METER Drain Gauge G3 Soil Infiltration Meter

Overview

The METER Drain Gauge G3 Soil Infiltration Meter is an engineered field-deployable percolation monitoring system designed for long-term, in-situ quantification of water movement through unsaturated and saturated soil profiles. It operates on the principle of gravity-driven drainage collection within a sealed, vertically installed drain collection tube (DCT), enabling precise measurement of cumulative percolate volume—distinct from surface infiltration rate devices such as double-ring infiltrometers. By isolating the lower boundary with a fully sealed base, the Drain Gauge G3 eliminates confounding influence from fluctuating groundwater tables, ensuring hydrologically robust data for mass balance modeling. Its modular architecture supports integration with optional sensors—including TEROS 11 or TEROS 12 soil moisture and temperature probes, tipping-bucket rain gauges, and electrical conductivity (EC) modules—making it suitable for multi-parameter biogeochemical flux studies across agricultural, ecological, waste containment, and urban green infrastructure applications.

Key Features

• Hydrologically isolated bottom seal prevents groundwater intrusion and ensures unambiguous percolation signal integrity
• Dual-section drain depth sensing: high-resolution (0.2 mm) measurement in lower 0–61 mm zone; extended range (61–100 mm) with 1 mm resolution
• Configurable drain collection tube (DCT) material: corrosion-resistant stainless steel (20 kg) or UV-stabilized PVC (14 kg)
• SDI-12 and DDI serial communication protocols enable seamless integration with METER ZL6 data loggers and third-party systems compliant with 3.6–15.0 VDC power and SDI-12 timing specifications
• Modular sensor expansion: supports co-located TEROS 11/12 volumetric water content and temperature sensors, plus external rain gauges for precipitation-correlated flux analysis
• Ruggedized mechanical design: IP67-rated electronics housing; operating temperature range of 0–60 °C; stereo jack or bare-wire termination options for field-hardened cabling
• Factory-calibrated transducers traceable to NIST standards; manufactured under ISO 9001:2015 quality management system

Sample Compatibility & Compliance

The Drain Gauge G3 is compatible with mineral, organic, and anthropogenic soils—including clay-rich subsoils, sandy loams, compost-amended substrates, and engineered landfill cover systems. Its large-diameter DCT (25.4 cm ID) accommodates heterogeneous matrix structures without preferential flow bias, while the 6 cm OD inlet pipe facilitates installation in compacted or gravelly layers using augers or excavators. The system complies with ISO 9001:2015 manufacturing requirements and bears CE marking per EM ISO/IEC 17050:2010. While not certified to GLP or FDA 21 CFR Part 11 out-of-the-box, its deterministic SDI-12 output format and time-stamped measurements support audit-ready data pipelines when paired with ZL6 loggers configured for secure storage and metadata tagging.

Software & Data Management

Data acquisition is managed via METER’s ZL6 series data loggers, which provide onboard SD card storage, cellular or LoRaWAN telemetry options (with add-on modules), and native compatibility with METER’s cloud-based ZENTRA Cloud platform. Raw SDI-12 or DDI outputs include calibrated drain depth (mm), bulk EC (dS/m), and temperature (°C) at user-defined intervals (1 min to 24 h). All values are delivered as ASCII-encoded numeric strings with CRC validation, supporting direct ingestion into MATLAB, Python (via PySDI12), R, or SQL-based environmental databases. Firmware updates and configuration are performed via USB or RS-232 interface using METER’s free ZL6 Configurator utility.

Applications

• Water balance modeling in irrigated cropland and pasture systems across growing seasons
• Leachate monitoring beneath municipal solid waste landfills and composting facilities
• Evaluation of nutrient (e.g., NO₃⁻, PO₄³⁻) and contaminant transport in vadose zones
• Performance assessment of stormwater bio-retention cells, green roofs, and golf course drainage infrastructure
• Process optimization in food processing wastewater reuse schemes, including irrigation of buffer vegetation
• Long-term ecological research on soil hydraulic property evolution under climate variability

FAQ

How does the Drain Gauge G3 eliminate groundwater interference?
The unit features a fully sealed base plate that hydraulically isolates the internal collection chamber from ambient groundwater, ensuring all measured drainage originates solely from overlying soil percolation.
Can the Drain Gauge G3 operate autonomously for >1 year?
Yes—when powered by a 12 V battery bank and connected to a ZL6 logger with scheduled 15-minute sampling, typical deployment duration exceeds 18 months before maintenance or battery replacement.
Is calibration required after installation?
No field recalibration is needed; factory calibration is stable over the rated temperature range. However, periodic verification against known-volume water additions is recommended annually for QA/QC compliance.
What depth range does the integrated EC sensor cover?
The EC sensor measures bulk conductivity of the collected percolate within the storage tube—not soil EC—and reports values from 0–120 dS/m with resolution down to 0.001 dS/m.
Does the system support real-time remote alerts?
Yes—when deployed with ZL6 + LTE module and ZENTRA Cloud subscription, users can configure threshold-based SMS/email notifications for exceedance events (e.g., >80 mm accumulated drainage or EC >5 dS/m).