Author Topic: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information  (Read 100244 times)

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Offline W3DRM

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Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« on: March 05, 2014, 04:05:21 PM »
This post is meant to, once again, remind everyone who owns a Davis Weather Station that Davis has an excellent refurbishment program for all but their very oldest of equipment. Any station that is currently being manufactured or serviced is eligible.


EDIT: May 6, 2016 - The pricing shown in this first post is no longer valid. Contact Davis for a quote BEFORE you send it in. You may find that ordering a replacement ISS (assuming your console is still good) may be a better deal or will allow you to have a "spare" ISS to use while your other unit is being refurbed. See comments about this in later posts in this thread.


NOTE: The original Vantage Pro is no longer being serviced by Davis.

There have been several recent posts on this forum that mention that the owners have shipped back individual components for around $80 to refurb them. What most folks don't know is that Davis will refurbish your entire weather station, including the anemometer assembly and console, for a flat fee plus the cost to ship it back to you. Turn-around time, after receipt by Davis, is typically less than a week. True, you will be without a station for a period of time but it is well worth the wait. I've had mine refurbed several times when parts went bad and it came back looking almost like new.

The cost for refurb, as of this writing, is set at $100 $140 plus $12 for shipping your equipment back to you. You, of course have to pay to get it to them.

You will have to contact Davis and ask them about this program and whether or not your station is eligible for the program. If it is, and you are interested, ask them for a RMA number and shipping directions. They have a specific shipping address to use. And no, before anyone living in the SF Bay area asks, they do not accept drop-offs at that address. I asked about doing that but they said they don't accept drop-offs. It has to be shipped.

So, where do you call or send an email? see below:
  • Davis Customer Support
The above information is also available on their website at:
One word of advice if you decide to send your station in for refurb - remove the batteries from the console and the ISS before shipping them. Davis does not seem to replace the batteries so you will receive it without them. This has been the case in the last two refurbs I've had done on my VP2. You may also want to tie-down the rain-bucket tipping mechanism prior to shipping to prevent any damage to it.

EDIT 06/27/2014: Documented the new pricing & the dropping of the original Vantage Pro unit from the serviceability list.
« Last Edit: May 06, 2016, 02:12:42 PM by W3DRM »
Don - W3DRM - Emmett, Idaho --- Blitzortung ID: 808 --- FlightRadar24 ID: F-KBOI7
Davis Wireless VP2, WD 10.37s150,
StartWatch, VirtualVP, VPLive, Win10 Pro
--- Logitech HD Pro C920 webcam (off-line)
--- RIPE Atlas Probe - 32849

Offline tbern

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #1 on: March 05, 2014, 04:15:13 PM »
Thanks for the update, sounds like a great deal. This would include calibrating solar and uv sensors as well :?:

Offline W3DRM

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #2 on: March 05, 2014, 04:17:14 PM »
Thanks for the update, sounds like a great deal. This would include calibrating solar and uv sensors as well :?:

I don't know about the Solar/UV sensors. Give them a call and find out. If you do, and get an answer, post it in this thread so all of us will know.
Don - W3DRM - Emmett, Idaho --- Blitzortung ID: 808 --- FlightRadar24 ID: F-KBOI7
Davis Wireless VP2, WD 10.37s150,
StartWatch, VirtualVP, VPLive, Win10 Pro
--- Logitech HD Pro C920 webcam (off-line)
--- RIPE Atlas Probe - 32849

Offline GeoAir.pt

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #3 on: March 06, 2014, 09:48:47 AM »
I wish we had a similar program on this side of the pond...

Offline Bushman

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #4 on: March 06, 2014, 09:58:30 AM »
And north of the border.  :(  It pretty much kills you to send the unit south, pay $120 CAD and pay to ship it back.  Last time I checked you were looking at  close to $250.  Unless you can get to a border town in the US this is a non-starter.
Need low cost IP monitoring?  http://wirelesstag.net/wta.aspx?link=NisJxz6FhUa4V67/cwCRWA or PM me for 50% off Wirelesstags!!

Offline Timay

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #5 on: March 06, 2014, 11:46:46 AM »
Just last week I called Davis because my Vue would run on the battery but not the solar panel...talked to Brian at Davis and after a bit of troubleshooting, we decided I needed a refurb...I could either mail it back and be without it for a month (Brian said that) or I could pay for the refurb and do it myself.  I did the refurb here as it is an easy plug-and-play...it was about $100, I got both the transmitter board and the battery board...only glitch is they get $180 bux for a 'core' charge that will be refunded when they get their parts back.  I got the parts, sent back my old ones and just got my refund day before yesterday.  Easy peasy!

I think it took care of my problem because there are only two boards in the Vue.  Time will tell...

Tim
Vantage Vue
Centennial, Colorado

Offline Bushman

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #6 on: March 06, 2014, 11:56:50 AM »
Interesting!  that option would certainly work for Canadians.  About 10 bucks each way for Vantage boards.
Need low cost IP monitoring?  http://wirelesstag.net/wta.aspx?link=NisJxz6FhUa4V67/cwCRWA or PM me for 50% off Wirelesstags!!

