Topic: Seeking opinions on siting a VP2

[Hello]

Hey guys,

I figured I'd start a new thread focusing specifically on this topic & the equipment I had in mind. Below is an aerial shot of my home - the end unit annotated. The terrace faces roughly NW. As you can see, my options are fairly limited - pretty much to the terrace & the home structure itself (no outside property). What would be the best way to configure a VP2 setup? Here's what I'm thinking might be the most viable option:



TIA

[dalecoy]

I would incline toward placing all of the equipment on the outside corner (where you show "temp").  With the ISS perhaps 2 or 3 ft. above the wall, and the anemometer at about the level of the roof peak.

[Hello]

Christ my wife is gonna murder me in my sleep.

[CW2274]

      Get in line....

[dalecoy]

Christ my wife is gonna murder me in my sleep.

Oh - well then, go with your original solution. 

[DoctorKnow]

The only way to know how the thermometer will look is to try it out, and compare with one on the ground. Then you can calibrate the VP2 if necessary as best you can with reality.

[DrBobDavisV2]

Any homeowner concerns wth pesky neighbors not wanting to view your beautiful VP2 doing it's thing? Maybe a tripod set-up would give you the flexibility to move it easily and stash it if required...party on your deck etc?

[Hello]

The only way to know how the thermometer will look is to try it out, and compare with one on the ground. Then you can calibrate the VP2 if necessary as best you can with reality.

Will definitely keep this in mind if/when I decide to pull the trigger. I'm also considering waiting until Acurite finally releases their Atlas Elite, so I'm not pining to do this immediately.

Any homeowner concerns wth pesky neighbors not wanting to view your beautiful VP2 doing it's thing? Maybe a tripod set-up would give you the flexibility to move it easily and stash it if required...party on your deck etc?

Valid concern and one that was brought up in my other thread that touched on this. Long story short, I'm going to do it and ask for forgiveness rather than permission, if it comes to it. The reality is that our house pretty deep in the neighborhood and people are mostly nonchalant about stuff around here (as long as it's reasonable). The funny thing is that there are already several "rules" that are being violated in the neighborhood - the most ironic of which are the gas lines installed on some balconies by the builder itself (who wrote the declarations...). Given our lot location, I don't think anyone would notice, and if they did, and they happened to care, it'd be tough to make the case that it's a blight on the neighborhood.

Anyway, I actually just recalled that the highly-motivated individuals who built our home did not join a couple of boards of OSB correctly at the apex of the roof, so there's a sizable hole where I've noted in the photo below that I can access through the attic. Given that the anemometer is affixed to a j-shaped pole from the factory, do you guys think it would make a good mounting location? It would end up being above the roofline. Only concern is the nearby trees, but I'd have to deal with their impact with any of my options.

[DrBobDavisV2]

One of the things I realized early on is that you probably want to see your Anny doing it's thing.  If it's not easily seen from your vantage point, it becomes rather dull after some time to just look at your console or screen for the info.  That instant feedback of seeing your ISS and Anny is a beautiful thing. 


I think a Tripod set-up is pretty ideal, assuming of course, your wifey shares your same enthusiasm.

[jcookjr82]

There is something calming about watching wind cup spinning. I would be shocked if people were upset. If someone complains, tell them they can access the data whenever they want online. It might interest them.

[LABob]

There is something calming about watching wind cup spinning. I would be shocked if people were upset. If someone complains, tell them they can access the data whenever they want online. It might interest them.

When I first put mine up on the roof the neighbor thought it was a "spy antenna." He thought the rotating cups resembled a rotating radar antenna like you see at airports.

[dupreezd]

My concern when drilling holes in an outside wall or structure, is the possibility of leaks due to rain water getting in. What type of construction is this? Stucco over something like Styrofoam, or is it solid brick? How solid a mount will this be?

[Hello]

There is something calming about watching wind cup spinning. I would be shocked if people were upset. If someone complains, tell them they can access the data whenever they want online. It might interest them.

When I first put mine up on the roof the neighbor thought it was a "spy antenna." He thought the rotating cups resembled a rotating radar antenna like you see at airports.

"There may be many reasons not to kill you, but among them is not that you'll be missed by NASA."

My concern when drilling holes in an outside wall or structure, is the possibility of leaks due to rain water getting in. What type of construction is this? Stucco over something like Styrofoam, or is it solid brick? How solid a mount will this be?

Lapped fiber cement siding over your typical OSB (5/8", I believe?). A few lag bolts + silicone should take care of it & prevent any issues. I think.

As for the anemometer, they didn't join the OSB properly at the apex of the roof, so there's a decent-sized hole there I could potentially work with through the attic. I'm more concerned about that one letting rain in, since the arm of the anemometer would effectively channel water directly into the house during a rainstorm. Might come up with some sort of hooded shield slipped over the arm & also caulked w/ silicone.

[PANDY weather]

Looking forwards, one of the issues you might have to consider over the years is accessibility should you need to carry out any maintenance or repairs on the anemometer. I originally sited mine along with a stand alone sunshine sensor on the top of a telegraph pole, but getting up there to do anything was a bit hairy so I moved it to an unused chimney stack on the house, but ultimately this was getting to much as well. The final solution was to have a galvanized mast made which was hinged at the base so that I could easily lower it for any reason - both the the anemometer and sunshine sensor sit very nicely on top of the mast - I really wish I had done this years ago.

PANDY weather   

[Hello]

Looking forwards, one of the issues you might have to consider over the years is accessibility should you need to carry out any maintenance or repairs on the anemometer. I originally sited mine along with a stand alone sunshine sensor on the top of a telegraph pole, but getting up there to do anything was a bit hairy so I moved it to an unused chimney stack on the house, but ultimately this was getting to much as well. The final solution was to have a galvanized mast made which was hinged at the base so that I could easily lower it for any reason - both the the anemometer and sunshine sensor sit very nicely on top of the mast - I really wish I had done this years ago.

PANDY weather

That's genuinely something I was worried about as well and wanted to ask about. How much tinkering would a high-quality anemometer require? The roof option seems like it might be the best option in my fairly limited situation, but getting to it would be a serious pain in the ass. Unless I'm willing to risk a 45+ foot fall, which I'm not.

[PANDY weather]

Well, it's not really a matter of how much tinkering around you might have to do, but ask yourself this, if you do need to access the anemometer for any reason, how easy would that be stuck if it was on top of a roof!

If it were me I would definitely site the anemometer in the corner of the terrace where you have it marked on your original photo. I would attach a mast in to the corner where the two walls meet (by mast, I mean a 2" hollow, galvanized or stainless steel pipe you can get one of these easily off the web, with some kind of hinge mechanism at the base) which could be lowered to access the equipment. Depending on the height, you would probably need to secure the mast with a couple of guy wires attached to the wall. As for the height of the mast, looking at the photo, ideally it would have to be just above the height of the roof, when you need to lower it down it could be lowered entirely onto your terrace so that you can work on your anemometer.
This might all sound a bit over the top, but I assure you that as you get older you will give yourself a pat on the back for going down this route.

Whether you go for my suggested mast option or a shorter fixed one it's up to you, but if it were me I would definitely keep off that roof.

PANDY weather.