Author Topic: wind meter tower (Read 12184 times)

f86sabjf · « **on:** February 03, 2009, 06:14:03 PM »

Hello Everyone
I'm just starting to get into weather more than just watching my local meteorologist on the evening news.
My wife noticing this brings home an Acurite weather station with a wind meter on it from Homedepot. As of now the wind meter is mounted off the side of the roof about 3ft high( 13ft in total).
What is going to be my easiest way to keep peace with my neughbors and mount this up to 25-30ft high and be able to change the batteries in it?
Yes i know this barely qualifies for a weather station ,but we keep momma happy and in a few months we upgrade

Thanks for your patience and help
Jeff

DanS · « **Reply #1 on:** February 03, 2009, 07:20:24 PM »

Hello Jeff and welcome!
Just a suggestion but a possibility for your wind meter installation would be a tall mast that stands on the ground and fastens to the roof eave of the house. For battery changing and other maintenance you un-fasten it and lay it down. Or... use 2 masts, one slides inside the other with a locking pin/bolt. Pull the pin and slide the mast down to reach the wind meter? Just some food for thought.

Dan

f86sabjf · « **Reply #2 on:** February 04, 2009, 07:46:03 AM »

Thanks for the idea Dan
I wonder if pvc would do the trick? maybe some 1 1/2in or 2in. I was thinking of a tv tower but you cant find them anymore with the switch to digi tv.

mackbig · « **Reply #3 on:** February 04, 2009, 08:07:48 AM »

Can you change the batteries how its mounted now? Might want to just stick with that installation... the retractable, lay down mast is a good idea, but if/when you "upgrade" chances are very high that it will be a rechargeable anemometer with very little need for mainteance or pulling down on a any sort of regular basis. Therefore a tripod or eve mount is all you really need.

But if you want to jump in a build a tower, by all means... just an idea.

Andrew

Quote from: f86sabjf on February 04, 2009, 07:46:03 AM

Thanks for the idea Dan
I wonder if pvc would do the trick? maybe some 1 1/2in or 2in. I was thinking of a tv tower but you cant find them anymore with the switch to digi tv.

f86sabjf · « **Reply #4 on:** February 04, 2009, 10:18:21 AM »

Hi Andrew

Right now its mounted to the eave with 2 u clamps screwed to the eave on a piece of 3ft pvc. So now i can get to it with a ladder. I was just rying to get a truer reading because i know my roof is blocking the easterly winds. I was trying to get over it if i could or make another mount in the middle of my back yard on some sort of post arrangement.

SlowModem · « **Reply #5 on:** February 04, 2009, 10:50:08 AM »

For a long time, I had my wind sensor on a 12-ft. 4X4 with a 4-ft. fence post on top. (Well, it's what I had handy and it worked.) Anyways, you may want to consider something like that. You can mount it on the pole then stick it in the hole. I had my hole about 2 feet and didn't need any guy wires. It was very steady. And, as you can see, I could reach it with a step ladder.

mackbig · « **Reply #6 on:** February 04, 2009, 11:22:27 AM »

I would suggest a tripod mount placed on peak of roof... but then to change batteries you have to get on the roof, which can be tough, at least here in the winter. But as I said once you get a solar powered rechargeable one, it is not really an issue. Whatever works for you. If you have a large enough yard without a house wind shadow, then a pole in your yard will do. This was not an option for me since my house is west of backyard, and prevailing wind is from west - north west. And here in suburbia we dont have a whole lot of land....

Andrew

Quote from: f86sabjf on February 04, 2009, 10:18:21 AM

Hi Andrew

Right now its mounted to the eave with 2 u clamps screwed to the eave on a piece of 3ft pvc. So now i can get to it with a ladder. I was just rying to get a truer reading because i know my roof is blocking the easterly winds. I was trying to get over it if i could or make another mount in the middle of my back yard on some sort of post arrangement.

f86sabjf · « **Reply #7 on:** February 04, 2009, 11:27:26 AM »

I'm trying to keep from climbing on the roof if i can help it. I weigh 240 and do not relish this rask.

slow modem did you have that grounded??? Down here in Fla we got a lot of lightning.

SlowModem · « **Reply #8 on:** February 04, 2009, 11:34:31 AM »

Quote from: f86sabjf on February 04, 2009, 11:27:26 AM

I'm trying to keep from climbing on the roof if i can help it. I weigh 240 and do not relish this rask.

slow modem did you have that grounded??? Down here in Fla we got a lot of lightning.

No, I didn't. It was mostly plastic and it was wireless. Since it was away from the house, I figured it wouldn't hurt anything if it fried. I'm not familiar with your unit. If it is cabled, it should be grounded to keep it from coming in the house.

d_l · « **Reply #9 on:** February 04, 2009, 11:57:39 AM »

I've seen this idea someplace else here and I'm not giving the original author proper credit, but how about a very long pipe bolted to your eave at or near the roof peak. Whenever you put it up or down, you only have to climb a ladder on the side of your house to secure or loosen the clamping bolts. Then tilt the pipe up or down depending on what you are doing.

