Embankments, cuttings and slopes
Saturation is what makes a slope move. A record of how wet the ground is, and how quickly it wets after rain, shows which slopes need attention after a storm.
Ground moisture monitoring tag
The ZARC ground moisture tag reports how wet the ground is, from a probe buried or inserted in the material, and alerts when it becomes wetter or drier than a limit you set. It reads soil, fill, growing media and building materials such as screed and masonry. The tag sits above ground on its own battery, with no wiring and no network needed from the site.
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What it reports
The tag reads moisture content through a probe on a lead and reports it as a percentage at the interval set for the site, down to every minute. Each report can carry the current value and the maximum, minimum and average for the interval.
Moisture in the ground moves slowly and then suddenly. The dashboard shows the wetting after rain, the drying through a dry spell, and how far each goes, so the reading has a normal range to be judged against.
Limits work in both directions. Too wet matters on a slope, around a buried service or under a floor. Too dry matters under foundations on clay, on turf and on new planting. Alerts can also be set on a trend or on time spent beyond a limit.
Depth matters. One probe reads one depth; several probes on a site give a profile, showing whether water is arriving from above or rising from below.
The tag supports the people responsible for the ground. It does not replace a geotechnical assessment or a structural survey.
02
Applications
Ground moisture is the cause behind several expensive problems and the measure of several routine jobs. The uses below are the common ones.
Clay shrinkage near buildings
Clay shrinks as it dries and swells as it wets, and buildings move with it. A moisture record beside a foundation shows the seasonal swing; it does not diagnose subsidence.
Ground that should be dry
Bedding around a buried pipe, a floor void or a basement wall that turns wet is often the first sign of a leak.
Earthworks and fill
The moisture of fill before and after compaction, and of ground left open through wet weather.
Screed, masonry and timber drying
Moisture in the material itself, so floor finishes and decoration go on when it is dry and not when the programme says so.
Sports turf and grounds
Watering by measurement, pitch by pitch, with a record of what the ground held through the season.
Landscaping, planters and green roofs
Irrigation that runs when the growing medium needs it, and an alert when a planter or roof has dried out.
New planting and trees
The first seasons decide whether planting survives. The record shows whether it was watered and whether that was enough.
Growing and horticulture
Moisture at root depth across beds, tunnels and fields.
Flood defences and reservoirs
Wetting within an embankment that should stay dry, reported between inspections.
03
Where it can go
The probe goes into the material; the tag stays above it where the radio can be heard. Typical positions:
In soil
Probe buried at the depth that matters, tag on a short post.
On slopes
Probes at the crest, the face and the toe.
Beside foundations
Probe in the ground near the footing, tag on the wall.
In planters and green roofs
Probe in the growing medium, tag at the edge.
In screed and masonry
Probe set into the material, tag on the wall above.
Around buried services
Probe in the bedding, tag in the nearest kiosk or chamber.
04
In the dashboard
Every tag shows its live moisture reading and a trend from the last hour to the last year. The dashboard works out the maximum, minimum and average over any period, sets this season against the last, and puts probes at different depths and positions side by side. Records export for engineers, insurers, grounds teams and handover files.
Limits are set per probe: too wet, too dry, trend and duration. When one is crossed the alert is raised in real time and goes by email or SMS, and through an app where required, to the people you name, with escalation to further contacts.
- Live moisture for every probe
- Wetting and drying trends, hour to year
- Maximum, minimum and average over any period
- This season against last season
- Probes at different depths side by side
- Too-wet and too-dry limits per probe
- Time spent beyond each limit
- Every alert logged with the reading that raised it
- Records exported for engineers and insurers
- A tag that misses its reporting interval is flagged
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Industries
Ground moisture tags are fitted wherever the ground carries a structure, a service or a crop, including:
Transport
Embankments, cuttings and trackside ground.
Construction and temporary works
Earthworks, fill and drying of materials.
Local government and public sector
Pitches, parks, trees and highways.
Energy and utilities
Reservoir embankments and buried services.
Facilities management
Landscaping, planters and green roofs.
Buildings and estates
Foundations on clay and basements.
