I’ve been working as a moisture meter technician at Vertia for three years, and before that I worked as a carpenter on construction sites. I started writing this blog to share my experiences from the field and my perspective on moisture measurements at construction sites and why they’re necessary. How can we serve construction sites effectively and help create good working conditions?

When I started at Vertia, there was no formal moisture measurement plan for the job sites; instead, the foremen would call us whenever they needed measurements. I would go to the site office, where they would tell me what to measure. I went along with it for a while, thinking that the site crew knew what they were doing. However, when I was called every week to come and measure, I realized they didn’t really know what was going on. A cast measured as wet won’t dry in a week. It’s not worth constantly measuring a wet result; instead, indoor air conditions must be corrected so that the concrete dries effectively. Re-measurement should only be done once conditions have been favorable and it’s possible that the concrete is already dry. As a meticulous and cost-conscious person, and for the sake of clarity, I thought that if we had a plan, all parties would see in advance how much and when measurements are taken, as well as what the conditions and costs are. This way, we can also provide the necessary drying conditions in a timely manner as we monitor the construction site.

It’s a sunny morning, and I’m driving to the construction site for the kick-off meeting. I had arranged the meeting earlier with the site manager; the purpose is to go over the moisture measurement requirements. I received the necessary information via email and reviewed it beforehand. These days, moisture control plans are more detailed, but in the past, they only mentioned that wet areas would be measured. Nowadays, measurement requirements are defined more precisely. Once the moisture measurement plan is in place, it also serves as a document of what was planned, and we can see how it turned out in the end. Vertia’s experts are specialists in moisture measurement, and I have heard from many of my colleagues how their observations and recommendations have been heeded on the job site. Thanks to them, the job site has succeeded in terms of drying—not only by staying on schedule, but by actually finishing ahead of schedule.

Various sensors embedded in the concrete measure the concrete’s drying process, while environmental sensors monitor indoor conditions. However, even in this case, human intervention is required to interpret the results, and it is currently people who regulate conditions on the construction site. When data is available, things become easier. The necessary adjustments can be made immediately on-site to ensure the concrete dries effectively. Moisture measurement results are reviewed together, and further actions are planned with the best interests of the site in mind. We have a common goal, which is to ensure that moisture and airtightness measurements on the construction site run smoothly. We understand the construction site, the structures, the physical processes in concrete, wood, and any other building material, the schedule, and the costs of the measurements. We want to help construction sites with the drying of structures and, in that regard, keep the site on schedule. I also believe that what you leave behind, you will find ahead. If you think you can cover up wet areas and leave things hidden, it will come back to haunt you later and cost more than if the work had been done right the first time. If the structure gets wet, you need to figure out why it got wet, dry it out, and measure the moisture content after drying. This prevents costly problems later on.

I'm heading to the site office for the kickoff meeting. I'll say hi to the foreman, we'll grab a coffee, and sit down to chat.

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Topi Jokinen

Topi is Vertia’s "infrastructure builder," whose goal is to create the conditions for people to work together. Topi is also happy to help other organizations create a self-directed work culture. He spends most of his free time with his family and composing music.