Offline CNYWeather

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #7 on: March 06, 2014, 12:41:06 PM »
Thanks for all the info. My station is going to get replaced hopefully this spring,
and for the cost, I'll send my old one back for the refurb. I have a few family
members that want to know what the weather is at their homes.
Tony




Offline Cienega32

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #8 on: March 06, 2014, 08:24:12 PM »
They will advise you to tie down the rain tipper before you ship it to them and you can pay a little extra for more expedited return shipping. As far as the Solar (I don't have UV), it came back looking like it was "touched". I don't remember what the statement breakdown was but that sensor did seem to have been under their scrutiny.

With me paying for expedited shipping both ways and having the supplied RMA on the box beforehand, my turn around time from ship to receive was about 2 weeks. I did have to make a phone call after they received it to provide them with payment.

Great idea making this a sticky, Don!

Pat ~ Davis VP2 6153-Weatherlink-Weather Display-StartWatch-VirtualVP-Win7 Pro-64bit
www.LasCruces-Weather.com   www.EastMesaWeather.com

Offline Joe A

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #9 on: March 13, 2014, 02:42:01 PM »
We need to rewind and start over with the "refurb" notion. This is for out of warranty (older than 1yr) units.

According to Davis Support, there is no "refurb" program, per se. If your unit stop functioning correctly and you want Davis to service it, you package the whole thing up and send it to Davis at your expense. Davis "repairs" the unit, replacing necessary parts, if the unit is not so damaged as to be non-repairable. If the unit is damaged beyond repair, they will send you a refurbished unit. You pay for all parts or for the completely refurbished unit and you pay return shipping. I just got off the phone with support. So, I'm hoping my translation is accurate! Best thing to do is to call Davis support to get your own direct explanation of "repair" or "refurb": 510 732 7814.

If you decide to not go through Davis for repairs, give me a call. We generally can troubleshoot your problem and get the correct parts to you that are easy to install.

BTW, sensor recalibration is NOT included in any repair or refurb, as I understand it from Davis. You would have to pay additional for NIST calibration.

Joe Amadeo
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Offline moehoward4

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #10 on: March 13, 2014, 03:53:38 PM »
Joe A     You should spend a little time reading threads/posts here concerning the Davis refurb deal. A LOT cheaper option than buying repair parts from someone that sells new stations for $535. Most people here that have had it done are happy with the results.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2014, 05:01:08 PM by moehoward4 »
3 Davis set-ups...which one ya wanna talk about? And I got ALL my manuals....

Offline Joe A

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #11 on: March 13, 2014, 06:41:21 PM »
Moe/Jack:

I did read the posts and that's why I called Davis earlier today as I had not ever once been informed by Davis (as a long time dealer) that this was an option. The person I spoke with this AM relayed to me exactly what I posted above. After reading your post, I called Davis back and found out from Jerry that this is, indeed, an available option. But even Jerry took awhile to comprehend my question about "refurbing a unit." He kept referring to repair until I pressed and pressed and pressed. In fact, I didn't get the correct reply that corroborates the posts here until I read a quote from W3DRM's post. Then the lights came on and to my surprise, Jerry confirmed the complete refurb for $100 plus $12 in return shipping.

This is a great deal!!!

Thanks for snapping at me in your reply. It made me pick up the phone again immediately and talk with someone at Davis who I've spoken with before. I am a bit dismayed that it took so much prodding and prying to get the information from Davis tech. And I'm even more surprised that in the face of thousands of conversations with my Davis reps and Davis tech support over the years that not once has this wonderful option been presented to us.

Thanks again,

Joe Amadeo
WeatherBuffs.com
1+ 928 635 1088 MST

Offline moehoward4

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #12 on: March 13, 2014, 07:22:50 PM »
As a 'long time dealer', you have to know that T/S at Davis ain't what it used to be. I usually have to make three calls to get the same answer from 2 reps....
3 Davis set-ups...which one ya wanna talk about? And I got ALL my manuals....

Offline n4in

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #13 on: May 29, 2014, 09:52:27 PM »
Just sent my Vantage 2 wireless station in today, the cost is $140+12 return shipping.

Offline michaelnel

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #14 on: June 27, 2014, 07:54:41 PM »
My buddy has a Vantage Pro (not Pro 2) that has a bad supercap.  I told him about this thread, and he called Davis.  They told him they no longer service that model.  No refurb, no out of warranty repairs, no parts.  Basically, SOL.

So he sourced the supercap elsewhere and ordered a couple (something like three bucks each) and will do the repair himself.

Offline W3DRM

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #15 on: June 27, 2014, 10:35:46 PM »
My buddy has a Vantage Pro (not Pro 2) that has a bad supercap.  I told him about this thread, and he called Davis.  They told him they no longer service that model.  No refurb, no out of warranty repairs, no parts.  Basically, SOL.

