Sper scientific 850001 User manual

Pocket Moisture Meter
850001
Instruction Manual

2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION............................................ 3
FEATURES .................................................... 4
MATERIALS SUPPLIED ................................ 4
FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTION .................... 5
LCD DISPLAY ................................................ 6
SET UP .......................................................... 7
CALIBRATION ............................................. 10
MEASUREMENT PROCEDURES .............. 12
CARE AND MAINTENANCE ....................... 18
SPECIFICATIONS ....................................... 19
WARRANTY ................................................ 20

3
INTRODUCTION
This Sper Scientic Pocket Moisture Meter
(model 850001) displays the moisture content
on a large backlit LCD screen. This meter
combines the versatility of measuring many
di󰀨erent materials with the peace of mind
of an in-cap calibration check. The meter
simultaneously displays the moisture content
in multiple formats including percentage, low
and high, and a convenient bar graph that can
be seen at a distance. The meter’s pins are
minimally invasive to surfaces while still having
the strength to penetrate a variety of materials
including hardwoods, brick, and concrete.

4
FEATURES
• Reads 7 di󰀨erent building materials
• Minimally invasive penetration pins
• Rugged housing
• Hold button for maintaining readings
• Maximum and minimum values
• Backlight
• In-cap calibration check
• LCD that can withstand freezing temperatures
• Reads ambient temperature in °C or °F
• Reads ambient humidity and dew point
• Automatically calculates wet bulb value
MATERIALS SUPPLIED
• Pocket moisture meter
• Calibration cap
• Soft carrying case
• Instruction manual
• Two AAA batteries

5
FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTION
1. Calibration Sensors on top of cap
2. Calibrating Cap/protective cover
3. Power Button
4. Unit Selector
5. Backlight Button
6. Data Hold Button
7. Material Selector
8. Maximum/Minimum Button
9. Enter Button
12
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

6
1. Ambient Air Temperature
2. Temperature Units
3. Ambient Air Moisture
4. Moisture Units
5. Material Selected
6. Maximum and Minimum Values
7. Material Moisture Reading
8. Material Moisture Bar Graph
9. Data Hold Indicator
10. Low-Battery Icon
LCD DISPLAY
9
10
1 2 3 4
6
5
8
7

7
SET UP
Battery Installation
This meter uses two AAA batteries. To install
the batteries before rst use:
1. Unscrew the single screw in the center of the
back of the meter. This screw secures the
battery cover.
2. Remove the battery door by inverting the
meter and allowing the door to slide out.
3. Insert two new AAA batteries, ensuring
correct polarity.
4. Replace the battery cover and reinstall
the screw.
Replace the batteries when the low-battery icon
blinks on the LCD.
Note…
Before replacing the batteries, turn the meter o󰀨.

8
Meter On and O󰀨
1. Press POWER to turn the meter on.
2. Press POWER to turn the meter o󰀨.
3. The meter will automatically turn o󰀨 after ten
minutes of inactivity.
Backlight
1. Press the backlight button to illuminate the
LCD screen.
2. The backlight will shut o󰀨 automatically when
the power is turned o󰀨.

9
Select Ambient Air Units
IMPORTANT:
The temperature and humidity readings represent
the temperature and humidity of the surrounding
air and do NOT represent the temperature or
humidity of the material being tested.
1. Press UNIT to toggle through temperature
and humidity unit options. The meter will
toggle through temperature settings rst
(°C or °F) followed by the humidity options
of Relative Humidity, Wet Bulb, and Dew
Point (%, WB, and TD).
2. Once the desired unit of measure appears
on the screen, press ENTER to select it. The
meter will return to normal measuring mode.
3. Press UNIT again to toggle to your preferred
humidity unit. Press ENTER to select it. The
meter will return to normal measuring mode.
4. The unit will remember your choice of
temperature units after turning o󰀨.

10
CALIBRATION
Check the meter periodically using its included
calibration cap. The meter can be checked before
each use or when switching between materials.
1. Turn the meter on and
ensure it is set to Material 1.
2. Remove the protective
cap and turn it upside
down to expose the
calibration sensors. See
image to the right.
3. Wipe pins with a cloth and
remove all debris.
4. Place the pins into the cap’s
calibration sensors. Wait up
to ten seconds. The meter
will display the number 35%
once calibration is complete.

11
5. If the meter does not display the number
35%, follow these troubleshooting steps.
a. Ensure there is no residual material on
the pins. Drywall, wood, wet concrete, or
screed can adhere to the pins. Ensure
both pins are clean and dry.
b. It is normal for the meter to read
approximately 14.5% during calibration.
It can take up to ten seconds for the
meter to calibrate. Ensure you have
waited ten seconds.
c. Ensure you have Material Type 1
selected during calibration.
d. If the meter still does not calibrate, the pins
may need to be replaced or the meter may
need repair.

