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Sentek Drill & Drop, Installation Manual

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16. Installation of the 30cm Probe

• Use the 30cm 

Installation Auger 

and 

Tripod

. As before, check the hole depth, make a 

3cm

deep channel 

for the probe cable next to the probe, lubricate the probe with a little water and insert it. 

• The cable may also be installed in a 20cm deep trench, but is more conveniently left on the surface so that 

the probe may be removed to one side temporarily at harvest and planting times.

Summary of Contents for Drill & Drop

Page 1: ...Drill Drop Installation Manual Version 6 0 Published 2021 Drill Drop Done ...

Page 2: ...al was created to provide you with the knowledge to install the Drill Drop Probe in a fast and correct manner Reading this manual will assist you with the choice of the right tools and procedures This should save you time and ensure a good installation quality of the probe ...

Page 3: ...ent Required 14 Recommended Installation Heavy Soil Type Example 22 Augering Guidelines for the Drill Drop Bluetooth Probe 39 Installation in Mounded Rows 47 Advanced Installations Duplex Soils 56 Advanced Installations Subsurface 61 Drill and Drop Probe Extraction Mk 1 81 Drill and Drop Probe Extraction Mk 2 93 ...

Page 4: ...be Need for a rapid direct installation method Uses a new fully sealed probe Rugged construction Uses a rigid tripod to maintain the augered hole integrity Uses a tapered auger to suit the tapering of the probe Ease of removal and reuse ...

Page 5: ...ifth level OUR NEW INNOVATION The SENTEK Drill Drop The tapered Drill Drop multi sensor profiling probe measures Soil Moisture Salinity Temperature It is wider at the top than it is at the bottom to ensure an agronomically correct slurry free snug fit and super fast probe installation ...

Page 6: ...en inserting down to 1 2 m 48 until NOW The Drill Drop measures an undisturbed soil medium not a soil slurry that fills the air gap between soil and probe which is being used by most soil moisture probe manufacturers The slurry invites preferential path flow of water along the probe providing misleading and potentially crop damaging information to the irrigator ...

Page 7: ...How does this solve the problem Click to edit Master text styles Second level Third level Fourth level Fifth level See Sentek Videos Drilling tapered hole in soil Dropping in a tapered probe Done ...

Page 8: ...ger is therefore deeper compared to the length of the probe body The resulting soil cavity below the bottom of the probe is designed to accept any soil accumulating at the bottom of the cavity during the installation process Otherwise soil accumulation could obstruct the insertion of the probe body to its full length Tungsten Tip ...

Page 9: ...e quality and integrity of the drilled hole as shown in the picture above without using the Sentek Stabilisation Tripod for the tapered auger Warning Not using the Stabilisation Tripod can lead to air gaps potentially causing preferential path flow of water and misleading readings ...

Page 10: ...nstructions Warning Read and follow all safety instructions in this Drill Drop Installation Manual and the safety instructions in the respective manuals of the recommended power tools referred to in this manual ...

Page 11: ... cause severe shock burns or death Obtain information about buried power cables before commencing work Warning Striking a hard object in the soil with a turning auger and the resulting slowing or stoppage of the auger creates reactive forces The transfer of reactive forces can cause the auger powerhead and handles to rotate suddenly in the opposite direction and can result in loss of control or ca...

Page 12: ...et wrapped around the spinning auger Warning Always wear certified safety protection Wear ear and eye protection when operating power drills Warning To reduce the risk of injury the operator should wear proper protective apparel Clothing must be snug fitting but allow complete freedom of movement Avoid loose fitting jackets flared or cuffed pants or anything that could be drawn into the boring too...

Page 13: ... Wear sound barriers ear plugs or ear muffs to protect your hearing Warning Do not expose an electric power drill to rain or wet conditions Warning When operating an electrical power drill outdoors use an extension cord suitable for outdoor use Please refer to respective detailed user manuals and their safety instructions for the recommended tools in this manual Operation of a generator Operation ...

Page 14: ...Installation Equipment Required ...

Page 15: ...ools for Light Soils Drill Drop Probe Tapered Auger Bucket for excavated soil Stabilisation Tripod with Screw Pins Metal Plastic Pressurised Water Bottle Battery Drill Socket for Screw Pins Trowel 2 sheets of Newspaper ...

Page 16: ...isation Tripod with Screw Pins Bucket for excavated soil Tapered Auger Drill Drop Probe Socket for Screw Pins Trowel 2 sheets of Newspaper 740 Watt DEWALT Drill Electrical Extension Cord Pressurised Water Bottle Heavy Duty Battery Drill 40V max ...