The pipe's length would need to be roof peak height plus at least the seven feet to place it sufficiently above the roof peak. During a tilt up or tilt down the pipe might be sort of floppy from the total length, but once in its clamping bolts on the eave and maybe on the side of the house, the upper portion above the roof line should be fairly rigid. Once in place, the pipe's weight would help hold it securely on the ground.

I guess this method may only work if you have a one-story house. Getting to the roof peak on a two-story house would be amost as bad as climbing on the roof and the length of pipe necessary during a tilt up or tilt down would be pretty floppy at those two-story lengths.

f86sabjf · « **Reply #10 on:** February 04, 2009, 12:12:06 PM »

Thanks for the replys everyone.

Slow modem my unit is wireless.

if anyone wants to see my roof you can go to google maps. Put in this address

3136 Loblolly st
Deltona,Fla 32725

My roof isn't a typical a frame

mackbig · « **Reply #11 on:** February 04, 2009, 12:50:15 PM »

What did we do before google, or google earth....?

From your layout it does appear (if tripod is no possible, due to previous comment about roof scaling) that a mast type in the back-left corner of lot would be best.

Andrew

Quote from: f86sabjf on February 04, 2009, 12:12:06 PM

Thanks for the replys everyone.

Slow modem my unit is wireless.

if anyone wants to see my roof you can go to google maps. Put in this address

3136 Loblolly st
Deltona,Fla 32725

My roof isn't a typical a frame

f86sabjf · « **Reply #12 on:** February 04, 2009, 01:26:22 PM »

Thanks for looking Andrew

SlowModem · « **Reply #13 on:** February 04, 2009, 01:38:45 PM »

I agree.

f86sabjf · « **Reply #14 on:** February 04, 2009, 03:13:42 PM »

Looks like i might be putting up a duplicate to slow modems for now. Unless I can find some pipe around here. Until i can get the funds to put up a proper tower.

d_l · « **Reply #15 on:** February 04, 2009, 04:43:32 PM »

The pipe I mentioned in my post was top rail pipe for chain link fences. It has crimps to couple the segments together and it was fairly cheap for each standard length..

mackbig · « **Reply #16 on:** February 04, 2009, 05:40:37 PM »

I used some u brackets, 2x4's and grey pvc to make my first gable mount. works ok as long as its not too long and subject to sway... so some kind of 4x4 mast with any type of pipe would be a good start...

Andrew

Quote from: f86sabjf on February 04, 2009, 03:13:42 PM

Looks like i might be putting up a duplicate to slow modems for now. Unless I can find some pipe around here. Until i can get the funds to put up a proper tower.

DanS · « **Reply #17 on:** February 05, 2009, 03:58:03 AM »

Nice job! Very professional.

The deep blue sky with the moon as a backdrop make the pic look nice too!

SlowModem · « **Reply #18 on:** February 05, 2009, 05:51:17 AM »

Bruce,

What a great setup. That was a very detailed and understandable explanation. The location looks optimum and the installation looks very sturdy and durable.

I agree with Dan. That is a great picture with the moon!

Remember, 60s this weekend!

$\:D/$

f86sabjf · « **Reply #19 on:** February 05, 2009, 08:17:55 AM »

wow what a write up

Thanks Bruce . I dont have a homeowners assoc so my neighbors are going to have to like it

I have work to do this weekend.

f86sabjf · « **Reply #20 on:** February 05, 2009, 08:23:53 AM »

considering I do live in hurricane alley i wonder if i should beef up the metal pole??
Maybe the pole is so small it wouldn't have very much resisitance. What do you guys think??

d_l · « **Reply #21 on:** February 05, 2009, 09:04:40 AM »

What a fantastic job there Bruce. ... and a great write up.

I pinnned segments of TV antenna pipe together with machine screws drilled through the coupler holes, but linch pin clips should work. Afterwards I had shim the couplings to keep them from rattling, but your fence pipes might not have that problem.

If you ever need guy wires because of high winds, they don't have to extend all the way to the ground. They could be attached to the tops of tall enough posts or pipes arrayed around the mast so that a small child or even a short adult could walk around them and still be shorter than the attachment point on top of the post. This would make them safer for small ones. Just a thought.

George Richardson · « **Reply #22 on:** February 05, 2009, 11:07:49 AM »

Bruce,

Very nice job. A comment for anyone going to school on this installation. I bet you will have birds sitting on your anemometer, at least I do. If I were to do mine again, I'd extend my mast beyond the anemometer, just a little, and make those feathered suckers a T roost just above. I think it would keep the crap off the cups.

FWIW

George

f86sabjf · « **Reply #23 on:** February 05, 2009, 11:11:35 AM »

Thanks for the idea Geoerge as i do have a bird feeder in my yard. I also have red tailed hawks in the neighborhood.

f86sabjf · « **Reply #24 on:** February 06, 2009, 04:40:06 PM »

Well hopefully this is the last question about the tower. Does 6ft copper rod and 8ga wire sound heavy enough to ground this thing. Keep in mind i do live in the lightning capital of the world or at least thats what they tell us down here.

Thanks Again
Jeff

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Author Topic: wind meter tower (Read 12184 times)