How to prepare soil tensiometer for installation?

1. Fill the reservoir and body tube with distilled water (diluted solution of green fluid with algicide). The green fluid is optional, but make determining the water level easier and hence servicing the tensiometer.
2. Take care that the ceramic tip is wetted from one direction to avoid air entrapment in the tinny pores.
3. Allow the tensiometer to stand up, soon the tip is whole wet up and free water will appear as sweat.
4. Refill as necessary to dispel all the air from the tensiometer.
5. Tap the top of tensiometer gently with your palm of your hand to force water down the water tube. Until there is no bubble between reservoir and the water tube.
6. Leave the tensiometer up right with cap off and place the tip in distilled for 3 hours.
7. Seal the tensiometer and set it upright in the air.
8. Air will start drying the tip, the gauge should be reading about 70 Cbar when the tip is air dried.
9. Periodic checking of the gauge reading, the reading will indicate if the gauge is functioning properly.
10. Repeat the wetting and drying cycle if the tension that don’t respond correctly for the first time.
11. If available using a hard pump and extract any air by removing the cap, seating the pump cup against the top of the reservoir and pulling on the pump a few to get the gauge reading in upper half range typical 60-80 Cbar, replace the cap and tighten only ¼ turn past first contact.
12. If not installed immediately cover tips with plastic bag and secure with rubber band or let the tensiometer stand in bucket of distilled water until installed.