How to choose a good hygrometer electrode for repair work?

For many restoration projects, a Moisture Meter is required for quick and effective drying/tearing work. However, the pins on pin gauges (or scan boards for pinless gauges) can't always easily get where the restoration professional needs them. In these cases, it is important to use a dedicated hygrometer electrode to obtain a reliable humidity measurement.

Having the right recovery hygrometer is just the beginning of getting accurate and reliable moisture measurements on the job. But which hygrometer is the correct one to use? How do you choose the correct electrode (correct recovery hygrometer)?

Here are some suggestions for choosing a good hygrometer electrode for repair work:

Think about what kind of Moisture Meter you are using

One of the first things to consider when choosing a hygrometer electrode is the specific type of recovery hygrometer you are using. Specifically, the making and modeling of gauges. While all Delmhorst pin hygrometers use a universal probe socket that is compatible with all Delmhorst electrodes, not every manufacturer uses a universal design. There are limitations on which probes can be used with a particular recovery hygrometer.

Even with Delmhorst's Universal Moisture Probe Socket, some electrodes are better than others for some applications. Moisture meters for drywall, for example, usually pair well with electrodes that have uninsulated probes that can reach nooks and crannies that are difficult to make direct contact with the meter, such as the 22-E.

Consider which building materials you will be testing

In water damage remediation, there are many different areas and types of building materials that need to be tested for moisture. In many of these places, the short prongs on top of the hygrometer are not enough to get reliable information. Many recovery hygrometer electrodes are designed to work well with certain types of construction materials.

For example, if you want to test for moisture in insulation, you'll need a set of Moisture Meter electrodes with long probes to penetrate deep into the insulation. In this way, you can take readings of the moisture content from wells within invisible depths of the insulation.

Using an insulation probe will allow you to test the insulation behind a wall without having to drill through the wall first. Why Use Insulated Probes? The insulated electrodes prevent current from passing between the two parts of the probe, which both touch the wall, not the insulator. For this reason, the 21-E electrode is a satisfactory material for testing insulation behind walls.

In many restoration jobs it is necessary to perform trimming or substrate molding to detect moisture in hidden spaces where it may collect. This requires dedicated electrodes with a flat blade shape that can be easily worked on the base plate and trimmed. Delmhorst's own 19-E/STC electrodes use long, flat, Teflon®-coated blades with a 35° angle bend, making them easy to insert under walls.

To sum up choosing a good method of restoring hygrometer electrodes for a specific task, you should:

Choose an electrode compatible with the hygrometer for repair. Choosing an electrode that is not compatible with a hygrometer will not do you one iota of help when testing humidity. Therefore, you need to check compatibility before purchasing electrodes, or use meters and electrodes from manufacturers that use universal probe socket designs.

Consider which materials you will test and where. Another major task is to study the form and function of the hygrometer electrode to determine if it is suitable (or unsuitable) for the application. Certain design features can greatly enhance or diminish the usefulness of the electrodes, as well as the water damage hygrometer you are using.