Page 17: ... A Honda EU20 i 1 6 KVA Generator and a 740 Watt DEWALT Drill have been intensively tested to drill holes in some very heavy textured soils These tools have not failed in the course of many installations and are Highly Recommended ...

Page 18: ...4 Recommended Tools Important Alternatively a motorised power head may be used to drive the tapered auger The one shown is an ECHO EDR 2400 2 stroke engine drill by Yamabiko Corporation ...

Page 19: ...5 Recommended Tools Important This is an alternative drill power head from Stihl which has also proven reliable Petrol Oil Mixture ...

Page 20: ...6 Do Not Use a Battery Operated Drill for Heavy Soils which is lower than 40v ...

Page 21: ...7 Drill Drop Tool Kit Extension Foot for hill crops optional Extraction Tool optional Extraction Chain optional Socket Extension optional Screw Pins Tripod ...

Page 22: ...Recommended Installation Heavy Soil Type Example ...

Page 23: ...1 Tripod Installation Place 2 sheets of newspaper beneath the Stabilisation Tripod This allows easy removal of the augered soil later ...

Page 24: ...2 Prepare Screw Pins for Drilling Insert the Screw Pins ...

Page 25: ...3 Place Socket into Drill Place the Socket Tool into the drill and tighten the drill chuck with the chuck key ...

Page 26: ...ot onto the centre of the tripod position the Socket Tool onto the Screw Pin and keep drilling until the head end of the pin comes to rest on top of the tripod Repeat with the remaining 2 Screw Pins and then check the tripod stability manually ...

Page 27: ...5 Insert Tapered Auger into Drill Insert the Tapered Auger into the drill and tighten the drill chuck ...

Page 28: ...ed hole Note The auger might be damaged if run in reverse Move constantly up and down 10 15cm during drilling Insert the auger into the centre of the tripod keeping it as straight as possible Start the drill and move the auger constantly and gently 10 15 cm up and down during the drilling process ...

Page 29: ...the auger and into the hole In clay this makes the drilling process easier by allowing the lubricated soil ribbons to travel up the auger flight and out of the hole In sand early use of water serves to maintain the integrity of the hole being augered and stops the hole wall collapse ...

Page 30: ...8 Augering to Depth Auger until the end of the auger flight is level with the top of the bush of the tripod and stop the drill Then carefully remove the auger from the hole ...

Page 31: ...h the hole of the tripod If the auger will not go down to this level give the auger a quick spin to take up the soil at the bottom of the hole then stop the drill remove it from the hole carefully and clean it once again Important Repeat the process until you can fully insert the auger without spinning into the hole Only then is the hole ready to accept the probe ...

Page 32: ...10 Removal of Screw Pins Use the drill in reverse mode to unscrew the pins ...

Page 33: ...11 Inspect Quality of Hole Remove the tripod and inspect the quality of the hole It should be smooth sided and free of air pockets Carefully remove the augered soil from the site using the newspaper ...

Page 34: ...12 Prepare a Probe Cable Trench Use a small trowel to dig a trench to accept the probe cable During excavation place your finger over the hole to prevent any soil falling in ...

Page 35: ...13 Preparation for Probe Insertion Use the spray bottle to wet the probe and the upper walls of the hole This is particularly useful as lubrication in clay soils ...

Page 36: ...14 Probe Insertion Insert the probe carefully into the hole pushing it all the way down until the top of the probe is level with the soil surface The first sensor will now be located at 5cm depth ...

Page 37: ...15 Final Probe Positioning If the probe protrudes above the soil surface gently push it into final position Do not use unreasonable force any weight beyond 120 kg is considered to be unreasonable force ...

Page 38: ...e almost completed installation of the probe should look like this The probe should be in firm contact with the soil and you should not be able to push it in any further by hand Note The channel for the cable should be filled with soil ...

Page 39: ...Augering Guidelines for the Drill Drop Bluetooth Probe ...

Page 40: ...1 Explanation of Terms and measurements Probe Lengths in cm Use recommended Auger Lengths in cm ...

Page 41: ...y it will lead to poor connectivity Please make sure the Blue Cap must be fully exposed for better performance if covered with soil dry leaves etc the performance can be poor Poor install Top sensor in air and this affects the performance of the sensors buried below it ...

Page 42: ...3 Good Install Good Install Aerial fully exposed above ground All sensor buried in the soil ...

Page 43: ...4 Example How to measure Height of Flight not including shaft above Tripod Graphic is not to scale and is for illustrative purposes only ...