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Technical specification
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Measurement | Moisture content of soil or a substrate, read continuously and reported in real time |
| Sensing | Probe on a lead, buried or inserted; probe type chosen to the material |
| Units | Moisture content as a percentage |
| Values reported | Current value, maximum, minimum and average for each reporting interval |
| Range and accuracy | Specified to the requirement |
| Depth | One depth per probe; several probes give a profile |
| Lead length | Specified to the installation |
| Calibration | Probes supplied calibrated by the probe manufacturer; checked against the site at commissioning |
| Reporting interval | Configurable, down to every minute |
| Limit alerts | Too wet or too dry, set per probe |
| Trend alerts | Wetting or drying at a rate you set |
| Duration alerts | Time beyond a limit, so a shower does not alarm |
| Alert delivery | Dashboard, email or SMS; app where required |
| Recipients | Named people and groups, with escalation to further contacts |
| Gateway power loss | Raises its own platform alert |
| Missed reports | A tag that misses its reporting interval is flagged in the dashboard |
| Dashboard | Live reading, wetting and drying trends, max/min/average, seasons and depths compared; configured to your requirement |
| Records | Every reading time-stamped and exportable |
| Data | Full history; UK-hosted or on servers on your own site |
| Power | Internal battery, up to five years as standard; longer with additional cells |
| Radio | 433 MHz, one-way (transmit only) |
| Radio range | Site-dependent; confirmed by site survey |
| Environment | Indoor or outdoor, enclosure specified to the location |
| Mounting | Tag above ground on a post, wall or kiosk; probe in the material |
| Enclosure | Weatherproof, specified to the exposure |
| Not for | Geotechnical assessment or structural survey |
| Charges | No per-alert, per-user or licence charges |
| Manufacture | Made to order in the UK |
| Certification | CE marked |
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From requirement to live alerts
Requirement
Tell us the ground or material, what would concern you, wet or dry, and at what depth.
Configuration
Each tag is built to order with the probe, lead length, reporting interval and limits for its position.
Fitting
The probe is buried or set into the material and the tag fixed above it. No cable is run back to a building.
Commissioning
The first weeks set the normal range, and limits are confirmed against it with the person responsible for the ground.
Ready to get started? Every deployment begins with a site survey.
Book a site survey08
How it reports
Each reading goes over 433 MHz radio to a ZARC gateway and on to the dashboard, where limits are checked. The tag has a transmitter and no receiver. The 433 MHz signal carries well across open ground and out of chambers, so one gateway usually serves a whole site.
Related tags
Humidity
Moisture in the air above the same ground or material.
Leak & water
Standing water where there should be none.
Sway & movement
Movement of the structure the ground supports.
Temperature
Frost and heat in the same ground.
Questions we answer most.
What does the ground moisture tag measure?
The moisture content of soil or a substrate, from a probe buried or inserted in it, reported as a percentage.
Is it a soil moisture sensor?
Yes. It reads soil, fill and growing media, and also building materials such as screed and masonry.
Can it alert when ground gets too wet or too dry?
Yes. Limits are set in both directions, and on trend and duration.
Can it read more than one depth?
One probe reads one depth. Several probes give a profile.
Can it help find a leak?
It can show ground turning wet where it should be dry, which is often the first sign of one.
Does it diagnose subsidence?
No. It records the seasonal moisture swing beside a foundation. It does not replace a geotechnical assessment or a structural survey.
Can it control irrigation?
It reports and alerts; the tag only transmits. People or an existing controller act on the reading.
Does it need power or a network?
No. It runs on an internal battery and reports by radio to a ZARC gateway.
How long does the battery last?
Up to five years as standard, and longer where additional cells are fitted.
Where does the tag itself go?
Above ground on a post, wall or kiosk, with the probe on a lead in the material.
Looking for something else?
We work with any sensor for any application.
Most sensing needs are met by a tag we already build, configured for your equipment. If yours needs a sensor or interface we don't list, we have the engineering to build it. Tell us what you need to measure, and we will tell you how we would do it.
Discuss your requirementDiscuss a monitoring
or alerting solution
Tell us what is happening on site, what you need to see, and the event you need to hear about. We will come back with the system that answers it.
Direct contact
Location
Venator House, Unit 9, 15-17 St Stephen's Road, Bournemouth
Dorset, BH2 6LA · VAT GB 409644484
Products contact
Contact the engineering team
Direct to the team that designs and builds the range. Tell us the equipment and the event that matters.