Category Archives: Moisture Meter

Moisture Content Map of USA

Posted by on March 18, 2013 No comments

As guitarists we have learned, New England can be rough on our instruments. 
This map shows the lowest and highest average humidity for each region of the US.
The greatest variation is in New Hampshire. There are other areas with a wide variation
in humidity.

Guitars shrink in the dry winters and expand in the humid summers.
Being made of wood a bit of movement is normal but extremes can cause warping and cracking.

So, humidify your instrument in the winter and don’t let it get overly moist in the summer. 

A good rule of thumb is in-the-case in the winter and out-of-the-case in the summer.

EMC: Wood Moisture Content in Context

Posted by on March 18, 2013 No comments

Wood needs time to settle once it is installed, because all wood must adapt to its end-use environment. In moisture content (MC) terms, wood’s natural moisture levels need to reach equilibrium with its external surroundings before construction or installation begins. Unequilibrated MC in the wood product can give rise to continuous MC instability and ongoing moisture-related problems if that initial moisture balance was never achieved.

Equilibrium Moisture Content

Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC) occurs when the MC inside wood reaches a balance with the relative humidity (RH) and temperature of the wood’s surrounding environment. This balance is crucial, because wood continues to absorb and release moisture as the RH changes over time. On a humid, muggy day, wood can absorb moisture; on a dusty, dry day, wood can release moisture. For millennia, wood and its environment have interacted. So it continues to be. It’s as if nature and wood interact to keep moisture balanced in our world.

Wood strength and performance can be compromised by any MC imbalance, resulting in excess moisture. This is why lumber producers invest so much money in their kiln drying equipment and processes: to ensure quality control by drying the lumber to a specified target MC to ensure that the wood’s EMC is reached prior to shipping.

Builders and homeowners need to pay the same respect for wood’s need to acclimate to its surroundings upon delivery to its permanent home. Such respect is too often neglected in the rush of a busy schedule.

DrMeter MD812 – Digital Moisture Meter User Manual

Posted by on August 28, 2012 No comments

DrMeter MD812 is a Digital Moisture Meter with two Animate Prods, Testing Range 5%~40% RH . Handheld Damp Detector of wood, cotton, paper, tobacco and more. Data hold for easy reading.

Download Dr.Meter MD812 Digital Moisture Meter Specification & Guide.

DrMeter MD812 User Manual

Accurately Check A Structure’s Moisture Problems With A Moisture Meter

Posted by on August 26, 2012 No comments

Building many structures such as homes and other buildings is a challenge and often hard to do these days. Since their main purpose is to shelter people as well as other important items and equipment, they should withstand the elements. These structures are sizable investments as well, so their long-term durability has to have a high level so that the investment will not go to waste.

However, no matter how tough a building is or how well planned its construction has been, the structure’s everyday exposure to the harsh environment can still take its toll.

One of the more common problems that plague buildings and houses is moisture. Moisture may seem harmless, but when a structure exposes itself to moisture over long periods of time, moisture can pose a serious threat to the stability. Moisture can come in many forms; as a solid, a liquid, or in vapor form. This means that moisture has many ways for it to seep into the materials of your house or building and damage it. In order for you to detect the presence and amount of moisture present in your structure’s materials, you can use a moisture meter or a psychrometer for that purpose.

The problem with moisture in your structure’s materials is that it is very hard to detect. The effects of moisture cannot be always seen with the naked eyes since moisture damage builds up slowly. Any visible damage cannot be seen for a few years. By then, your repair costs may reach a high amount. Regular checking of your structure with the meter allows you to accurately keep track of the moisture levels present in the solid materials. When you detect a real level, you can use proactive maintenance to stop the moisture problem at an early stage and prevent further damage to your structure’s materials.

How does a moisture meter detect dampness in a solid material? Different types of moisture meters use different methods to detect moisture. Some handheld meters use radio frequencies to penetrate materials such as wood to have an accurate measurement of the moisture contained in it.

