METER TEROS 12 - Page 10

6
OPERATION
Table 2 Installation methods
Borehole
This method uses the Borehole
Installation Tool (Table 1) that
allows a prole of soil moisture
sensors to be installed at
different depths within a single
augered borehole. A 10-cm (4-in)
borehole is augered vertically at
the measurement location. The
Borehole Installation Tool is then
used to install the sensors in the
sidewall of the borehole.
NOTE: The borehole method
requiresspecialized installation
toolavailable from METER ifinstalling
at depths greater than50cm.
Advantage
Minimizes soil
disturbance at
measurement
site.
Disadvantage
Requires a
specialized
installation
tool that can
be rented from
METER.
Trench
The trench installation method is
best for shallow installations (less
than 40 cm). This requires digging
a trench with a shovel, excavator,
etc. The trench needs to be dug to
the depth of the deepest installed
sensor. For deep installations, this
may require a large trench. The
sensor is then installed carefully
by hand into the undisturbed soil
of the trench sidewall. The trench
is then carefully backlled to
preserve the bulk density of the
soil and to avoid dislodging the
installed sensor by accidentally
snagging the ferrite core.
Advantage
Does not
require
specialized
equipment.
Disadvantage
Large soil
disturbance at
measurement
site.
Potentially
large
excavation
effort.