So he sourced the supercap elsewhere and ordered a couple (something like three bucks each) and will do the repair himself.

Thanks for the info! I have updated the first post in this thread to reflect these changes.
Don - W3DRM - Emmett, Idaho --- Blitzortung ID: 808 --- FlightRadar24 ID: F-KBOI7
Davis Wireless VP2, WD 10.37s150,
StartWatch, VirtualVP, VPLive, Win10 Pro
--- Logitech HD Pro C920 webcam (off-line)
--- RIPE Atlas Probe - 32849

Offline worknhard

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #16 on: October 01, 2014, 07:49:09 PM »
I Just spoke to Davis re. refurbish/overhaul of VP2 Pro today.  Since my system has the 24-Hour Fan Aspirated Radiation Shield the overhaul cost is now $200.  I believe he said that a new motor ges installed and because there are a lot of parts in this subsystem, the complete overhaul cost has risen to $200.  As for calibration of sensors, I was told that all are check to make sure they are within the tolerances of new equipment.

Offline jlberry

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #17 on: October 31, 2014, 10:08:04 AM »
An additional option is to buy a new ISS, $155.99 at Scientific Sales. You might find a lower price elsewhere.
The original could be refurbished and kept on hand for zero turn-around time.

Offline moehoward4

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #18 on: October 31, 2014, 11:45:23 AM »
An additional option is to buy a new ISS, $155.99 at Scientific Sales
......and that price is for a VUE ISS, not a VP2 ISS
3 Davis set-ups...which one ya wanna talk about? And I got ALL my manuals....

Offline jlberry

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #19 on: October 31, 2014, 12:01:37 PM »
Correct; at my location near Houston the total with shipping was $175.99 for the wireless Vantage Vue ISS.

Invoice line reads; "6357 Davis Vantage Vue Integrated Sensor Suite"

Amazon Prime cost was around $188 I think.

Offline jsel

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #20 on: March 18, 2015, 02:34:51 PM »
This may be useful info for anyone repairing their VP1
After nearly 13 years my VP1 Pro started to eat batteries (they lasted about 10 days) On taking the ISS apart the super capacitor looked very dodgy, so replaced it 1F (not 1uF) 5.5V available in UK from RS Components (339-6837) for just £2.62. On making a few checks I find that in bright sun the solar panel (now rather crazed) still produces 2.3V, and the voltage pump circuitry on the ISS board boosts this to 5.30V (hence the need for a 5.5V capacitor). Without a battery fitted, then covering the solar panel, the super capacitor fully charged still keeps the station going for about another 14 hours. Stops when capacitor voltage falls to about 2.65V. Average current drain from the super capacitor is approx. 50uA.
With no sunlight, a new battery (3.2V) charges the capacitor and the circuitry starts when the capacitor voltage reaches approx.  2.77. The capacitor continues to charge from the battery reaching approx. 2.86V.
The solar  panel characteristics are such that it produces only about 0.2V on load until the sunlight reaches a critical level when it can now produce enough current to drive the voltage boost circuit, and the solar panel voltage now rapidly increases to between 1.8 to 2.3V. This voltage is sufficient to cause the voltage boost circuit to produce a full 5.3V to fully charge the super capacitor.

Offline kwas156

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #21 on: May 16, 2015, 10:18:32 PM »
As of May 2015, Davis refurbished my Vantage Vue for $100 plus $12 for shipping (Chicago Area).  I received it back with all new electronics, annemometer, wind direction vane, ISS battery and mounting hardware.  The turnaround was about two weeks.

Offline ocala

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #22 on: May 17, 2015, 06:28:17 AM »
After 8 years I am taking my 6152 down today to send back for refurb.
The worst part, besides not having it for a couple weeks, is taking down the anny.
That's 34ft! Not real comfortable climbing that high. I remember when I installed it I had a death grip with one hand holding on and a wrench in the other tightening the bolts. The peak of the roof is just below the picture. It's not a free standing tower.

Here's another view.
« Last Edit: May 17, 2015, 06:37:55 AM by ocala »
The blues had a baby and they named it Rock & Roll

Offline SlowModem

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #23 on: May 17, 2015, 07:58:58 AM »
After 8 years I am taking my 6152 down today to send back for refurb.
The worst part, besides not having it for a couple weeks, is taking down the anny.

Take a camera and take some pictures while you're up there!   =D>
Greg Whitehead
Ten Mile, TN USA

Offline ocala

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #24 on: May 17, 2015, 08:14:33 AM »
After 8 years I am taking my 6152 down today to send back for refurb.
The worst part, besides not having it for a couple weeks, is taking down the anny.

Take a camera and take some pictures while you're up there!   =D>
They probably wouldn't come out. I would be shaking too much. :-)
The blues had a baby and they named it Rock & Roll

 

anything