Electrophysics

MOISTURE METER MODEL CT858 Electrophysics

Box 310, Dutton, Ontario N0L 1J0, Canada Phone or Fax: (519) 768-2146 www.electrophysics.on.ca

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS & INFORMATION NOTES ZERO AND CALIBRATION INSTRUCTIONS: MODEL CT858

FIRST: CHECK THE ZERO POINT AND RE-ADJUST IF NECESSARY AS FOLLOWS: Turn the meter off then on again after a few seconds, to reset. Now set the density to “00” (the main instructions tell you how to push the “menu” and “scroll” buttons to do this) and leave the meter turned on until zero and calibration are done. On the body of the sensor probe casing there are two small white plastic screws. Remove the screw giving access to the zero adjustment (see photograph below). A small brass screw will be visible through the exposed hole. Hold the sensor probe in mid-air with the sensor pad well away from any material objects, and with a small flat-bladed screwdriver slowly turn the brass screw until the meter reads “00”. Re-insert the white plastic screw now, to avoid later confusion. CALIBRATION ADJUSTMENT There are two plates. Place the copper-coated plate on a table top or other convenient flat non-metallic surface, with the copper side facing down. Place the clear plastic plate on top of the copper plate. Set the density to 0.50 and place the sensing pad directly on the top plate and press gently. The meter should read 14%. If it does not, proceed as follows. Remove the white plastic screw in the sensor pad casing, which gives access to the calibration adjustment (see photograph below). A small brass screw will be visible through the hole. With a small flat-bladed screwdriver turn the brass screw extremely slowly until the meter reads 14. Re-insert the white plastic screw to keep foreign materials out of the sensor probe. It is important that the copper coating on the calibration plate be kept flat, clean, smooth, untarnished and uncorroded, and the clear plastic plate should also be clean and smooth.

ACCESS TO CALIBRATION ACCESS TO ZERO ADJUSTMENT SCREW ADJUSTMENT SCREW

HOLD THE SENSOR UNIT ONLY AT THE CABLE END KEEP FINGERS WELL AWAY FROM THE SENSOR BLOCK

15 MOISTURE CONTENT CHART MOISTURE METER MODEL CT858

WOOD MUST BE DRIED TO THE CORRECT MOISTURE CONTENT FOR OWNERS MANUAL THE INTENDED PURPOSE HOW TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR MOISTURE METER Congratulations on your purchase of an Electrophysics high precision quality RELATIVE HUMIDITY % MOISTURE CONTENT MC % moisture meter! Please take the time to read these pages of information. The moisture meter is a sensitive and quite sophisticated electronic device. When WOOD PRODUCTS IN WOOD PRODUCTS IN USE not in use it should be stored in a dry place, preferably indoors at room MANUFACTURING temperature. Undue heat, cold, or excess humidity can all damage (or at least 25 MARINE PILING affect the accuracy of) even the quality components used by Electrophysics.

24 BASIC OPERATION 95 Your meter is shipped with batteries already installed. To turn on the Model 23 PRESSURE TREATMENT CT858, turn the rotary switch one click clockwise. A second click clockwise will

22 also turn on the display light and the audible beeper alarm. The sensor pad is the black block about 1.2 x 1.5 inches at one end of the 21 sensor probe, which is connected to the meter by a cable. To make a moisture

90 20 RAILROAD TIES content measurement, hold the sensor probe casing with the fingertips as far removed as possible from the sensor pad, and press gently against the sample MAX MC FOR AIR OR KILN 19 DRIED (NLGA) to be measured. Ensure that the sensor area is closely in contact with the sample, and that the entire sensing area is fully contacted. 85 18 STOCK FOR BENDING The digital liquid crystal display (LCD) will indicate the moisture content directly 17 as a percentage. Each time that you turn on the meter, it powers up with standard or default 80 16 TYPICAL MC FOR settings of 0.5 for wood density and 1.5 inches for wood thickness. You can CONSTRUCTION LUMBER, 15 PRESERVATIVE TREATMENT UTILITY POLES change these settings easily in a few seconds by pushing the appropriate OF UTILITY POLES, BRIDGE buttons, and this is described as a step-by-step procedure in the following 75 14 TIMBERS, etc paragraphs. If you are working with wood, please remember to actually set the wood density to the correct value for your species, because the density 70 13 BOXES & CRATES, BOAT corrections may be quite large. If you are working with non-wood materials FRAMES, DECKS, please refer to the separate booklet for suggested settings and procedures. The 65 12 PLANKING, GARDEN FURNITURE, meter consumes a considerable amount of power, especially when the LCD

LUMBER FOR GLUED & FARM IMPLEMENTS, illumination is turned on, so remember to turn it off after use. The batteries will 60 11 LAMINATED BEAMS TRUCK BODIES last very much longer when the meter is used intermittently rather than being 55 10 left on for long periods of time.

