Pro Tips For Using the EMC Calculator on the Orion 950 Moisture Meter

The Orion950 pinless wood moisture meter is easy to use for any project.

It can be costly, for you and your customers, when moisture ruins wood flooring projects. The Orion 950 moisture meter is your answer for accurate wood moisture measurements, which can help avoid woodworking catastrophes.

Its award-winning features, including a temperature and relative humidity (RH) sensor and equilibrium moisture content (EMC) calculator, all work together to give you the most precise moisture and dew point readings in wood and the surrounding environment.

The built-in EMC calculator adds another layer of usability and simplicity to your arsenal. To better understand how the EMC calculator works, we’ll discuss:

Let’s start with what makes the Orion 950 stand out.

Features of the Orion 950

With an internal storage capacity for 100 saved readings, the Orion 950 data is easily accessible because it stays in your hand. Not only that, but the 950 also has the ability to take multiple types of readings in different environments (more on that below).

The Orion 950 has a variety of features that make it the great product that it is. Let’s go through what they are and what they mean.

Pinless meter

The pinless Orion 950 moisture meter provides moisture content readings that go far beyond what you can see and feel.

Without relying on pins to detect moisture, pinless technology means more opportunities to measure moisture content in the field because it works on flooring material regardless of whether it’s been fully installed or not. Placing a pinless meter on top of an installed laminate floor, for example, gives accurate readings that a pin meter can’t, since the floor can be pretty difficult to puncture with a pin.

Bob Wood, president of Completely Floors Inc., says that a pinless meter “can dial in so specifically [that] it absolutely increases the accuracy of what we’re seeing.”1

So in addition to the obvious benefit of avoiding unsightly pin holes, a pinless meter helps you avoid getting varied and inaccurate readings from the same flooring in the same environment so you can accurately determine when to move forward with installation.

Temperature and RH sensor

The ambient temperature of an environment directly affects the moisture in the air and, therefore, moisture in wood in that same environment.

The relative humidity (RH) sensor measures the amount of moisture that’s in the air compared to how much moisture the air can hold.2

Though temperature has a lesser effect on the moisture content (MC) of wood than RH does, you still want to measure both in order to get accurate EMC readings.

EMC calculator

Temperature and RH both affect EMC, so having a temperature and RH sensor as well as an EMC calculator in one device is very advantageous. The EMC calculator on the Orion 950 uses the surrounding temperature and relative humidity to determine when the wood is acclimated to its environment and ready for installation.

Let’s talk about EMC in more detail.

What is EMC?

Equilibrium Moisture Content is the point when wood no longer gains or loses moisture in the environment that it’s in, meaning the wood is in balance with its environment. Jason Spangler, executive board member of the Flooring Contractors Association (FCICA), says, “An environment’s EMC percentage is based on the air’s temperature, humidity, and relative humidity. This is why the Orion 950 can calculate the EMC for a given location, using its ambient sensor to collect the needed data.”

When your wood is acclimating to its surroundings, it’s adjusting its moisture content—how much moisture is in the wood—to match the environment that it’s in. During the acclimation process, the wood is exchanging moisture with its environment. As a result, wood expands or contracts based on how much moisture it’s holding.

Letting the wood acclimate helps prevent the wood from shrinking, expanding, or warping after installation. The wood should be within two percent moisture content of the long-term average EMC of the installation environment.

The correct percentage of moisture for wood varies depending on the environment and species of wood being used. That’s why Wagner moisture meters include a species guide that you can reference to determine accurate wood moisture readings for various species of wood.

Average EMC varies with temperature and relative humidity of the surrounding air. So it’s important to use the EMC calculator for each project as, naturally, the correct EMC range will vary from project to project depending on the different variables involved. When wood reaches its optimal EMC, it’s ready to be installed.

Now let’s go over proper use of the EMC calculator.

Using the EMC calculator on the Orion 950

Using the EMC calculator is very simple and can be done in three easy steps:

  1. Power on the Orion 950 moisture meter and navigate to EMC mode.
  2. Allow the device to acclimate to the environment (this will take about five minutes for the most accurate readings).
  3. Check the EMC reading and compare it with the moisture content percentage of the wood you’re installing.

That’s it! It’s really that simple. These three easy steps will give you the best chance of avoiding future wood disasters related to moisture content.

Tips and Best Practices

Knowing how to use the Orion 950 with the EMC calculator isn’t quite enough…you need to know when to use the device, too.

For optimal accuracy, make sure to use it:

  • Before installation
  • Throughout acclimation periods (to check progress)
  • After acclimation periods, to verify that it reached EMC

You also want to make sure the wood and the moisture meter are in the same environment (this is why the device needs to acclimate to the environment the wood is in before taking a reading).

Giving the device 5 minutes to adjust to its environment is also important.

One satisfied customer says, “I have a saw mill and a woodworking shop. In the past, I simply let wood dry a couple of years in a barn. I bought the [Orion 950] meter so I could shorten that time. What I like about the 950 is that it calculates the theoretical equilibrium moisture content. That is, for the temperature and humidity conditions where the wood is stored, [it calculates] the lowest moisture to which the wood can dry. With this info, I can increase temperature and/or decrease humidity to reach my target moisture content in a shorter time.”

The Orion 950 moisture meter helps you avoid moisture-related disasters with its accurate wood moisture content readings, and it may even shorten project times.

And that’s not all…

Additional benefits of the Orion 950

The Orion950 is quality in the palm of your hand.

The pinless feature, temperature and RH sensor, and EMC calculator are great reasons to use the Orion 950 moisture meter, but it also offers other benefits like:

Dual depth measurements

The Orion 950 boasts dual depth measurements with two scan modes—shallow scan mode and deep scan mode.

  • Shallow scan mode gives accurate readings up to a .25” (6.4mm) depth.
  • Deep scan mode gives accurate readings up to a .75” (19mm) depth.

Shallow scan and deep scan make it possible to take wood moisture readings in almost any environment.

Grains per pound/kilogram mode

The grains per pound/kilogram mode calculates “the exact weight of water vapor that is in the surrounding air,” which will give you readings compared to the RH in the air.

Bluetooth technology

This feature makes sending and receiving data a breeze. You can set specifications for different jobs so that you’re not mixing up calculations and data for different projects.

You can also connect your device to free apps like FloorSmart or Woodshop MC, allowing you to receive and record data between the device and the app. Both apps are available for Android or Apple smart devices.

On-site calibration

No need to waste time sending the moisture meter to the manufacturer so it can be calibrated. Calibrate in the field with your Orion 950 and paired calibration plate. It only takes about 30 seconds!

All of these features make the Orion 950 a top-of-the-line, award-winning professional moisture meter that will make your jobs simpler, your calculations more precise, and your data more manageable and organized.

Using EMC and MC readings regularly means you can be confident in the consistency of long-lasting wood stability.

And if you’re still looking for a wood moisture meter, try out the Orion 950. The EMC calculator is a feature many moisture meters don’t include. It adds more versatility to the Orion line of pinless moisture meters, making it the best pinless meter on the market today.

1. Wood, Bob. “Pin or Pinless Moisture Meter? Which is Which?” Completely Floored, Inc.
2. Loffer, Larry. “What is Equilibrium Moisture Content [EMC of Wood],” Wagner Meters.

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