Q1: When running a model in Visual HELP v2.2.03, the error message: ‘Divide by zero’ or ‘Canvas Does Not Allow Drawing’ appears. How can this be resolved?

Answer:
This error can be caused by several issues: Check your profile and layer thickness to see that none are set to zero. Check your weather station data. Some weather stations may contain data that create this problem. If possible, choose another weather station close to your site, and try re-running the model. If you are using Fahrenheit temperature units, try switching to degrees Celsius temperature units (by switching to the metric units scheme). The Fahrenheit units (since they may be three digits, versus two for degrees Celsius) sometimes create a problem in the weather.dat files. Ensure that your project files are being stored on your local hard drive, in a path that does not contain spaces, punctuation, accented characters, or other "odd characters". 5. Try changing your material properties to other suitable properties.

Q2: The output of my Visual HELP v2.2.03 model is producing unrealistic results. How can this be resolved?

Answer:
Although Visual HELP allows a wide range of layer combinations, there are some basic rules for arranging layers in profiles. Please ensure that you have followed the Visual HELP layering rules. If these rules are not followed, this may cause incorrect profile calculations.

Q3: What is the maximum number of layers for a Visual HELP v2.2.03 profile?

Answer:
The Visual HELP model will allow a maximum of 20 layers.

Q4: When two drainage layers are placed on top of one another in the Visual HELP v2.2.03 profile, drainage is only seen out of the bottom one. Why does this happen?

Answer:
When two drainage layers are above one another, only the layer parameters from the bottom layer will be used. This is a design of the original HELP DOS model.

Q5: How can custom weather data be used in Visual HELP v2.2.03?

Answer:
Visual HELP allows the user to import files containing weather data in the format used by the Canadian Climate Centre. File formats are provided with the installation of Visual HELP in the Weather Import subfolder in the program folder. Customized weather data may also be imported but this must be in the correct format.

Q6: What are the differences between the following terms in Visual HELP v2.2.03: slope, drained, drainage?

Answer:

A layer must have a slope in order to be drained. The option "Drained" refers to collecting the water that seeps out of the layer due to the slope of the layer. Additionally, if Drainage is assigned, then the Drained option is grayed out. Drainage refers to providing a system (for example, a drainage net or pipes) to remove percolating water. The default spacing (as stated in the Profile Material Properties window) is 10000, and it is possible to change the Drainage length.

The distance between drainage pipes (Drainage spacing) is set using the Drainage Length variable. The units of measurement are based on your project units for Length.

To summarize, you cannot have Drain and Drainage assigned at the same time. You cannot have Drain assigned if your layer does not have a slope. It is possible to have Drainage even if you have no slope.

Additionally, Visual HELP does not account for drainage pipe diameter. The software assumes that the pipe capacity is sufficient to remove all leachate from the system.

END FAQ