Any good gardener knows that plants will NOT grow at the right pace or the correct way without the proper balance of light around them, moisture in their soil, and the correct pH balance in their soil. While some folks naturally have a ‘green thumb’ and can get all three of those factors perfectly balanced w/o help from meters, the other 99% of us need help, so… below you will find soil pH meters, moisture in soil meters and light meters along w/ a few other handy gardening tools.
Ever have a problem w/ moisture ruining a loaf of bread prematurely? Or how about a colony of mold and/or mildew showing up on material that did not dry properly before getting folded up and put away?
Those problems do not COMPARE to the problems farmers go through if they do not keep accurate tabs on the moisture levels inside their hay and grain bales. If the levels get out of range, their crops can spoil and that means devastating financial problems for their business.
The GrainMaster comes with an integrated grinder-compressor unit that enables the user to take on-site moisture readings in ground samples quickly and easily.
Along with the GrainMaster, which comes in a handy carrying pouch, you also get a grinder-compressor unit, grain cup, sample spoon, brush and ‘Quickcheck’.
Besides having the ability to detect moisture levels from 0% to 100%, the GrainMaster has 15 pre-programmed calibrations for Wheat, Barley, Oats, Oilseed Rape, Canola, Linseed, Peas, Corn, Sunflower, Coffee, Soya, Rice, Sorghum, Paddy and Beans.
Need to test down inside a bale or down in a barrel? No problem. You can pick up optional probes for measuring temperature in stored grain (GRN6046) and moisture levels in baled hay and straw (GRN6138) as well.
Want an easy way to measure the pH and moisture levels in your gardening soil? Hire a good gardener and let them worry about it!
Oh, you can’t afford a gardener, either, eh? No problem. Thankfully someone got smart and bundled a set of soil pH and soil moisture meters… and we can leave them in the soil until the next time we need them. The things don’t even need batteries!
Now if we could only figure out a way to get the weeds to remove themselves, the plants to fertilize themselves, and the neighbor’s dog to stop peeing on the plants…
As the ground starts to thaw out in parts of the country and building crews begin to wake up from their Winter Slumber. Drawing boards fill up again with blueprints for new projects and soon the call for good, properly aged lumber will go out.
When that call goes out, lumber yards far and near will fill up with men and women eager to fill up their pickup trucks and flatbeds with wood boards, planks and studs… that don’t contain too much moisture. To ensure that last part, the smart shoppers will use moisture meters like the GE Protimeter Timbermaster test kit which automatically compensates for temperature and comes pre-programmed w/ 150 different types of wood.
Available through TestProducts.Com, the GE Protimeter Timbermaster w/ External Temperature Probe makes choosing the best wood for the job a whole lot simpler!
Specifications & Features:
- Detection Range: 7 to 99.9%
- Resolution: 0.1%
- Accuracy: ±1% at 68° F
- Large LCD Display Screen
- 150 Built-in Wood Calibration Scales
- Automatic Temperature Correction
- Works w/ Optional Hammer Electrode for Sub-Surface Measurements
- Weight: .330 lbs. (without batteries)
- Dimensions: 7.02″ x 1.09″ x 1.91″
- Power: Comes w/ (2) two “AA” alkaline batteries
- Comes w/ (2) two 1″ replacement pin needles
- Warranty: One year parts and labor warranty
Click here for more information about the GE Protimeter Timbermaster.
Next we have an interesting question from Jan, a jogger planning to move to the South…
“Once again my family is moving because of my husband’s career in the military. This time he’s getting stationed at a base in South Carolina. This will be my first time ever living in the South and all my friends tell me I’m going to DIE in the Summer when I go for my daily jog. They say the ‘heat index’ is going to wipe me out. Can you tell me what that is and how I can measure it? Thank you. Jan.”
Your friends have obviously have your best interest at heart, Jan. The South has extremely hot temperatures in the Summer and packs an extra punch with its brutal humidity levels. Most people working outdoors or exercising outdoors in the Summer down here know to keep themselves hydrated and watch for signs of heat exhaustion.
With regard to your question about ‘heat index’,
“The heat index (HI) is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity in an attempt to determine the human-perceived equivalent temperature — how hot it feels, termed the felt air temperature. The human body normally cools itself by perspiration, or sweating, which evaporates and carries heat away from the body. However, when the relative humidity is high, the evaporation rate is reduced, so heat is removed from the body at a lower rate causing it to retain more heat than it would in dry air.” ( source )
In a nutshell, heat index refers to what temperature a person’s body THINKS it is because of the actual temperature AND relative humidity. Therefore to measure heat index, one must accurately measure both temperature and humidity.
