Non-invasive moisture meter Tramex ME5 – timber and building materials, dual depth

Non-destructive impedance moisture meter for timber and building materials. Detects moisture to a depth of 30 mm without drilling, with a dedicated scale for surface reading at 10 mm. Five sensitivity scales, analogue dial for immediate reading, Bluetooth for the Tramex Meters app. Made in Ireland, 1-year warranty.

What the Tramex ME5 is

The Moisture Encounter ME5 is the Tramex reference instrument for locating and assessing moisture in building materials. Placed on the surface, it measures the electrical impedance of the material through three conductive rubber electrodes: no holes, no marks on finishes, instant reading on the analogue dial. It is the instrument with which generations of technicians, surveyors, restorers and restoration companies have located leaks, mapped the extent of water damage and followed the drying of walls, floors and roofs.

Who it is for

• Building and restoration companies: checking moisture before laying floors, coverings, paints and external insulation.
• Surveyors and inspection technicians: locating leaks behind tiles, plasterboard and plaster without demolition.
• Dehumidification companies: monitoring drying after flooding and leaks.
• Joinery workshops, parquet fitters and laboratories: measuring the water content of timber (5–30 %).
• Industrial quality control: checking semi-finished timber products and panels before processing.

Why choose it

• Dual measuring depth. The standard scale reads to a depth of 30 mm; the Shallow Depth scale stops at 10 mm and eliminates the influence of the substrate. By comparing the two readings, surface moisture can be distinguished from moisture within the body of the material, which is essential for assessing coverings and roofs.
• Five scales for five material families. Timber (%MC) · Shallow Depth · Plasterboard and roofing · Plaster and tiles · Masonry. Sensitivity is already calibrated for each material; the LEDs show the active scale.
• Immediate, at-a-glance reading. Moving-coil analogue dial with green/yellow/red zones and an audible signal above 18 % in timber; HOLD function for reading where the dial is not visible (ceilings, behind furniture).
• Bluetooth and the Tramex Meters app. Readings are sent in real time to the free app for smartphones and tablets: colour-coded grid moisture maps, recording, exportable reports and sharing with the customer.
• Robust and self-contained. ABS housing with rubber grips, 270 g, two AA batteries supplied, automatic switch-off after 5 minutes of inactivity with memory of the last scale used.

How it works

The electrodes on the underside of the instrument generate a low-frequency alternating electric field that penetrates the material. The current flowing through the field is inversely proportional to the impedance of the material, which in turn varies with the water content: the instrument detects it and converts it into the value shown on the dial. On timber the reading is a percentage moisture content (5–30 %, calibrated on Scots pine with a specific gravity of 0.40; correction tables for other species are in the manual). On other materials the 0–100 scale is comparative: a certainly dry point is identified as a reference and the readings in the area under examination are compared with it.

Technical data

Supplied with

ME5 instrument · 2 AA batteries · non-slip electrode protectors (Slide Protectors) · quick guide.

Compatible accessories

• AP-ME – Accessory kit for ME5 and MEX5: calibration check box, extension, protectors and case in a single kit.
• CALBOXME5 – Calibration check box: daily on-site check that the instrument reads within tolerance.
• E5-HBS – Telescopic extension with bracket: readings on ceilings and floors without ladders or kneeling (30–80 cm).
• MESP – Sliding electrode protectors: protect electrodes and freshly painted surfaces when sliding the instrument.

Models compared

ME5: the universal analogue instrument for timber and building materials, non-destructive with dual depth. MEX5: the digital version, with a built-in hygrometer for ambient conditions, infrared thermometer, input for in-situ RH probes and pin probes, and over 500 selectable timber species with automatic temperature correction. CME5: the model calibrated for concrete (ASTM F2659), with scales equivalent to the carbide method for cement and anhydrite, analogue dial. CMEX5: concrete in a digital version, with four measuring modes. Skipper 5 (SMM5): dedicated to marine surveys of fibreglass and timber hulls. If you are unsure which to choose, contact us: our technical support will recommend the right model for your application.

Documentation

Documentation in English
	DATA SHEET ME5 (EU rev. 1.0)
	USER GUIDE
	QUICK GUIDE
	TIMBER SPECIFIC GRAVITY CORRECTION TABLES