Other meters have a pin type probe that sends electrical charges into the material suspected of moisture. These slight variances in the electrical charges allow the meter to know the amount of moisture inside building materials without ever seeing them.

A drawback is that one moisture meter is often very pricey to buy. However, considering that it can detect moisture which can have a negative effect to your structure and potentially cause more damage and costs when left unchecked, the price is definitely justified. The purchase of this meter will potentially save the owner more money in the long run.

The Moisture Meter – An Essential Arrow To Have In Your DIY Quiver

Posted by on August 5, 2012 No comments

The moisture meter proves itself to be an excellent and extremely useful tool in any avid DIY enthusiast’s tool box. The reason for this is that moisture happens to be all around us in the air and present in many different materials. Being in a position to be able to gauge moisture levels in any given substance can pay great dividends in the long run in many a different DIY project. For example, both concrete and wood will actually perform differently depending upon the amount of moisture that they contain.

Originally, the moisture meter was invented for testing the moisture content in timber but has been developed and modified, so that it can be used in a variety of applications. There are specific meters for specific materials and moisture meters that are versatile and can be used on many different materials.

As well as being suitable for the DIY trade this type of meter has been adopted by many different industries. These include the home and building industry, the concrete industry, the timber industry and the garden industry. Within the home, one can be used to identify any potential moisture problems in walls, floors and ceilings and well as the complete structure of the home. In woodworking, the moisture meter proves itself to be invaluable. Wood can crack, split and warp if the moisture content is too high and then it dries out. This is why many in the wood industry will test the moisture content of wood before using it. And even gardener’s swear by them. It alerts them when their prized plants require watering.

Using a moisture meter is simple enough to do, and the results are very accurate. To simplify reading these results each meter has an indicator scale that can be colour coded or give an anologue or digital reading. The results are all given in the same way, irrespective of which indicator scale the meter has. Moisture is measured as a percentage range. As most moisture meters are calibrated to wood the wood reading is extremely accurate and is in a range of 5-40%. For concrete the range is 0-100%.

The moisture meter basically comes in two forms. These are the pin meter and the pin-less meter. The pin type meter is the most used type and measures moisture content within a material. It uses 2 or more pins which are inserted in to the material and the electrical resistance between the pins indicates the amount of moisture present. These meters are very versatile and can be used on a wide range of materials. The other type of moisture testing meter is the pin less version. These work on the principle of electrical impedance and can detect moisture levels without causing any damage to the material. They are particularly good for using with wood and concrete. They test for surface moisture content and can obtain a reading to a depth of three-quarters of an inch.

Whichever field and material you wish to check for moisture content, the moisture meter is an invaluable tool to have. Buying one initially will hit your wallet but in the long run they will prove to be a great and wise investment on your behalf.

Tips in Determining The Moisture Level of Wood

Posted by on July 22, 2012 1 comment

Determining the moisture level of wood is very important to do before using a certain kind of wood for your requirements. Usually, carpenters, manufacturers as well as hobbyists also use the moisture level of a certain wood to determine when and how the wood should be used. Wood with high moisture level over 25 percent will be bad material for furniture or many other things that should be enclosed behind the wall, since it might be easily mold and decay. In order to get easiness in measuring the level, you can use moisture meter.

In this certain article, you will find some easy and simple steps in determining moisture level of wood. You can start by turning on your device then wait the digital display to appear. Then, you can adjust the unit by pressing the calibrate button on. Then, you can press the Species button to set the species. You can scroll the display to get the selections.

Now, you can remove the pin covers. Press the pins into the wood as far as possible. Make it parallel to the grain. Then, you can look for the Read button on your device and press it. You will get the result of the measuring on the display of your moisture meter. Now, you can pull the pins and the units from the wood away. Then, you can replace the pin cover to the device.

You can actually measure the moisture of wood manually with some supporting tools and formula, but it might take longer time. Besides, nowadays you can find many options of moisture meter in the market that could be your best option. What you need to do is just determining your needs and your budget, and you can go on to some stores and suppliers near your area to get the most appropriate one for your needs.

