How to check moisture content within the substrate - Kekkilä Professional (2024)

FAQs

How to check moisture content within the substrate - Kekkilä Professional? ›

This is how we recommend to check the moisture content within the substrate. Take some substrate with your hand, squeeze it and observe if any water is released through your fingers while squeezing.

CRH method in hygrometer mode.

Test hole need to be drilled into the substrate. A sleeve with a special probe is inserted into that and covered with the cap. After 3 h the interface is plugged into the probe and the results can be read on the display.

The amount of water is determined by subtracting the dry weight from the initial weight, and the moisture content is then calculated as the amount of water divided by the dry weight or total weight, depending on the reporting method. Even this simple loss-on-drying method is mined with potential variability traps.

Calculate the moisture content of the soil by subtracting the weight of the dry soil from the weight of the moist soil, and then dividing by the weight of the dry soil.

Oven-Dry Tests.

This method uses ovens, dehydrators, or even microwaves to dry out a sample of material. The pre-drying weight is compared to the post-drying weight to determine how much moisture was lost, and so find out what the %MC by weight of the sample was.

The oven-drying method is the definitive method of measuring the moisture contents of soils. The sand-bath method is used, where oven drying is not possible, mainly on site.

Calculate the moisture content on a wet-weight basis using the following formula: Moisture content (%) = W2 - W3 x 100. W2-W1. where, W1 = weight of container with lid; W2 = weight of container with lid and sample before drying; and W3 = weight of container with lid and sample after drying.

A moisture meter is an essential instrument used in many industries to detect moisture content in materials. Home and building inspectors rely on moisture meters to identify potential problems and damage to structures from moisture buildup.

So if you want a real judge of just how "dry" or "humid" it will feel outside, look at the dew point instead of the RH. The higher the dew point, the muggier it will feel.

How do I check my soil moisture? ›

Test by squeezing a handful of soil together. Open your hand out giving it a small shake as you do. If the soil mostly holds together and a few crumbs fall away then it's perfectly moist. If it holds its shape and you can infact shape it into something – way too wet.

Gravimetric method

This method is precise and reliable, while recommended mostly for experimental work. A certain amount of soil is placed in a container that is heated to 105 °C and dried until all moisture is evaporated. The resulting difference in mass represents the water that has evaporated.

This soil moisture data can be either collected through soil moisture sensors installed in the field or estimated through remote sensing or data on other factors. ML algorithms are used for predicting soil moisture from various available datasets, which can further assist in irrigation scheduling.

Typically, moisture content is determined via a thermogravimetric approach, i.e., by loss on drying, in which the sample is heated and the weight loss due to evaporation of moisture is recorded.

Oven dry method is the most accurate and simplest method for water content determination. In this method complete drying of soil sample occurs and water content in the sample is calculated accurately by a maintained temperature in the oven ( 105°C to 110°C) for 24 hours.

Standard or modified Proctor (compaction) tests are run to determine the optimum moisture content at which the dry unit weights or densities of soils are greatest.

The neutron probe method is considered to be the most accurate method of measuring soil moisture. Neutron probes consist of a neutron source, detector, and an electronic counting scale. Measurements at desired depths are made by lowering the probe into an access tube installed vertically in the soil.

Take some substrate with your hand, squeeze it and observe if any water is released through your fingers while squeezing. There are three different outcomes to this test: Water is running from your hand while squeezing the substrate: This means the substrate is too wet because too much water has been added.

If you take a 100g sample of soil and dry it completely it may now weigh 70g so the water which was in the soil weighed 30g. This comes to 21% moisture content. (wet weight - dry weight) x dry weight / 100 :- (100g - 70g) = 30g x 70 / 100 = 21%.

A 5 kg sample of air-dried soil passing through the 19 mm IS Sieve should be taken. The sample should be mixed thoroughly with a suitable amount of water depending on the soil type (for sandy and gravelly soil—3 to 5% and for cohesive soil—12 to 16% below the plastic limit).