SPORTING GOODS 50 9 SETTING THE WOOD DENSITY

LUMBER, JOISTS, STUDS Below the LCD display (inside two circular cutouts in the red front panel) are two 8 colored lights which you will see illuminated at various stages while you are 40 changing the meter settings. Below the two lights are two pushbuttons. To 7 PLANING & TURNING change the density setting, press and hold down the left (“menu”) button until 30 6 FLOORING, SASH & the left light is red, then release the button. The display now shows the current DOORS, MILLWORK, density setting in grams per cubic centimeter. Find the density of your wood VENEER FOR LAMINATION FURNITURE, MUSICAL 5 & sample in the table provided (see later pages). Now push and hold down the 20 right-hand (“scroll”) button. You will see the displayed density change or scroll 4 step by step through the available density values. Release the right button when 15 you see the desired density. The meter is now set for the selected value. Push 3 10 and hold down the left button again until no lights are illuminated, and the 2 meter is ready to use (in sequence, you will see the left light turn green, then go 5 out, then the right light will be green, and then go out). 1 SETTING THE WOOD THICKNESS 0 OVEN DRIED WOOD For wood samples less than 1.5 inches thick, readings can be corrected as

14 3 follows. Push and hold down the left button until the left light is green, then release the button. The display now shows the wood thickness in inches for MOISTURE CONTENT & HUMIDITY which the meter is set. To change this value, push and hold down the right button until you see the desired thickness, then release the button. Now push and hold down the left button until no lights are illuminated, and the meter is ready for use (you will see the left light go out, then the right light green and then go out). SETTING THE PERCENTAGE LEVEL ALARM Push and hold down the left button until the right light is green, then release the button. The display now shows the current alarm setting (99% each time the meter is turned on). To change the alarm level, push and hold down the right button until you see the desired setting, then release the button. Push and hold down the left button again until no lights are on, and the meter is ready to use. For the Model CT858, the beeper sounds in addition to the right-hand light appearing red. The alarm feature is handy for quickly scanning in a “go or nogo” situation, such as accepting or rejecting large amounts of wood in a delivery, or looking for unacceptably moist wall or ceiling areas during building inspections. ZERO ADJUSTMENT Normally the LCD display should show 0% when the meter is turned on and the The curve above left shows the approximate relationship between relative humidity (RH) and sensing pad is held in mid-air, well away from any material object. equilibrium moisture content (EMC) for most . At the right the curves show the seasonal indoor variation of moisture content in wood. “A” is unfinished veneer or wood However, under extreme combinations of temperature and humidity, and as surface. “B” is furniture of kiln-dried lumber, well coated with finish. “C” is furniture or air- ambient conditions change in your workshop, or as the meter is carried from dried lumber, well coated with finish. one location to another, and as the meter ages, the zero-point setting may drift slightly. A reading within plus or minus 1% of the zero mark is normal and Below left the table gives typical shrinkage % for various species. The wood most likely to acceptable, and will not affect the accuracy of your readings. warp has the highest T/R ratio. If the zero point needs to be reset, you can do this easily and quickly. All you need is a small flat-bladed screwdriver, readily available for example in “eyeglass repair” kits. See the step-by-step instructions on the inside back cover (page 15). CALIBRATION ADJUSTMENT The meter electronics are very stable and for most users there will never be any need to worry about the calibration, unless there is an accident of some kind which might upset the internal adjustments. For greatest security and peace of mind, you can check the calibration at any time, and if necessary fine tune the meter using the calibration plate included with your meter. See the step-by-step instructions on the inside back cover. CHANGING BATTERIES When the LCD display begins to flash on and off, it is time to replace the batteries. Turn the meter off. Place the meter face down on a secure flat surface, perhaps on top of a towel or soft cloth to avoid scratching the front panel. Using a small Phillips screwdriver, remove the four screws, one at each corner of the meter case. Gently lift off the rear half of the meter case. Unclip the two 9-volt batteries and replace them with new high-quality batteries. Carefully re-install the rear half of the meter case (watch out for any badly bent or kinked or trapped wires which may have been exposed when the meter was opened) and secure with the four Phillips screws. The CT858 consumes a lot of power, especially when the LCD is illuminated, and we recommend at least alkaline batteries. Rechargeable batteries are not advised because most of these provide insufficient voltage even when fully charged.

