OmniSense sensors including the S-11, S-160 and S-2 sensors have pin type moisture meters that measure the moisture content of whatever material the pins are connected to.
There are many variations on how they can be used but the simplest and most common is to mount a S-11 sensor with two mounting screws to a wood sill plate. The two screws are the two pins of a moisture meter. The screws make a electrical connection to the wood which the sensor uses to measure the woods electrical conductivity. We then convert the measured electrical conductivity into a %WME (Wood Moisture Equivalent) value.
%WME is the percentage of the woods weight that is water. Typical Douglas Fir in a residence will be about 12-15% WME. Wood in a vented crawl space in South Carolina might be 26+%. The threshold for microbial growth varies with wood species and air temperature but 26% is a good rule of thumb. Saturated wood is 36+%.
Another common method when you have concrete floors is to mount the sensor to a "test coupon" of wood (technical term for "scrap of wood":) and place that on the floor under areas of concern such as water using appliances. While you can directly screw a sensor into concrete and measure the concrete's moisture content the same as you would wood most people find the scrap of wood approach easier.
The S-11 and S-160 sensors are directly mounted to the material under test whereas the S-2 sensor lets you use a WME cable to cable to the material under test. Its chef's choice which approach works best in your application.
There are many variations on how they can be used but the simplest and most common is to mount a S-11 sensor with two mounting screws to a wood sill plate. The two screws are the two pins of a moisture meter. The screws make a electrical connection to the wood which the sensor uses to measure the woods electrical conductivity. We then convert the measured electrical conductivity into a %WME (Wood Moisture Equivalent) value.
%WME is the percentage of the woods weight that is water. Typical Douglas Fir in a residence will be about 12-15% WME. Wood in a vented crawl space in South Carolina might be 26+%. The threshold for microbial growth varies with wood species and air temperature but 26% is a good rule of thumb. Saturated wood is 36+%.
Another common method when you have concrete floors is to mount the sensor to a "test coupon" of wood (technical term for "scrap of wood":) and place that on the floor under areas of concern such as water using appliances. While you can directly screw a sensor into concrete and measure the concrete's moisture content the same as you would wood most people find the scrap of wood approach easier.
The S-11 and S-160 sensors are directly mounted to the material under test whereas the S-2 sensor lets you use a WME cable to cable to the material under test. Its chef's choice which approach works best in your application.
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