With both numbers in hand, one can look up the heat index on the appropriate chart… like the one below:
| HEAT INDEX °F (°C) |
| |
RELATIVE HUMIDITY (%) |
| Temp. |
40 |
45 |
50 |
55 |
60 |
65 |
70 |
75 |
80 |
85 |
90 |
95 |
100 |
110
(47) |
136
(58) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 108
(43) |
130
(54) |
137
(58) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
106
(41) |
124
(51) |
130
(54) |
137
(58) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
104
(40) |
119
(48) |
124
(51) |
131
(55) |
137
(58) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 102
(39) |
114
(46) |
119
(48) |
124
(51) |
130
(54) |
137
(58) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
100
(38) |
109
(43) |
114
(46) |
118
(48) |
124
(51) |
129
(54) |
136
(58) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
98
(37) |
105
(41) |
109
(43) |
113
(45) |
117
(47) |
123
(51) |
128
(53) |
134
(57) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 96
(36) |
101
(38) |
104
(40) |
108
(42) |
112
(44) |
116
(47) |
121
(49) |
126
(52) |
132
(56) |
|
|
|
|
|
94
(34) |
97
(36) |
100
(38) |
103
(39) |
106
(41) |
110
(43) |
114
(46) |
119
(48) |
124
(51) |
129
(54) |
135
(57) |
|
|
|
| 92
(33) |
94
(34) |
96
(36) |
99
(37) |
101
(38) |
105
(41) |
108
(42) |
112
(44) |
116
(47) |
121
(49) |
126
(52) |
131
(55) |
|
|
90
(32) |
91
(33) |
93
(34) |
95
(35) |
97
(36) |
100
(38) |
103
(39) |
106
(41) |
109
(43) |
113
(45) |
117
(47) |
122
(50) |
127
(53) |
132
(56) |
88
(31) |
88
(31) |
89
(32) |
91
(33) |
93
(34) |
95
(35) |
98
(37) |
100
(38) |
103
(39) |
106
(41) |
110
(43) |
113
(45) |
117
(47) |
121
(49) |
86
(30) |
85
(29) |
87
(31) |
88
(31) |
89
(32) |
91
(33) |
93
(34) |
95
(35) |
97
(36) |
100
(38) |
102
(39) |
105
(41) |
108
(42) |
112
(44) |
84
(29) |
83
(28) |
84
(29) |
85
(29) |
86
(30) |
88
(31) |
89
(32) |
90
(32) |
92
(33) |
94
(34) |
96
(36) |
98
(37) |
100
(38) |
103
(39) |
82
(28) |
81
(27) |
82
(28) |
83
(28) |
84
(29) |
84
(29) |
85
(29) |
86
(30) |
88
(31) |
89
(32) |
90
(32) |
91
(33) |
93
(34) |
95
(35) |
80
(27) |
80
(27) |
80
(27) |
81
(27) |
81
(27) |
82
(28) |
82
(28) |
83
(28) |
84
(29) |
84
(29) |
85
(29) |
86
(30) |
86
(30) |
87
(31) |
The Heat Index Table Above Came From… HERE
For those times when you just can’t get to a computer, though, you can always use a Heat Index Monitor which will measure the temperature and humidity for you and then calculate the heat index — with the push of a button.
Waterproof flashlights really come in handy when changing a car tire at night during a rainstorm, trying to fix plumbing problems under the sink or at night, walking the family dog on a cold, rainy night, or pretty much any time that a person needs to see in an moist environment.
So for those times when you don’t need a Light Meter to tell you that it’s dark and a Moisture Meter to tell you that you’re working in a wet environment, make sure you’ve got a reliable waterproof flashlight with fully charged batteries.
Note: One should not trust that traditional waterproof flashlights will work underwater for extended periods of time. They make highly specialized diving lights for that sort of thing! 
As the season once again roll around to Fall (in the Northern Hemisphere), the need to measure moisture in concrete, drywall, and other places grows. Therefore we would like to present you with three options for devices called… protimeters.
Today we will have a fine selection… of meters for use in all sorts of applications including testing concrete for moisture, testing for the strength and presence of UV light, and testing for the presence and strength of an electromagnetic force. With these tools on your belt, or in your service truck, you’ll have everything you need for the following situations:
* Determine how long ago someone buried a dead body in concrete
* Figure out whether or not light will get through the tarp you wrapped the dead body in and accelerate the decomposition process
* Attempting to prove that ghosts live in your apartment so you have legal grounds to break your lease
All kidding aside, meters come in handy when you have a job to do. If the meters on this blog entry don’t do what you need, check out the other meters on TestProducts.Com.
Sometimes we find items on sale that make sense together, or at least look like they COULD go together in some sort of story. Today’s items go together because they could all have something to do with… the weather.
We begin with a wireless weather monitoring device that will let you know what to expect when you step out the front door and move gracefully to a water resistant rain poncho in case of rain. Last, but not any less important, we move on to wireless water detection unit which will let you know, from up to 300 feet away, if that rain water has somehow made its way into an area of your home or business and created a flood situation.
The title sounds like the introduction to a really bad joke, we know, but some things just kinda’ happen that way. Today we offer a meter for testing relative humidity and temperature, a meter for monitoring wind speed and a bunch of other parameters, and a rapid test for bacteria that you can use to determine whether or not you should swim in a lake, pond, river or other body of water.