12
MEASUREMENT PROCEDURES
Select Material for Testing
1. Using the table below, choose the
material to be tested by pressing
MATERIAL. Each material is represented
by a number which will appear on the
LCD next to the word MATERIAL.
2. The meter is now ready for use.
MATERIAL Material
Number
Minimum
Moisture
content
Soft Woods such
as Pine, Birch,
Redwood, Spruce,
etc.
1 6%
Hard Woods such
as Mahogany,
Maple, Oak, Teak,
Walnut, etc.
2 5%

13
Gypsum Drywall,
Sheetrock,
Cementboard,
and other
manufactured
wallboards
3 1%
Anhydrite Screed
and other ooring
adhesives
4 0%
Low lime concrete,
cement, and
cement mortar
5 0.5%
Lime mortar,
plaster, stucco
6 0.5%
Unpolished
Red Brick
7 0%

14
Read the Moisture Content
1. Remove the protective cap and insert the
pins into the material to be tested using
consistent rm pressure.
2. For best results, hold the meter by the dark
rubber handgrip. If your hand is too close
to the top of the meter, you could obtain
incorrect ambient air readings or risk damage
to your hand from the pins.
3.The moisture content appears on the screen.
4. If the meter displays the word Lo, your
material is at or below the minimum expected
moisture content for the material.
5. If your meter toggles between Lo and a
reading, this means the material is within 2%
of the lowest possible moisture content for
that material.

15
Data Hold
The Minimum/Maximum functions on the
meter are disabled during data hold. Also, new
readings cannot be taken.
1. Press HOLD to freeze the reading on the
display. “Hold” appears at the top of the LCD
and the reading remains on the display until
hold is disabled.
2. Press HOLD to return to Normal Mode.

16
Maximum/Minimum Mode
It is important to take readings from di󰀨erent
areas of your material to determine the overall
moisture content. This is especially true of
large surfaces due to material inconsistency,
location of moisture sources, depth of
penetration, and environmental factors.
Maximum/Minimum mode allows you to take
several readings and displays the minimum and
maximum values.
1. Turn the meter OFF and then ON.
2. Select your desired material number as
described on page 12.
3. Take your desired number of readings by
inserting the pins into several di󰀨erent
locations of the test area.
4. Press MAXIMUM/MINIMUM once to view the
Maximum value of all readings.
5. Press MAXIMUM/MINIMUM again to view
the Minimum value of all the readings.

17
6. Press MAXIMUM/MINIMUM again to return
to regular mode. You will not lose the
previous MIN/MAX readings.
7. To clear the memory of previous readings,
turn the meter OFF.

18
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
• Periodically wipe the meter with a dry, lint-free
antistatic cloth.
• Do not use abrasives, solvents or cleaning
agents containing carbon, alcohol or
benzenes on the meter.
• Repairs or services not covered in this manual
should be performed by qualied personnel
only. Please contact Sper Scientic to speak
with a technician.
• Do not leave the meter uncapped as this
could potentially damage the pins or create
an unsafe situation because the pins are very
sharp and can pierce skin.
• Clean the pins often, especially when switching
between materials. Dust or dampness from a
foreign substance can alter readings.

19
SPECIFICATIONS
Range Resolution Accuracy
Moisture
Content
0 - 75% 0.1% ±2% FS
Temperature -5 - 45°C
23 - 113°F
0.1° ±2°C
Relative
Humidity
10 - 90% 0.1% ±5%
Dew Point 0 - 30°C
32 - 85°F
0.1° ±2°C
Wet Bulb* -5 - 45°C
23 - 113°F
0.1° N/A*
Power
Supply
AAA, 1.5V battery x 2
Battery Life 200 hours (Backlight o󰀨)
*Wet Bulb value is calculated internally using the
temperature and relative humidity. There is no
physical wet bulb located on the meter, therefore
there is no stated accuracy.

20
WARRANTY
Sper Scientic warrants this product against
defects in materials and workmanship for a period
of one (1) year from the date of purchase, and
agrees to repair or replace any defective unit
without charge. If your model has since been
discontinued, an equivalent Sper Scientic
product will be substituted if available. This
warranty does not cover pins, batteries, battery
leakage, or damage resulting from accident,
tampering, misuse, or abuse of the product.
Opening the meter to expose its electronics will
break the waterproof seal and void the warranty.
To obtain warranty service, ship the unit postage
prepaid to:
SPER SCIENTIFIC LTD.
8281 E. Evans Rd., Suite #103
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
[phone]
The defective unit must be accompanied by
a description of the problem and your return
address. Register your product online at www.
sperwarranty.com within 10 days of purchase.
rev 4/3/2018