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.

In an LOD test, the sample is weighed, dried, and weighed again. The difference in the two weights (Loss on Drying) is then compared with either the original weight (Wet-base test) or final weight (Dry-base test) and the moisture content calculated.

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.

Of all the different testing methods, oven dry tests are considered the most reliable for establishing the moisture content of nearly any type of plant matter. However, these tests have some drawbacks: They Tend to Be Slow. Oven dry tests using dehydrators or ovens can take hours to complete.

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.

This technique is based on the following steps: 1) weigh a sample of the substance, then heat the sample until the moisture is all driven off; 2) at this point, the sample is weighed again; 3) the difference in weight represents the amount of moisture that was in the original sample.

After complete water release, add an exactly weighted aliquot into your Karl Fischer titration cell and start the titration. Once finished, subtract the water content of the solvent from your result. See also our extensive range of technical articles and protocols for Karl Fischer titration.

A moisture meter can measure the moisture content of everything from the air (relative humidity) to construction and building materials (concrete, wood) to biomass and agricultural products (hay, straw, grain, corn, beans, pellets) to solid waste (pulp, slurry) and beyond.

Which method is used to determine the moisture content in soil? ›

Determination of the Moisture Content of a Soil: Oven Drying Method (standard method).

Tensiometers are devices that measure soil moisture tension. They are sealed, water-filled tubes with a porous ceramic tip at the bottom and a vacuum gauge at the top.

Tensiometers directly measure soil moisture suction. The suction reading decreases when the soil around the tensiometer wets up with rain or irrigation. Conversely, the reading increases as the soil dries out. Gypsum blocks consist of two electrodes embedded in a block of porous material.

For the wet basis, the amount of water is divided by the total weight of the sample (solids plus moisture). For the dry basis, the amount of water is divided by the dry weight (solids only). Unfortunately, moisture content is often reported only as a percentage, without any indication of which method was used.

Moisture content is the ratio of the mass of water contained in the pore spaces of soil to the solid mass of particles in that material, expressed as a percentage. A standard temperature of 110 ± 5°C is used to determine the mass of the sample.

Total Moisture (ar) = Mf + Mr (1 – Mf / 100) Moisture in the Analysis Sample (MAS): The Moisture in the Analytical Sample is performed on samples that will undergo additional tests such as proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, total sulfur, specific energy etc.

Place the sponge and enclosure face down onto the wood measurement area. While pressing down on the enclosure so that the plastic is touching the wood, swipe the sponge fully across the measurement area and back across to the starting position. There should be a sheen of water left on the board.

A) lots of water dripping shows that the substrate is too wet. b) a few drops released with some pressure show that the substrate is well watered. If it is too dry then with no drops will be released with pressure.

Methods approved by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) for moisture include air-drying of a 2 g sample in a convection oven at 100–102°C for 16–18 h, at 125°C to constant weight, or under vacuum at 95–100°C.

Your substrate should be slightly acidic, with a PH between 5 and 6.5. (Some mushrooms, such as oyster mushrooms, can withstand a PH of up to 8.) A minimum moisture content of 50-70% is essential for your substrate.