Description
The EQ3 Equitensiometer offers maintenance-free measurement of soil water potential over 0 to -1000 kPa
• Convenient, accurate and reliable alternative to water-filled tensiometers
• Maintenance free: no refilling, degassing, or topping up
• Built in temperature sensor
• Buriable and frost resistant (IP68)
Overview:
The EQ3 Equitensiometer provides reliable matric potential and soil temperature measurement over a wide soil water potential range. The EQ3 is particularly well suited for use in dry soils. The EQ3 uses class leading ThetaProbe
technology to avoid the many problems of water-filled tensiometers. It measures water potential (matric potential) in the range 0 to -1000 kPa and provides an accurate loggable output.
Data logging:
The EQ3 can be logged by any Delta-T data logger, including the powerful GP2. It is also compatible with many other
manufacturers’ data loggers. The EQ3 can be used with an HH2 Moisture Meter, but only the unconverted millivolt output is displayed, and the temperature reading is not available.
Installation:
The EQ3 Tensiometer is buriable (IP68) and maintenance-free. It can be inserted into augured holes or positioned in the wall of a trench (which is then carefully back-filled). Optional extension tubes assist placement and removal when burying at depth and a detachable cable systems enables simple changes of cable length.
The EQ3 is rugged, maintenance-free (no refilling, degassing, or topping up required), frost resistant and low powered; this means it can be left installed at remote sites over long periods of time. In such instances it is possible to access sensor data wirelessly via a modem enabled data logger such as the Delta-T GP2.
Working principle:
The EQ3’s measuring rods are embedded in a porous material (the equilibrium body). This material has a known, stable relationship between water content and matric potential. When the EQ3 Tensiometer is inserted into the soil, the matric potential within the equilibrium body equilibrates to that of the surrounding soils. The water content of the matric material is measured directly by the EQ3, and this can be converted into the matric potential of the surrounding soil using the calibration curve supplied with each Equitensiometer.
Applications:
The EQ3 Equitensiometer is ideally suited to static long term monitoring of water potential in soils and substrates.
It can even be left installed in frozen soils. Typical applications include environmental, plant, soil, ecology and
geo-sciences research, as well as civil engineering and agricultural engineering applications.
The EQ3’s full range is 0 to -1000 kPa but best accuracy is achieved between -100 and -500 kPa. This makes it well suited to plant water stress studies – even in very dry soils.
