A description of two soil-water sampling devices and success achieved in obtaining soil water on a routine basis at depths of 1 to 36 feet below land surface are described. In one facility, galvanized, 16 gage metal pans, 12 × 15 inches, with a copper spout, are driven into the wall of an open trench to intercept gravitational water at 1-foot intervals to a depth of 17 feet. Water samples are diverted to sample bottles attached to the inside walls of a protective housing by way of plastic tubing. Flooring is required to prevent quicking of stratified residual silt loam to sandy loam soils at the base of the trench. From 4 to 6 inches of water are irrigated adjacent to the trench on a weekly basis and a floor drain or sump pump is required to prevent flooding of the sampling trench. The deep trench lysimeter provides gravitational water samples on a routine basis when waters are artificially applied to the site but failed to yield samples during the growing season in the absence of irrigation under Pennsylvania's climate.A modified version of a commercially avaiable lysimeter constitutes the second device which can extract soil water under tension from depths in excess of 50 feet. The commercial lysimeter contains a porous ceramic cup attached to a 2-foot section of plastic pipe with a one-hole rubber stopper. In the modified version a two-hole rubber stopper is used and two copper tubes are inserted through the stopper, one for evacuating the tube, the other to force out water. This improved soil-water sampler has been named a pressure-vacuum lysimeter or “suction lysimeter.” One or more lysimeters may be installed in a 6-inch diameter drill hole. The ceramic tip is embedded in a pulverized silica deposit to insure hydraulic continuity with the soil-water reservoir. Native soil, bentonite plugs, or grout plugs are used to backfill holes to prevent channeling. A hand pump may be used to evacuate the tube and to blow out samples. When sufficient soil-moisture is available 500 to 970 mls of water may be obtained on a weekly basis. During prolonged dry periods, no samples can be collected when soil water has been depleted around the ceramic point. This may be four to eight weeks after pan lysimeters fail to yield water samples.