Topic: Temperature Sensor Placement & Sunlight

[HoustonGuy]

I've installed my Ambient Weather WS-2080 sensor station by attaching it to the mast that used to support a TV satellite dish.  No better location around my house.  I put the thermo-hydro transmitter below the eave of the roof, where it only gets sunlight during the last part of the day (west side of the house). 

The outdoor temp is always way high when the sun gets over to the west.  I am considering putting up a barrier to block direct sunlight, but it seems to me that the side of the house is going to get hit by the sun, the barrier too... so I figure that whole area will be warmer in the evening regardless.  It isn't practical for me to mount the whole setup anywhere else, but I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this and if a barrier (maybe with a foil outer coating) would make enough difference to bother with?

I'm considering making my weather station public on Wundermap but I figure it won't be cool if my evening temperatures are distorted due to sunlight exposure...

Any discussion will be appreciated!

[Aardvark]

the best place for that sensor would be on the North side of a structure that isn't in direct sunlight.

[ValentineWeather]

Use a radiation shield they run as low as 40$ and follow placement guide. Under an eave is a very poor location.
http://wiki.wunderground.com/index.php/PWS_-_Siting
http://www.ambientweather.com/amwesrpatean.html

[DanS]

As long as your temp sensor is located where it is it will pick up the house warmed afternoon temperatures regardless of any types of shielding. The temp sensor will still measure the surrounding warmed air from the house. As Aardvark points out, the north side is the lesser of the bad locations if you have to be mounted on the house.  If you can place a pole out in the yard over grass, away from anything like gravel, cement, brick, decking, etc. you would be much better off and more accurate. Because the anemometer and temp sensors are cabled together, placement is not always easy and a compromise may have to be made.

Another idea would be relocate the sat. dish mount around on the north side of the house. (You mentioned "used to support the dish" so I'm assuming it's available to move.)
Good luck.

[HoustonGuy]

Yes, I could move the whole thing to the north side, but the north side is the front of the house, and as appealing as -I- find the technology to be, I don't know if all my neighbors would agree.  More likely I'll just have to live with inaccurate temperatures in the late afternoons.  If I relocate the device to a pole, it would have to be out back somewhere and that would be too far from the console for the wireless signal.  So I'm probably just going to have to live with it.

Thanks much for your response!

[Aardvark]

Yes, I could move the whole thing to the north side, but the north side is the front of the house, and as appealing as -I- find the technology to be, I don't know if all my neighbors would agree.  More likely I'll just have to live with inaccurate temperatures in the late afternoons.  If I relocate the device to a pole, it would have to be out back somewhere and that would be too far from the console for the wireless signal.  So I'm probably just going to have to live with it.

Thanks much for your response!

You could put a slanted sunshade that would block the sunlight out .  I would put some vent holes in the thing to keep air circulation, and it might give you better readings.  Kind of  a ^ shaped with it over the sensor and hole drilled (small one's)  through the V  for ventilation.