Protimeter INS9800, Instruction Manual, Page: 28 / 34

Item Criteria Notes
1 Is a wall or other
building element in
a safe air-dry
condition?
Air-dry is the moisture content that
is normal and safe (from moisture-
related deterioration or decay) in
buildings. When the Protimeter
MMS3 moisture meter modes are
selected, measured values are
identified as DRY, AT RISK or
WET
2 Is the surface
temperature of a
wall or other
building element
above or below the
dew point?
Dew point is the temperature at
which a given quantity of air
becomes saturated (100% RH)
and forms dew, or condensation. If
a surface is colder than the dew
point, condensation occurs. When
the Protimeter MMS3 Condensator
Mode is selected to measure
TDIFF (the proximity of a surface
to the dew point) the instrument
identifies either a NO
CONDENSATION condition, an AT
RISK condition, or a
CONDENSATION occurring
condition.
3 Is a wall surface or
other building
element
contaminated with
hygroscopic salts
or other conductive
material?
Artificially high moisture meter
readings may be obtained either in
material that has been heavily
contaminated by hygroscopic salts
or in materials that are conductive
by nature. The
presence or absence of nitrates
and chlorides should be
established when investigating
suspected rising dampness
situations in particular.
INS9800 23
MMS3 Instruction Manual
Item 1: The Search and Measure modes (pinless and
pin) should be used in combination to map out the
extent of a moisture problem and to distinguish between
When diagnosing dampness in buildings, three key
criteria must be considered, as outlined in Table below.