under
test. Place the meter on the surface, record the
reading, lift and repeat.
4. For wood or wood products read the moisture
content from the upper line (Wood) of the meter
dial which is marked from 5% to 30%. Audio sig-
nal will sound when meter indicates high reading.
5. To turn audio signal on or off, press HOLD/AUDIO
button twice in quick succession.
6. To turn Bluetooth On/Off, press the Bluetooth
button.
7. For drywall, roofing, plaster, tile or masonry com-
parative readings are taken from the lower line on
the meter dial, which is marked from 0 to 100.
8
MOISTURE ENCOUNTER 5 USER GUIDE
- Back to Top -
8. The instrument will automatically power-off after
five minutes if no button is pressed or if no change
in meter reading is detected. If a button is pressed
or the meter reading changes, the power-off will be
extended for a further five minutes.
9. To freeze readings press the HOLD/AUDIO button
once. While on Hold, the LED for the selected scale
will flash slowly. This facility is extremely useful if
readings are being taken in areas where it is difficult
to see the instrument dial. To remove freeze, press
the HOLD/AUDIO button again.
Best Practice
It is advised to avoid sliding or dragging the meter
across the surface under test. Place and press the
meter on the surface, record the reading, lift and
repeat.
9
MOISTURE ENCOUNTER 5 USER GUIDE
- Back to Top -
WORKING WITH YOUR Moisture Encounter ME5:
Scale 1: Wood - Timber
Testing wood and wood products
a. When testing wood, power-on, select Scale 1 and
press the rubber electrodes directly to the surface.
Read the moisture percentage from the top line of
the analog dial where calibration is marked from
5% to 30%. If switched on, the audio signal will
sound when readings are above 18%.
b. If possible, always take readings with the length
of the instrument parallel to the direction of the
wood grain.
c. Calibration tests were carried out by Forbairt,
the Irish Institute for Industrial Research and
Standards, and are based on Scots Pine, which
has a published specific gravity (SG) of 0.40. For
wood having an SG other than 0.40 see “Notes on
Specific Gravity” and “How to use theWood SG
AdjustmentTables” on page 14.
d. Acceptable levels of moisture content depend on
climatic conditions and we advise you check the
levels acceptable in your area. The table on page
12 shows the approximate relationship between
the ambient relative humidity and equilibrium
moisture content in woods.
e. As a rule of thumb and depending on climatic condi-
tions, exterior wood is generally considered safe
Other manuals for ME5
4
Table of contents
Other TRAMEX Measuring Instrument manuals
TRAMEX
TRAMEX CME 4 User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX THE DETERMINATOR CMP User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX SKIPPER 5 User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX CME 4 User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX ME5 User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX CME5 User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX CME 4 User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX ME5 User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX MRH III User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX cmeXpert 2 User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX CONCRETE MOISTUREENCOUNTER X5 User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX MEP User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX CMEX II User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX MEX5 User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX SKIPPER 5 User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX MEX5 User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX CMEX5 User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX CME5 User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX Skipper Plus User manual
TRAMEX
TRAMEX CME 4 User manual