4 13 WATER & WOOD: WARPING NIGHTMARES SPECIES AND TEMPERATURE CORRECTIONS “Density” means “weight per unit volume” and in these instructions all wood densities are expressed as “grams per cubic centimeter”. Multiply by 0.016 to MOISTURE CONTENT OF WOOD convert a density given in pounds per cubic foot to grams per cubic centimeter. If the species you are working with is not on the attached list, you can either call The moisture content of wood is measured as the ratio of the weight of water in a Electrophysics (we may have updated information) or you can find the density given piece of wood, to the weight of the wood when it is completely dry (or yourself by following the procedure described on a later page in these “oven dry”) and is usually expressed as a percentage. The “green” wood of a instructions. freshly felled tree may have a moisture content anywhere in the range 30% to Temperature corrections may be required if the wood is at a temperature other over 200%, depending on the species (see the table below). Almost all of this than 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) but these are surprisingly small and in most water must be removed from the wood before it is fit to be used (the desired cases may be safely ignored (see later page). moisture content depends on the intended purpose, and is illustrated on a later page). Furthermore, wood is a cellulose material which behaves somewhat like a HELPFUL HINTS (WOOD) sponge, so that even wood which has been “kiln dried” down to 7% (a typical No matter how a piece of wood has been dried, the moisture remaining within it value for furniture use) may in fact later reabsorb water from the atmosphere. will not be uniformly distributed throughout the wood. You can see this for Actually all wood is constantly gaining or losing water to or from the yourself by reading the moisture content of a large sample at several different environment—the moisture content of wood changes as the relative humidity places along the length of the board. Most likely, the moisture content will vary changes, and coats of or can only slow the process, not stop it. As by at least 2% from place to place. This does not mean that your meter is the moisture content of improperly dried or stored wood changes, so does the unstable or unreliable—it simply is a reflection of the natural variability of wood. wood expand or contract, potentially producing all manner of disastrous defects It is best, therefore, to obtain several moisture readings and take the average, if (and hence wood warping nightmares). With a precision moisture meter from your piece of wood is large. The sensor pad should be oriented so that the longer Electrophysics you will have the means to measure and thence control the dimension of the pad is along the direction of the . moisture content of your valuable wood. No more nightmares! The CT858 can detect water as deep as 1.5 inches below the surface; the reading The diagram bottom right illustrates the meaning of various terms used to is dominated by the uppermost layers (a common feature of all capacitance-type describe the moisture content of wood. meters). If your wood is much thicker than two inches, and if very accurate readings are essential, one recourse is to cut a section across the wood to expose The drawings below show some the deep interior material, even though this negates the non-destructive nature of common forms of wood warping. pinless meters. It is important that the wood sample have a surface as flat and smooth as possible, so that the sensor makes good physical contact with the wood. The moisture content of any lumber will vary from day to day because wood is constantly losing or gaining moisture to or from its surroundings, so as to reach an equilibrium state. The enclosed chart (page 14) shows the desired moisture content for various wood products. To avoid measuring the water content of your own body, it is best to hold the sensor probe with fingertips as far as possible from the sensing pad area. Similarly, if you are holding smaller pieces against the sensor, your hand may disturb the readings if it is too close. Avoid testing pieces which are lying on top of, or stacked next to, other pieces of wood. Especially look out for metallic objects under or behind your sample. OTHER APPLICATIONS Although calibrated for wood, your meter will give a reading of some kind when the sensor pad is held against almost anything. The non-damaging, non- destructive nature of pinless meters makes them an ideal choice in many situations, for example in testing valuable furniture, antiques, museum specimens, or musical instruments. The CT858 is especially suited for marine surveys, appraisal work, damage inspection, and restoration. In boat and building inspection, even qualitative readings on fiberglass, drywall, plaster, roofing and insulation, are helpful in detecting possible water leaks which may not yet be visible. Concrete and brickwork have a density well beyond the calibrated range of 1.5, but the qualitative variations in readings will help you map out unusually wet or dry

