METER SATURO User Manual

5
SATURO
reduce water usage. Table 2 provides rough guidelines to determine initial pressure
head settings. These values are starting points only and should be adjusted for the
particular soil based on experience.
b. Set soak time.
During soak time, the infiltrometer applies water to achieve saturation of the soil
before beginning the pressure cycles. A good introductory soak time is approximately
20 min, though the exact length depends largely on soil type and antecedent soil
moisture (Table 2). During soak time, pressure is maintained at the low pressure head.
Table 2 Soak time and pressure head configurations
Soil Type
Soak
Time
(min)
Low
Pressure
Head (cm)
High
Pressure
Head (cm)
Hold Time
at Pressure
(min)
Pressure
Cycles
(count)
Total
Run Time
(min)
Dry loamy sand 25 5 10 15 3 115
Wet loamy sand 15 5 10 15 2 75
Dry silt loam 30 5 15 20 3 150
Wet silt loam 15 5 15 20 2 95
Dry clay (poor structure) 30 5 20 25 3 180
Wet clay (poor structure) 15 5 20 25 2 115
Dry clay (strong structure) 25 5 10 20 3 145
NOTE: These values are a rough starting point only. Soil conditions dictate the optimal settings for the test. Use
lower pressure head settings for soils dominated by macropore flow. If necessary, reduce the pressure head settings
to allow the instrument to keep up with the flow rates.
c. Set the number of pressure cycles.
One pressure cycle is equivalent to a full run at the two different pressure heads. The
control unit takes the average infiltration rates at the different pressure heads during
the last pressure cycle to calculate K
f s
. Multiple pressure cycles ensure the steady
state infiltration rate was reached.
At first, the infiltration rate is large. Steady state or quasi-steady state may be
achieved when the infiltration rate charted over time levels into infinite time (Dane and
Topp 2002). Wait for the flux chart to stabilize to determine if quasi-steady state has
been reached. If there is a decrease in flux rate, redo the test or add another cycle.
d. Set the hold time (Figure4).
The hold time determines how long the pressure is held at each pressure head and
applies to both pressure cycles (i.e., if the hold time is 20, both the low and high
pressure holds for 20 min).
e. Select the correct insertion ring depth.

METER SATURO Specifications

General

Brand	METER
Model	SATURO
Category	Measuring Instruments
Language	English