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13

Mounting the Sensor on a Pipe

To mount the sensor on a pipe, stake, or 
pole with outside diameter between 
1" and 1-1/4" (25 mm and 31 mm), secure 
the sensor to the pipe using the 1-1/2" 
U-bolts, 1/4" flat washers, and 1/4" hex 
nuts as shown below. Use a 7/16" wrench or 
adjustable wrench to tighten the hex nuts.

Installing Soil Moisture & Temperature Sensors

The soil acts as a reservoir to store water between irrigation or rainfall events, so 
that it is available to the crop or plants as needed for healthy growth. The purpose of 
using sensors to measure the soil water is to give you a better understanding of how 
fast water is being depleted in the different areas of your field or lawn, so you can 
better schedule your irrigations and correctly evaluate the true effectiveness of any 
rainfall. By monitoring the soil moisture between irrigations, you will gain a more 
accurate picture of this process over time, and develop an irrigation scheduling pat-
tern to meet your crop’s “need” for water. This minimizes the guesswork, resulting 
in water savings, lower pumping costs, and the elimination of excess leaching of 
nitrogen due to over irrigation.

While not absolutely necessary for operation, we recommend that a temperature 
probe be installed with each soil moisture sensor. This allows the soil moisture sen-
sor’s readings to be temperature compensated for better accuracy.

Note: 

WATERMARK Soil Moisture Sensor information based on material supplied by Irrometer Com-
pany, Inc.

Connecting Soil Moisture and Temperature Sensors

1. Run the sensor cables up through the grommets on the bottom of the station 

housing.

2. Connect the temperature probes to the TEMP connectors.

3. Connect soil moisture probes to the SOIL connectors

Each matched temperature probe and soil moisture pair must use the matching con-
nectors. If a temperature probe is not used, the soil moisture reading can be off as 

much as 1% for every 1

°

F (0.5

°

C) difference between the actual soil temperature 

and the default value. If no soil temperature probe is used for a particular soil mois-
ture sensor, the soil temperature #1 value is used if present. Otherwise, the console 

Mounting on a Pipe

Summary of Contents for 6345

Page 1: ...the Station supports two leaf wetness sensors and two temperature probes Configured as a Soil Station it supports up to four soil moisture sensors and tem perature probes Note In any station using so...

Page 2: ...U Bolts 1 4 Flat Washers 1 4 Lock Washers 1 4 Hex Nuts Leaf Soil Station Components 8 Wood Screws U Bolts 1 4 Flat Washers 1 4 Hex Nuts Leaf Wetness Sensor with 40 12 2 m of cable 8 x 3 4 Machine Scr...

Page 3: ...sing soil moisture readings page 17 If you encounter difficulties or have questions about your station the following additional information may be helpful Troubleshooting the sensors page 18 Extending...

Page 4: ...sture Sensor Connection Temporarily connect a soil moisture probe to the SOIL 1 terminal block connector using the following instruc tions 1 Use a pen or small screwdriver to open the connector jaws a...

Page 5: ...tter ID Note A transmitter and receiver communicate with each other only when both are set to the same ID The factory default transmitter ID is 1 Looking at the table below you can see that means the...

Page 6: ...ill set the console to recognize signals on that ID as coming from a Leaf Soil Station 3 Press the left or right arrows to scroll through transmitter IDs When you see the ID you chose for the Leaf Soi...

Page 7: ...nfirms communication between your Leaf Soil Station and the console Disconnect the sensor s that were temporarily installed to test communica tions Go on to Choosing a Location to Mount the Station on...

Page 8: ...ith 15 4 6 m of cable standard and can be extended up to 1000 300m using 18 gauge UF cable Temperature Sensors come with 15 4 6 m of cable standard and can be extended up to 800 242m using 24 AWG shie...

Page 9: ...in the area it may interfere with the signal For example if the transmitter is mounted downhill from the console receiver the ground may block a wide angle of the transmitted signal Mounting the Leaf...

Page 10: ...e Sensors The following station and sensor configurations are supported by the Leaf Soil Sta tion A station configured as a LEAF station in the console will support two leaf wet ness sensors and two l...

Page 11: ...station to detect the presence of surface mois ture on foliage and calculate the duration of wetness When moisture is present the sensor detects an electrical resistance change between the gold plate...

Page 12: ...ately every 3 5 1 1 6 m Note Do not use metal staples or a staple gun to secure cables Metal staples especially when installed with a staple gun have a tendency to cut the cables Mounting the Sensor A...

Page 13: ...need for water This minimizes the guesswork resulting in water savings lower pumping costs and the elimination of excess leaching of nitrogen due to over irrigation While not absolutely necessary for...

Page 14: ...e cables Locating Sensors Be aware of the soil variations in your field or lawn The lighter soils dry very quickly heavier soils more slowly Both conditions must be considered Furrow or Flood Irrigati...

Page 15: ...ing sure to stay in active root zones Drip or Micro Irrigation Place sensors in the wetted area With drip emitters this is usually 12 to 18 from the emitter With micro sprinklers or sprays usually 24...

Page 16: ...he sensor with a slurry made from the sample soil to get a snug fit in the soil 3 Always install sensors in the active root system of the crop with a snug fit in the soil Note In gravelly soils and wi...

Page 17: ...rature Sensors on page 13 6 If you withhold irrigation for several days and allow the soil to dry down a bit you should see the soil moisture readings start to creep upward 7 Usually you will not need...

Page 18: ...Wetness Sensor cables can be extended up to 200 61m using 6 conductor 26 AWG cable Soil Moisture Sensor cables can be extended up to 1000 300m using 18 gauge waterproof cable UF insulation is recomme...

Page 19: ...n operating Temperature 50 to 158 F 45 to 70 C Current Draw 0 14 mA average 30 mA peak at 4 to 6 VDC power Battery CR123A 3 Volt Lithium cell Battery Life 8 months without sunlight greater than 2 year...

Page 20: ...limits for a class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation This equ...

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