Page 44: ...5 Augering Guidelines for good Installs ...

Page 45: ...e 1 2 3 4 In clay loam or sand finish inserting the probe to the correct depth as far as you can with your hand Using the metal insertion tube you can push down until the bottom of the probe cap is level with the soil surface ...

Page 46: ...7 Post Insertion of Probe 5 Note We are not recommending using a plastic tube anymore as it sometimes slips over the Bluetooth probe and gets stuck ...

Page 47: ...Installation in Mounded Rows ...

Page 48: ...1 Extension Foot for Tripod Stabilisation on Hills When installing the Drill Drop probe in crops grown on hills an Extension Foot circled is used to stabilise the Tripod on the hill ridge ...

Page 49: ...2 Extension Foot Insertion Insert the Extension Foot into the Tripod Foot green circled Use the Tripod Foot with the pre drilled hole green circled ...

Page 50: ...3 Securing the Extension Foot Align the holes of the Tripod Foot and the Extension Foot insert the bolt through the holes and tighten with the nut ...

Page 51: ...4 Extension Foot Height Adjustment Loosen the nut and bolt of the height clamp circled and slide the leg to the desired height ...

Page 52: ...5 Extension Foot Height Adjustment Re tighten the nut and bolt circled ...

Page 53: ...6 Tripod Levelling Use a levelling bubble to position the tripod correctly ...

Page 54: ...nsertion into Tripod Insert the Tripod Screw Pins into the holes in the Tripod Feet and Extension Foot Use an electric drill to secure the two Tripod Feet on the hill ridge and the Extension Foot in the furrow ...

Page 55: ...8 Completed Hill Tripod Two Tripod Feet are secured near the top of the hill while the Extension Foot is secured at the bottom of the furrow ...

Page 56: ...Advanced Installations Duplex Soils ...

Page 57: ...pre drilling of the hole with a an undersized non tapered auger first followed by the tapered one In the example shown this is done to prevent the deposition of lower layer clay shavings transported up the auger flight into the upper sandy layer or vice versa The sensor should only be measuring the sandy texture without any dispersed clay shavings within it ...

Page 58: ...2 Use a 24mm Non Tapered Auger to Pre Drill the Hole Clay Sand Collar Pre level the tripod first ...

Page 59: ...3 Finish the Job With the Tapered Auger ...

Page 60: ...Continue with Step 6 of the Augering Process ...

Page 61: ...Advanced Installations Subsurface ...

Page 62: ...e Installations To hide the probe for aesthetic or protective purposes To allow cultivation or harvest above the probe To monitor lower soil depths To insulate the probe from high surface temperature variations ...

Page 63: ...ew Pins Pressurised Water Bottle Battery Drill Socket for Screw Pins 2 sheets of Newspaper Tripod Extension Tube Trench Shovel Spade Please note If you already own an installation kit to install a 120cm Drill Drop probe you will need to purchase the extra items highlighted in yellow boxes to undertake a sub surface installation ...

Page 64: ...2 Tripod Extension Tube The Tripod Extension Tube can be lowered into the soil opening for probe subsurface installation This tube serves as both stabilisation and centralisation of the Drill Drop auger ...

Page 65: ...3 Loosening the Extension Tube Nut Loosen the Extension Tube nut to release the Extension Tube ...

Page 66: ...4 Adjusting the Extension Tube Depth Adjust the Extension Tube to the desired depth of the probe below the surface green arrow and tighten the Extension Tube nut ...

Page 67: ...5 Excavation and Positioning Place excavated soil into bucket Excavate the soil to the correct depth Ensure that the bottom of the hole is level ...

Page 68: ...6 Positioning the Tripod Position the Extension Tube in the centre of the excavated hole and install the Screw Pins ...

Page 69: ...7 Augering the Soil 150 cm Use the extended 150cm subsurface auger Measure and mark the auger at the required depth Allow for the tripod centre height of 4cm ...

Page 70: ...red soil Auger in short stages 30 50cm at a time clearing the auger flights regularly The excavated soil should be moist to maintain the integrity of the hole Dry soil will collapse inward and lead to air gaps and failure of probe insertion 8 Augering the Soil ...

Page 71: ...ke the auger out remove any soil from it and re insert it back into the hole without rotating it If you can insert it all the way then the hole is deep enough to receive the probe If not then carefully auger more soil out and retest until sufficient depth is reached ...

Page 72: ...10 Removing the Tripod This will protect the augered probe hole during removal of the Tripod Before removing the tripod remove any soil that may have landed in the hole around the Extension Tube ...