Now, you can use your wood properly based on the level of the moisture.

Soil Moisture Meter – A Farmer’s Friend

Posted by on May 18, 2012 1 comment

A device used to measure the percent of water content in any kind of soil is a soil moisture meter. It is an essential device to be possessed in the field of agriculture and its related fields. Such a device can detect the moisture content of the soil and we can decide the amount of water to be supplied to the plants that are to be grown at that time. Thus pretty much healthy growth of plants is ensured.

Any farmer who runs a field or a householder who possesses a garden can own one such gadget to measure the humidity of the field or garden soil as it is not that costly and it is a user-friendly device for anyone to make use of it efficiently. When put to use, it will show the various ranges of water content in the soil by the color indicators and each color denoting a particular range.

Different models are available and each of them works on a different principle. We have meters that use electrical resistance blocks and thermal dissipation blocks. The farmer uses a sensor called the electrical resistance block and the latter temperature sensors.

The commercial farmers grow various kinds of crops in a very large scale and they cannot afford to bear huge losses. Thus for the plants to give a better yield and thereby generate more profit a healthy soil and environment are the main criteria that should be made available. One of the factors that determines the soil health is its dampness and it should be monitored throughout the life of a plant and ensure enough water is supplied when it is dry and follow a dry period if the soil dampness has increased sue to some reasons.

Thus we can opine that this device is a must have one as it guides you how much and when to water the plants making a way for their healthful development continuously.

The Applications of Moisture Meters in Different Industry Sectors

Posted by on May 1, 2012 No comments

A moisture meter is a tool which is widely used to measure the water content in a given material or substance, generally expressed as a percentage value. We will introduce some applications of the moisture in this article.

This percentage value of water content can be used to determine whether or not the material is ready for use, unexpectedly wet or dry or in need of closer inspection. Moisture meters are commonly used in a variety of materials science applications; and even more so in the quality control processes of manufacturers, especially in regard to foods, concrete and wooden products.

Industries which rely on wood as a raw material make especially heavy use of these instruments. For example, a newly cut log may have a moisture content which is as high as 75% and up. As any carpenter worth their salt knows, wood tends to shrink as it dries and can split or change in shape as a result; which is why wood is generally dried either in a kiln or air-dried before use. The drying process results in an end product which is between 10% – 20% water and the progress of drying is monitored using a moisture meter.

Moisture meters are used to measure the moisture content wood so that the woodworker can determine whether or not it is suitable for its intended use. Building inspectors, carpenters, hobbyists and others who work with wood often find themselves needing to know the moisture content of materials. Contractors who install wood flooring, for instance, need to establish the moisture content of the wood since matching this figure to the relative humidity in the area where the flooring is to be installed is important to prevent warping, buckling and cracked finishes.

Similarly, those engaged in laying concrete use a concrete moisture meter to determine the water content of their materials. These specialized moisture meters were developed as contractors saw a need for an instrument which could measure the moisture of their materials more accurately than those designed for use with wood.

In agriculture, crops (especially grains) are often measured for water content following harvests; the moisture levels of soil are also measured regularly both for agricultural applications as well as by building surveyors and civil engineers to determine the suitability of a given location.

Those conducting tests of indoor air quality also commonly employ a moisture meter to test the water content of materials to determine if the conditions in the building are conducive to the growth of mold and other organisms which negatively affect indoor air quality. The types of moisture meters used in a given application depending largely on the specifics of the material to be tested; the traditional style of meter uses conductivity testing with probes which must penetrate the material being analyzed. There are also non-destructive instruments which use impedance measurement to determine the moisture content of a given material.

These instruments are vital to a wide range of different scientific and industrial applications where the water content of a material or substance is critical to the outcome or the quality of a process or product. Whether in contracting, soil quality testing, production of consumer products or in the laboratory, a moisture meter is an incredibly useful and commonly employed instrument.

