PercometerField device · Office software

How it works

One path from the test hole to the stamped sheet.

A percolation test passes through five stages. The system carries the numbers through all of them, so a reading taken in the field is the same number that appears on the drawing.

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  1. 01

    Field measurement

    The Percometer sits on a pipe in the test hole and reads the water level on a fixed schedule.

    LOT 12 · TEST 12BEVERY 5 MIN · 60 MIN
  2. 02

    Recorded data

    Each reading is stored with its time, temperature and flags, in a log that is never overwritten.

    12A,4,15.0,22.7008,4.99712A,5,20.0,20.7016,,…,48
  3. 03

    Percolation Manager

    A USB cable brings the records in. The read is saved, read back and matched before erasing is allowed.

    READ → SAVED → MATCHED ✓ERASE UNLOCKED
  4. 04

    Analysis

    Rates, refills, dry holes, design percolation rate and MLSS — worked out by the DPH rules, editable by hand.

    P-12.2 FINAL 10.53 MIN/INMLSS = HF × FF × PF
  5. 05

    Engineering documentation

    SOIL TESTS sheets drawn in AutoCAD and the health district memorandum as a Word file.

    SOIL TESTS .dwgMEMORANDUM .docx
How the device measures the water level The device sits on a 3 inch pipe standing on the bottom of the test hole. Its sensor face is 25 inches above the hole bottom and measures the distance down to the water. As the water drains, the distance grows; the water left is 25 inches minus the reading. GRADE READING DISTANCE TO WATER 25 in. SENSOR FACE TO HOLE BOTTOM, FIXED WATER LEFT 25 − reading PERCOMETER 3 IN. PIPE ON THE HOLE BOTTOM · NOT TO SCALE
As the water drains, the reading grows. The sensor face is a fixed 25 in. above the hole bottom, so the water left needs no hole depth: it is 25 in. minus the reading.

1 In the field

Field measurement

The Percometer stands on a 3 in. pipe on the bottom of the hole and reads the distance down to the water on a fixed schedule.

  • Interval and duration set on the device: 1 – 60 min between readings, up to 12 hours
  • Each reading averages up to 20 pings, with outliers rejected
  • Corrected for the air temperature in the pipe
  • Top-ups during the test are normal, and are flagged

Percometer · in development

# sample export, illustrative values
Lot,Reading,Time_min,Distance_in,Perc_Rate_min_per_in,Status,…,Flags
12A,1,0.0000,19.7012,,COMPLETE,…,16
12A,2,5.0000,20.7016,4.997,COMPLETE,…,0
12A,3,10.0000,21.7004,5.006,COMPLETE,…,0
12A,4,15.0000,22.7008,4.997,COMPLETE,…,0
12A,5,20.0000,20.7016,,COMPLETE,…,48   ← water rose: top-up
12A,6,25.0000,21.7004,5.006,COMPLETE,…,0
The Percometer's export format: one row per reading, with the time, the distance, the device's own rate and the flags. The full export also carries the temperature, sample counts and battery voltage.

2 In the field

Recorded data

Every reading is written to the device's memory as it is taken, in a log that is only ever added to.

  • Each test gets the next label on its lot: 12A, 12B …
  • Every page of memory carries a checksum, so a damaged record is detected, not trusted
  • A rate that cannot be measured is left blank — never a zero
  • 34 one-hour tests fit at the default settings

Tested on simulated data

REPRESENTATIVE INTERFACE — Percolation Manager laid out as it is today, with sample data.

3 In the office

Percolation Manager

The device is plugged in once. The software reads it, saves the read, reads the file back and compares — and only then unlocks erasing.

  • Several field days on one job, each its own file
  • Saved CSV files open with or without the device
  • Holes that would print under the same label are flagged

Software · working

REPRESENTATIVE INTERFACE — Percolation Manager laid out as it is today, with sample data.

4 In the office

Analysis

Rates and design numbers are worked out by the DPH rules, lot by lot, and shown exactly as they will be drawn.

  • Final rate: the slowest interval above the bottom 3 in. of water
  • Refills and dry holes handled in place
  • Receiving soil depth from the deep test pits; MLSS = HF × FF × PF
  • Required ELA and a leaching product suggestion per lot
  • Every value can be typed over, and is marked when it is

Software · working

How the rate is calculated

SAMPLE OUTPUT — one lot's block on a SOIL TESTS sheet, illustrative values. The real sheet adds the deep test pit logs and a notes box.

5 In the office

Engineering documentation

Two documents, each built only when its own button is pressed: the SOIL TESTS sheets in AutoCAD and the memorandum for the health district.

  • One block per lot, six lots to a sheet, sized before drawing
  • A drawing where anything came out larger than planned is not saved
  • The memorandum: a cover letter, then one page per lot

Software · working

What changes

The same test, with fewer hands on the numbers.

The test itself does not change: the hole is dug, presoaked and judged by a person. What changes is how the numbers travel.

StageBy handWith the system
Reading the levelSomeone reads a tape or rule at each interval and writes the number on a field sheet.The device reads the level at each interval and stores it with its time.
Getting it to the officeThe field sheet is carried back and typed into a spreadsheet or straight into CAD.A USB cable brings every stored test in. The read is saved and checked before the device is erased.
Working out ratesDrops and rates are worked out by hand or in a spreadsheet, hole by hole.Drop, interval, rate, refills, dry cutoffs and the final rate are worked out by the DPH rules — and remain editable.
Design numbersMLSS, required ELA and product are looked up in the tables for each lot.They are worked out per lot from the pits and the design, and shown as they will be drawn.
The documentsTables are drafted in CAD and retyped into the memorandum.AutoCAD draws the SOIL TESTS sheets and the memorandum is written as a Word file, from the same numbers.

Next step

Start with a conversation.

The Percometer is in development. Order requests, demonstrations and pilot programs are open now — no payment is taken on this site, and every request is answered by email.

Request an orderQuantities, your organization and how you purchase. Request a demoSee the software and the Percometer design with your own workflow in mind. Discuss a pilotHelp test the Percometer in the field before production.