Diagnostic & Testing Tools
Tools for testing, monitoring, and conditioning a build: drain pressure tests, hygrometers for screed moisture, dehumidifiers for plaster drying, and crack monitors for structural movement.
Crack Monitors: How to Prove a Hairline Crack Is Stable Or Progressing
What an Avongard tell-tale is, how to fit and read one, and why dated photographs of monitor readings settle defects-period disputes. Buy from £15.
Construction Dehumidifiers: How to Speed Up Plaster and Screed Drying
What a dehumidifier does, the difference between compressor and desiccant models, the conditions each handles best, and how to hire one from £44/week.
Drain Test Kit: Pre-Test Your Drainage Before the Building Inspector Arrives
What an air test kit is, the BS EN 1610 / Approved Document H test method, and why a £40 kit pays for itself by catching leaks before the BCO visit.
Hygrometer Box Test: The Only BS-Compliant Way to Confirm a Screed Is Dry
What a hygrometer box test is, why concrete moisture meters do not satisfy BS 8203/8204, and the 75% RH threshold every floor finisher checks for. Hire from £25/day.
Moisture Meters: Checking Plaster, Timber, and Screed Before You Finish
When to use a pin or pinless moisture meter, what the readings mean for plaster and timber, why it is not a substitute for a hygrometer box test, and prices from under £20.