12 5 areas. Please refer to the separate booklet for more information about non-wood FOR SPECIES AND MATERIALS NOT LISTED . . . applications. . . . Call Us First —– We May Have The Information! FURTHER INFORMATION For wood species or man-made wood-like materials which are not listed Simple possession of a wood moisture meter does not guarantee that you will here, you can find the density (the number you need to know for proper never again experience the frustration and damage caused by water in wood. The species correction of the moisture meter reading) as follows: user must take responsibility not just for correct operation of the moisture meter, but also for the correct interpretation and application of the moisture readings. If you should require any further assistance or advice please do not 1. Take (or make) a rectangular -sided sample or your material hesitate to contact us. 2. Find the weight in grams (take the sample to your post office…) 3. Measure the length, width, and height in centimeters PUBLICATIONS 4. Multiply length x width x height to find volume (cubic centimeters) “Wood And How To Dry It”, Fine , Taunton Press, ISBN 0-918804- 5. Divide weight in grams by volume in cubic centimeters 54-X. 6. This number is the density. “Understanding Wood”, R. Bruce Hoadley, Fine Woodworking, Taunton Press, ISBN 0-918804-05-1. If it happens that you already know the sample density in “pounds per “Encyclopedia Of Wood”, Forest Products Lab, USDA, Sterling, ISBN 0-8069- cubic foot” then just multiply that number by 0.016 to get density 6994-6. (grams/cubic centimeter). “World Woods In Color”, William A. Lincoln, Linden, ISBN 0-941936-20-1.

“Conversion & Seasoning Of Wood”, William H. Brown, Linden, ISBN 0-941936- 14-7. This procedure will give good results for particleboard, fiberboard, plywood, and similar products as well as wood. It will also work for paper, cardboard, and other wood-pulp based products.

For radically different materials such as drywall, fiberglass, or concrete, the moisture meter is used in a qualitative or comparative mode, and in this case the density setting (on models with an electronic density adjustment) amounts to a sensitivity control.

TEMPERATURE CORRECTION FOR WOOD SAMPLES AT TEMPERATURES OTHER THAN 20 C (68 F) TEMPERATURE: 0 10 20 30 40 50 CORRECTION: +1.7% +0.8% 0% -0.8% -1.5% -2.2% The correction above should be added to the meter reading. Temperatures above are in degrees Celsius. Below zero Celsius, liquid water freezes into ice, and meaningful moisture readings cannot be obtained with an electronic meter.

6 11 Para-angelium 0.63 WOOD DENSITY CORRECTIONS Parana- 0.46 Pau Marfim 0.73 Peroba Wood Density >>> de Campos 0.62 Rosa 0.66 Pilon 0.65 Pine Caribbean 0.68 Ocote 0.55 Radiata 0.42 Piquia 0.72 Primavera 0.40 Purpleheart 0.83 Ramin 0.59 Red Gum 0.52 Robe 0.52 Brazilian 0.80 Honduras 0.90 Indian 0.75 Sande 0.49 Santa Maria 0.52 0.55 Satinwood Ceylon 0.87 Sepetir 0.56 0.68 Lauan white 0.46 Meranti yellow 0.50 Snakewood 1.30 Spanish Cedar 0.41 Stinkwood 0.80 Sucupira 0.76 0.55 Tornillo 0.45 Corrected moisture content % is at the intersection of “Density” Tulipwood column and “Moisture Meter Reading” row Brazilian 0.86 Utile 0.59 Wallaba 0.78 Sometimes you may wish to use this chart for density Water Gum 0.77 (species) corrections instead of the pushbutton Wenge 0.88 electronic corrections. Zebrano 0.74

