Advertisement
Fig 2. All possible display indications
A. Moisture level readout (a 3-digit value in pin mode,
REL in pinless mode)
B. Indicates operation in pin mode with a wood target
C. Indicates operation in pin mode
D. Indicates operation in pin mode with a building material target
E. Low battery charge indication; replace the "9V" battery when
it appears
F. Indicates a held measurement
G. Moisture measurement unit (%WME in pin mode;
not applicable in pinless mode)
H. Indicates operation in pinless mode with a hardwood target
I. Indicates operation in pinless mode with a softwood target
J. Indicates operation in pinless mode with a cement board
target
K. Indicates operation in pinless mode with a drywall target
SETUP INSTRUCTIONS
INSTALL BATTERY
Open the battery compartment at the bottom of the meter
(Fig. 1, Callout N) by placing a fingernail in the slot on the right
side of the housing where it meets the compartment door. Push
the tab on the door gently to the left until it pops open. Slide the
included "9V" battery into the compartment "terminals-first",
with the anode (+ terminal) on the right. Swing the door back
toward its closed position until it snaps shut.
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
To power on the meter, press and hold the
Callout E) for at least three seconds. (To power off the meter,
follow the same instruction.)
MAKING RELATIVE MOISTURE MEASUREMENTS
To measure the relative moisture level of drywall, cement
board, hardwood or softwood, DO NOT PRESS THE PIN COVER
LATCH to swing open the top of the meter. Instead, just press the
MODE button until the name of the target material appears on
the LCD. Then scan the material by gently pressing the pinless
sensing area (Fig. 1, Callout M) on the top of the meter against
the material. Make sure no part of your hand or fingers is
touching, or near, the sensing area. LCD will display the
abbreviation REL (for RELative measurement), and, one or more
bar graph LEDs below the LCD will illuminate to place the
material's moisture level within a spectrum bounded by "DRY"
and "WET". The meter will also "beep" at either of two speeds to
reflect the moisture level: slow for an intermediate level (with
one or more yellow LEDs illuminated), and fast for a high level
(with one or more red LEDs lit).
MAKING PINLESS (RELATIVE) MEASUREMENTS
To hold a relative reading, briefy press the HOLD button within
one minute of making the measurement. The display will add the
word HOLD to the REL indication, and the bar graph LEDs will
"freeze" in their current state (illuminated or not).. If the reading
is above the alarm limit for that material, the out-of-limit alarm
will sound. Press and hold the HOLD button to silence it.
MAKING PIN (ABSOLUTE) MEASUREMENTS
To measure the absolute moisture measurment of wood or a
building material, power on the meter and press the pin cover
latch (Fig. 1, Callout G). The pin cover will swing open to expose
the two test pins, and the LCD will display the word WOOD
(Fig. 2, Callout B) and the pin-mode icon (Callout C) at its right.
Remove the black rubber insulating sleeves from the pins.
To measure wood, carefully press the test pins into the sample.
Its absolute moisture level will be displayed as a percentage,
with the unit %WME (Fig. 2, Callouts A and G). Simultaneously,
the bar graph LEDs will illuminate to mirror the digital reading.
To measure a building material, press the MODE button to
change the indication on the top line of the LCD from WOOD to
BLDG (Fig. 2, Callout D). As with wood, carefully press the test
pins into the sample. Its absolute moisture level will be displayed
as a percentage, with the unit %WME. Again, one or more bar
graph LEDs will illuminate to mirror the digital reading.
In wood measurement mode, the available moisture level range
is 5% to 50%. When the level is below 5%, the LCD will show
__ __ __. When it is above 50%, the LCD will show ￣ ￣ ￣.
In building material measurement mode, the available moisture
level range is 1.5% to 33%. When the level is below 1.5%, the
LCD will show __ __ __. When it is above 33%, the LCD will
show ￣ ￣ ￣ .
To hold a digital reading, briefly press the HOLD button within
one minute of making the measurement. The LCD will add the
word HOLD to the digital reading, and the bar graph LEDs will
"freeze" in their current state (illuminated or not).
MEASUREMENT TIPS
For best results in pinless (relative) mode, press the pinless
button (Fig. 1,
sensing area against a flat area of a representative sample of
the target material. The sample's length and width should
be at least as large as the dimensions of the sensing area:
1.5 x 1.5 in. (38 x 38mm).
Ideally, the material should also be at least 3/8 in. thick. That is
the meter's maximum measurement depth and the thickness
it is calibrated for. If your sample is too thin, the meter will
measure material beneath it as well and produce an inaccurate
reading. Try compensating for thin samples by stacking them.
Measurements of wood are skewed by two variables: ambient
humidity and the density of the wood species. The best way to
compensate for the effect of these variables is to develop your
own moisture level curves, based on your experience working
with different species of wood on a day-to-day basis.
3
Advertisement
