Topic: VP2 Rainfall delima

[WxLover16]

So, since November 29th I've received about 4" of rain (I use my cocorahs 10" gauge for official readings), but only .18" has been registered on my VP2 since then. Obviously I thought my VP2 gauge was clogged with tons of rain in it so I just went outside to empty all the rain for the next rain event later today. To my amazement (and confusion), I found only a few pinestraws going through the debris screen, absolutely zero rain water. I tipped the tipping buckets a couple times to see if they were working, and now I have .02" with a 10.67" high rain rate for the day. I will delete that obviously but I don't understand what happened to the 4" of rain that fell into my VP2 gauge? Anyone ever had this happen to them before? I'm very confused.

[dalecoy]

I found only a few pinestraws going through the debris screen,

Do you suppose some pinestraws were preventing the tipping buckets from moving?  [And then when you took off the cover, you removed that impediment]

[WxLover16]

I found only a few pinestraws going through the debris screen,

Do you suppose some pinestraws were preventing the tipping buckets from moving?  [And then when you took off the cover, you removed that impediment]

Wow. That didn't even occur to me but I suppose that could be what it was. Possibly the simplest explanation is the correct one!

[CW2274]

I found only a few pinestraws going through the debris screen,

Do you suppose some pinestraws were preventing the tipping buckets from moving?  [And then when you took off the cover, you removed that impediment]

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
BTW, what took you so long to notice?

[WxLover16]

I found only a few pinestraws going through the debris screen,

Do you suppose some pinestraws were preventing the tipping buckets from moving?  [And then when you took off the cover, you removed that impediment]

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
BTW, what took you so long to notice?

Well, since I get my "official" readings from my cocorahs, It didn't really bother me enough to go check. Only thing about my VP2 I like from a rain standpoint is knowing the rain rate.

[WheatonRon]

I found only a few pinestraws going through the debris screen,

Do you suppose some pinestraws were preventing the tipping buckets from moving?  [And then when you took off the cover, you removed that impediment]

Wow. That didn't even occur to me but I suppose that could be what it was. Possibly the simplest explanation is the correct one!

This is the easiest and hopefully the correct answer to you question/problem. But I am skeptical. If in fact 4 inches of rain was never registered by your tippers, those pine straws had to be pretty strong (maybe they ate a lot of Wheaties in their life span) to prevent any measurements from being recorded. I would watch the next storm closely to ensure the problem is really fixed!

[WxLover16]

I found only a few pinestraws going through the debris screen,

Do you suppose some pinestraws were preventing the tipping buckets from moving?  [And then when you took off the cover, you removed that impediment]

Wow. That didn't even occur to me but I suppose that could be what it was. Possibly the simplest explanation is the correct one!

This is the easiest and hopefully the correct answer to you question/problem. But I am skeptical. If in fact 4 inches of rain was never registered by your tippers, those pine straws had to be pretty strong (maybe they ate a lot of Wheaties in their life span) to prevent any measurements from being recorded. I would watch the next storm closely to ensure the problem is really fixed!

Dale was correct. My VP2 has now registered a quarter inch this afternoon. Working perfectly. I'm with you, crazy that pine straw could be strong enough to do that but they did.

[dalecoy]

Dale was correct. My VP2 has now registered a quarter inch this afternoon. Working perfectly. I'm with you, crazy that pine straw could be strong enough to do that but they did.

~~~strong enough to handle the weight of 0.01 inch of rain in the rather-small tipping bucket. 

[92merc]

It only took one seed from a chokecherry tree to plug mine up.  You would think it would float or only partially block it.  Nope.


I now have SS wire hot glued to the bucket.  No more birds land on it...

[dalecoy]

It only took one seed from a chokecherry tree to plug mine up. 

Yes, however this thread wasn't about "plugged up" it was about "stopped counting".

[WxLover16]

It only took one seed from a chokecherry tree to plug mine up. 

Yes, however this thread wasn't about "plugged up" it was about "stopped counting".

Yeah, I thought I had the "plugged up" problem, nope. I guess it took perfect orientation for the pine straw to "stand" on the tipping bucket to keep it from doing its job.

[Mattk]

Before the bird spike additions grass hopper legs were a problem, birds would sit on the cone eat the grasshopper and if the back legs were disposed into the cone then they are long enough and certainly strong enough to prevent the tipper. Blocked tipper trough the cone is not an uncommon problem but even the new internal grate design still isn't totally effective at reducing this issue.   

[bchwdlks]

It only took one seed from a chokecherry tree to plug mine up. 

Yes, however this thread wasn't about "plugged up" it was about "stopped counting".

Yeah, I thought I had the "plugged up" problem, nope. I guess it took perfect orientation for the pine straw to "stand" on the tipping bucket to keep it from doing its job.

Not really -- a single pine needle is more likely o cause it than a lot falling. When minestopped, it was from a pine tree that is 60' away but it is 80' taller than the bucket. If the needle hits right it will  slide through the debris guard and through the funnel hole and it will stand on end. The bottom of the pine needle is in the cup of the tipping bucket and the top is still in the cone. When the bucket tips, the pine needle prevents it from going far enough for the water to fill the other side. The rain flows into a half tilted bucket and your rain measurement will not increment again until the pine needleis removed.

[archae86]

I had a jam a couple of years ago, and when I climbed up to look the offending pine needle was plainly in sight.  I subsequently replaced the much-maligned factory strainer with a significantly finer grained stainless steel sink strainer recommended on this website. No such trouble since.

[edit: on consideration of the fact I don't actually have long-needle pine trees, searching my memory, and finding my own thread from April 2014 I'm changing my story slightly.  My problem was a twig, and my specific stainless steel strainer solution was a Danco model 88820, which is both much finer-meshed than the Davis original plastic grid, and far more inclined to stay in place.]

[chief-david]

I had bird poop in mine. I used duct tape and paper clips to solve the problem

[WheatonRon]

I had a jam a couple of years ago, and when I climbed up to look the offending pine needle was plainly in sight.  I subsequently replaced the much-maligned factory strainer with a significantly finer grained stainless steel sink strainer recommended on this website. No such trouble since.

Refresh my memory. Which stainless steel sink strainer are you referring to?

[ValentineWeather]

Maybe this one. https://www.scaledinstruments.com/product/scaled-instruments-si40306-vantage-pro2-stainless-steel-debries-screen/

This looks similar on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Discovery-Stainless-Steel-Strainer-1-pack/dp/B0017HRZZ8

[WheatonRon]

Maybe this one. https://www.scaledinstruments.com/product/scaled-instruments-si40306-vantage-pro2-stainless-steel-debries-screen/

Thanks Randy. I think your memory is better than mine.

[ValentineWeather]

Maybe this one. https://www.scaledinstruments.com/product/scaled-instruments-si40306-vantage-pro2-stainless-steel-debries-screen/

Thanks Randy. I think your memory is better than mine.

Don't know about that. 

 
I posted a link above of strainer on Amazon looks about the same. Probably local hardware store will have one also.