Use default (turn on) meter density setting of 0.5

10 7 TABLE OF WOOD DENSITIES Sand 0.48 0.90 Baldcypress 0.46 Scots 0.46 Ekki 1.00 Northern red 0.63 Buckeye Shortleaf 0.51 Ekop 0.60 American 0.50 Pin 0.63 Horsechestnut 0.45 Slash 0.59 Goncalo Alves 0.84 Grey 0.47 Cedar 0.64 Scarlet 0.67 Yellow 0.36 0.44 Greenheart 0.80 Red 0.41 English 0.49 Southern red 0.59 Cedar Sugar 0.36 Hornbeam 0.75 Apple 0.62 Rock 0.63 Water 0.63 Alaska 0.44 Virginia 0.48 Hura 0.38 Ash Slippery 0.53 0.69 Atlantic white 0.32 Western white 0.38 Ilomba 0.40 Black 0.49 Winged 0.66 , White Eastern red 0.47 Redwood Imbuia 0.57 Blue 0.58 Wych 0.60 Bur 0.64 Incense 0.37 Old growth 0.40 Ipe 0.92 European 0.61 European lime 0.48 0.66 Northern white 0.31 Young growth 0.35 Iroko 0.62 Green 0.56 Hackberry 0.53 European 0.62 Port-Orford 0.43 Spruce Ironwood, black 1.49 Oregon 0.55 , pecan Live 0.88 Western red 0.32 Black 0.42 Ivorywood, red 0.90 White 0.60 Bitternut 0.66 Oregon 0.72 Douglas Engelmann 0.35 Jarrah 0.67 Nutmeg 0.60 Overcup 0.63 Coast 0.48 Norway 0.42 Jelutong 0.36 Bigtooth 0.39 Pecan 0.66 Post 0.67 Interior West 0.50 Red 0.40 Kaneelhart 0.96 Quaking 0.38 Water 0.62 Sessile 0.62 Interior North 0.48 Sitka 0.40 Kapur 0.64 Basswood Hickory, true Swamp chestnut 0.67 Interior South 0.46 White 0.36 Karri 0.82 American 0.37 Mockernut 0.72 Swamp white 0.72 Fir Tamarack 0.53 Kempas 0.71 Pignut 0.75 White 0.68 Balsam 0.35 Yew Keruing 0.69 American 0.64 Shagbark 0.72 Osage Orange 0.81 California red 0.38 European 0.64 Kingwood 1.20 European 0.64 Shellbark 0.69 Pear 0.73 Grand 0.37 Pacific 0.62 Koa 0.60 Holly Persimmon 0.74 Noble 0.39 Korina 0.49 European 0.59 American 0.56 Sassafras 0.46 Norway 0.43 EXOTIC Lignumvitae 1.14 Paper 0.55 English 0.68 Sugarberry 0.51 Pacific silver 0.43 Afrormosia 0.61 Limba 0.38 Sweet 0.65 Honeylocust 0.66 Sumac 0.47 Subalpine 0.32 Albarco 0.48 Macawood 0.94 Yellow 0.62 Laurel Sweetgum 0.52 White 0.39 Andiroba 0.54 Madrona 0.77 Butternut 0.45 California 0.55 Sycamore Hemlock Angelin 0.65 Catalpa 0.41 Locust, black 0.69 American 0.49 Eastern 0.40 Angelique 0.60 African 0.63 Cherry, black 0.50 Magnolia British 0.56 Mountain 0.45 Avodire 0.48 Honduras 0.58 Chestnut Cucumbertree 0.48 Tanoak 0.65 Western 0.45 Azobe 0.87 Manbarklak 0.87 American 0.43 Southern 0.50 Tupelo Balsa 0.16 Manni 0.58 Chinkapin Black 0.50 European 0.53 Banak 0.42 Mansonia 0.59 Giant 0.46 Bigleaf 0.48 Water 0.50 Western 0.52 Basralocus 0.72 Marishballi 0.88 Coffeetree Black 0.57 Walnut Pine Benge 0.65 Merbau 0.64 Kentucky 0.60 Boxelder 0.46 Black 0.55 Eastern white 0.35 Bubinga 0.71 Mersawa 0.52 Cottonwood Red 0.54 European 0.56 Jack 0.43 Bulletwood 0.85 Mora 0.78 Balsam poplar 0.34 Silver 0.47 Willow Loblolly 0.51 Cativo 0.40 Myrtle 0.72 Black 0.35 Sugar 0.63 Black 0.39 Lodgepole 0.41 Ceiba 0.25 Obeche 0.34 Eastern 0.40 Mulberry, red 0.66 White 0.40 Longleaf 0.59 1.10 Okoume 0.33 Grey poplar 0.40 Oak, Red Yellow-poplar 0.42 Pitch 0.52 Courbaril 0.71 Olive 0.89 Dogwood Black 0.61 Pond 0.56 Cuangare 0.31 Opepe 0.63 Flowering 0.73 Cherrybark 0.68 Ponderosa 0.40 Cypress Mex. 0.39 Ovankoi 0.67 Laurel 0.63 Red 0.46 Degame 0.67 Padauk 0.67 Panga Panga 0.91

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