How to Use a Moisture Meter for Outdoor Plants

Posted by on April 16, 2012 No comments

It is usual that our outdoor plants die from overwatering or underwatering. Both the overwatering and underwatering have impact on plants. Therefore the correct amount of water at right time is essential for nuturing healthy plants. In order to test the containing of water,a mositure is required. Indoor and outdoor plants can benefit from precise amounts of moisture. This artical will instruct you how to use a moisture meter for outdoor plants:

1、Check the battery moisture meter to make certain that it is new. A low or dead battery will not help you assess the water needs of the plant. Replace the battery annually. Check to make certain the probe is not clogged with soil or debris.

2、Test soil in midmorning, when the night’s dew has evaporated but the sun’s hot rays have not cooked the soil dry. The conditions cannot be too extreme or you will not get an accurate reading.

3、Push the probe into the soil three-fourths of the way for outdoor potted plants. Read the meter. Pull the probe out and repeat the test two more times. Out of three readings take the average as the correct soil reading. Each time you test, the reading will be a little different.

4、Clean and sanitize the probe before moving to another plant. Use rubbing alcohol and a clean cotton swab to remove any bacteria or fungus that might pass from pot to pot. It is easy to infect other plants if you do not clean the probe.

5、Test the soil in garden beds by pushing the meter almost all the way in. Again, you should take several readings and average them to get a good estimate of the soil dampness.

What is the Moisture Meter?

Posted by on March 26, 2012 No comments

Moisture Meter is used to measure the water content/percentage of water in a given substance e.g. seeds, food products and any others. It estimates the moisture content of certain textile materials by utilizing the relationship which exists between their moisture condition and Electrical Resistivity.

The Moisture Meters depend on the Conductivity Measurements, Capacitance Measurement and Electrical Resistivity. These meters are equipped with Sensors known as Transducers which help in converting onekind of energy into another type of energy. A novel Moisture Meter sensor depends on the following principle.

Frequency measurement; meter operates on the principle of non destructive measurement

Time domain measurement; meter works on the principle of change in the time duration of passage of the pulse through the material.

These Moisture meters provide non-destructive measurement content in soap, soap cake, paper, cement and food industries such as-biscuits, chocolates sugar syrups i.e. no damage to material.

Here are some different types of Moisture Meters which are used for different purposes.

1、Moisture Meter for Wood
The Wood Moisture Meter works on the principle that the wood resistance decreases, as the moisture content in the wood increases. The decrease in the resistance is converted into digital data and the moisture meter displays the percentage of water in the wood. The Moisture Meter consists of two electrodes, which are inserted into the wood, to find out the resistance between them and hence its moisture content.

2、Moisture Meter for Concrete
Concrete Moisture Meters were introduced to check out the moisture content in the concrete slabs that are used in construction. Their principal of working and finding out the moisture content is same as that of the Wood Moisture Meter. The resistance between their electrodes is checked out here too, to find out the moisture content in the concrete. However, they significantly differ in their moisture detection and moisture analysis methods, from the Wood Moisture Meters. They can measure moisture at a depth of 1 inch from the moisture surface. This is required because people working in the field need to know the moisture content at the depths of the concrete slab, to analyze the construction.

3、Moisture Meter for Soil
This moisture analysis is required to find out if the plants in your garden would require watering or not. It may happen that because of rain, the moisture content in the soil is already sufficient and your plants do not need any more water, for a considerable amount of time. Under such cases, a Soil Moisture Meter can be used for the moisture detection and moisture analysis in the soil, to find out regularly, if the plants require any additional watering. If it rains regularly and your plants are getting over watered, then the moisture analysis can help you in determining if you need to take some preventive measures, to cover up your plants from the rain. The Soil Moisture Meter works on the same principle as that of any other ordinary moisture meters.

Application Areas

Food and beverages
Pharmaceuticals
Minerals and chemicals
Plastics and companies
R & D laboratories
Pulp & paper
Textiles
Cosmetics
Paints & coatings
Regulatory Agencies