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Moisture Dome Testing: Vapor Emission Tests (VET)
Moisture Dome Testing- Junk Science
Moisture Dome Tests: What Do They Measure? by Kenneth B. Bondy and Geoffrey D. Hichborn, Sr., March 23, 2000:
For years consultants and legal professionals were using results obtained from calcium chloride moisture dome tests as a backbone for key arguments in construction defect litigations. The test, typically in a kit form, consists of a rectangular clear plastic dome, a sealed container of calcium chloride crystals, and a gasket. The crystals are placed under the dome, which is sealed to the concrete floor for 60 to 72 hours. The crystals are then removed and weighed. The test is said to measure the permeability of a concrete slab and vapor migration through concrete slabs, causing destruction.
Concrete Moisture Consultants, Geoffrey Hichborn and Kenneth Bondy, experts in the field, conducted an extensive 16 month experiment to determine the accuracy of calcium chloride moisture dome tests. They concluded that the moisture dome test results are in no way correlated to concrete permeability or vapor migration into residential spaces, therefore discounting the validity of the moisture dome tests. Calcium chloride moisture dome tests have been deemed “Junk Science.”
It was proven that the test itself activates the water vapor and creates a reaction that was not originally present, producing inaccurate results. Furthermore, the test itself cannot be reproduced. The nonrepoductability is due to lack of a scientifically sound standard for particle size distribution of the calcium chloride crystals, the impossibility of identical finishing and grinding of the test surface, and variations in relative humidity, temperature, and moisture conditions. The construction defect litigation field has exponentially advanced because of Geoffrey’s work. Inaccurate and misleading test results are no longer determining the outcome of construction defect litigations because of this revolutionary research.
To read Geoffrey Hichborn’s full research article, click on the photograph at the top right hand side of this page.
Click on the Image above to view the entire article written by Ken Bondy and Geoffrey Hichborn titled Moisture Dome Testing