I find myself having to, again, confess to a senior moment
. I was checking my WU profile and noticed that I joined in January of 2016 and not 2017 as I'd thought. That means my 5in1 had been running for a little over 3 years, without maintenance or new batteries (time flies when
you're having fun when you're old). My embarrassment aside I think that's pretty impressive performance from a low cost station. While the fan was a little noisy the anemometer was was working smoothly with no signs of binding at all. The wind direction vane is, if anything, too sensitive.
I am confident about not changing batteries or doing any maintenance on the 5in1 since it was installed. I'd remember that and I checked the batteries and they're dated 2015/07.
Personally I use Energizer lithiums. Acurite support prefers you use alkaline unless cold weather conditions demand lithium. Why isn’t clear.
Other than cost I can't imagine a reason to use alkaline batteries over lithium...ever.
The rain grating is removable. I believe it just snaps out, though you might need to squeeze it just right.
Thanks. If anyone knows exactly where/how to squeeze it just right I'd like more details.
Some apply a car wax with a UV inhibitor to help prevent yellowing. The Atlas seems to have plastics much less prone to yellowing than the 5n1.
I like that. It might help and it certainly won't do any harm.
A long time ago, I started a topic about painting the 5n1 glossy white. It worked very well... If your 5 n 1 is yellow, I would consider trying it. A caution though is to be sure you do not get paint in the vents, on the solor panel, or under the anemometer.
Thanks for sharing your experience and the results!
Some really good info here. I'll have to keep the tips in mind next time I take my stations down for a cleaning.
I'm glad you found it helpful. I'm hoping folks will continue to share their experiences, what worked, what didn't.