AbstractThe existing technology for obtaining liquid from the vadose zone involves drilling a bore hole, introducing a silica slurry packing, inserting a sampling device, and backfilling the hole. The high cost of drilling and backfilling contribute to the considerable expense of this procedure. Moreover, drilling through potentially contaminated soil increases the possibility of expanding the area of contamination. In this study, a novel small diameter suction lysimeter with a porous ceramic section was designed and tested. The stainless steel ram‐tipped lysimeter was designed to be installed into the ground using a hydraulic ram without the need of drilling a bore hole, thereby reducing the expense and potential for cross‐contamination. Simulated field testing was employed to evaluate the performance of the hydraulically‐installed lysimeter as compared to a lysimeter installed using the standard silica slurry packing technique. The decrease in sample volume uptake due to plugging in the pores of the ceramic section was investigated for the lysimeters installed both hydraulically and with the silica slurry packing, in three types of soil: medium sand, silty clay, and a clayey topsoil‐medium sand blend. The soil moisture operating range for the lysimeters was ascertained in a test chamber filled with a blend of clayey topsoil and medium sand. An investigation of the effect of sampling on the concentration of solutes was performed with aqueous solutions of ethanol and
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