Page 73: ...11 The Opening of the Soil for the Probe The augered hole should be circular with smooth sides visible near the top ...

Page 74: ...12 Excavation of Probe Cable Trench Place a finger carefully inside the augered hole to prevent soil entering and use a trowel to make a shallow 3cm deep trench to accommodate the probe cable ...

Page 75: ...13 Probe Insertion Spray water onto the surface of the probe and a little directly into the augered hole Then immediately and smoothly insert the probe to maximum depth by hand ...

Page 76: ...e Insertion Complete If the insertion is incomplete then apply smooth body pressure through your foot to insert the probe to full depth In the above example the probe top is located 20cm below the soil surface ...

Page 77: ...15 Trenching the Probe Cable The entire cable is placed in a 20cm deep trench to protect it from cultivation tynes ...

Page 78: ...pth make a 3cm deep channel for the probe cable next to the probe lubricate the probe with a little water and insert it The cable may also be installed in a 20cm deep trench but is more conveniently left on the surface so that the probe may be removed to one side temporarily at harvest and planting times ...

Page 79: ... almost completely installed 30cm probe The probe cable can be fitted with protective electrical cable conduit and buried adjacent to the probe The cable can be left on the surface for convenient removal at times of farm machinery traffic ...

Page 80: ...16 EnviroSCAN MULTI with Split System Sentek probes 5 25 25 135cm rain gauge and ET0 gauge Removable 30cm Drill Drop Probe 120cm Drill Drop probe permanently buried 20cm below surface ...

Page 81: ...Drill Drop Probe Extraction Mk1 ...

Page 82: ...1 Probe Extraction Tools Wooden Blocks Spade Trowel Crowbar Chain Extraction Tool ...

Page 83: ...2 Excavate Soil Adjacent to Probe Excavate the soil adjacent to the probe to a depth of 20 cm Wipe any soil or water from the probe using a piece of cloth This will stop slippage of the Extraction Tool ...

Page 84: ...traction Tool Fit the Extraction Tool around the excavated top of the probe with the probe cable located in the square opening of the extraction tool Fold the cable down and line it up with the slit formed in the tool ...

Page 85: ...4 Fitting the Extraction Tool Fit the Extraction Tool around the probe so that it is at least 2 cm below the cable entry point ...

Page 86: ...able in the square opening of the extraction tool and hold it against the probe body below the tool lever as shown Line the probe cable up with the split in the Extraction Tool This is done so that in the event of tool slippage the cable will not be sheared off Tool Lever ...

Page 87: ...ng the Extraction Tool Move the lever of the tool from left to right as far as possible being careful not to damage the probe cable Grab the tool handle and pull with a gentle twisting motion to remove the probe ...

Page 88: ...7 Fitting the Chain If you cannot remove the probe by hand fit the Extraction Chain onto the Extraction Tool one circular ring for each handle and place wooden blocks next to the probe as shown ...

Page 89: ...8 Positioning the Crowbar and Blocks of Wood Locate the square ring on the crowbar and apply tension ...

Page 90: ...ween Probe and Soil Apply downward force to the crowbar until the probe lifts a little bit and the tight bond between probe and soil is broken Adding a little water to the probe and allowing it to infiltrate will aid removal ...

Page 91: ...10 Probe Extraction Gently remove the Drill Drop Probe when it becomes free of the soil ...

Page 92: ...11 Probe Extraction in Clays If it is not possible to remove the probe with a crowbar and blocks of wood a High Rise Car Jack may be used ...

Page 93: ...Drill Drop Probe Extraction Mk2 ...

Page 94: ...1 Probe Extraction Note For Bluetooth Drill Drop Probe please skip Step 2 Dig out probe 15cm 6 as shown Run the cable thought the steel steeve of the Extraction Tool as shown below ...

Page 95: ...2 Bluetooth Probe For Bluetooth Probe you can use the steel steeve of the Extraction Tool Spray the small amount of lubricant RP7 WD40 or equiv and place the steel steeve over the Drill ...

Page 96: ...2 Use of lubricant for sleeve extraction Spray a small amount of lubricant RP7 WD40 or equiv inside metal sleeve of Extraction tool Place metal sleeve over Drill ...

Page 97: ...3 Extraction Tool Push insert into metal sleeve of the Extraction tool as shown below Extract Drill Drop Probe using a level based system as shown below or car jack ...

Page 98: ...4 Use of Rubber Mallet Use rubber mallet to remove Extraction Tool from Drill Drop Probe ...

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