Author Topic: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information  (Read 100496 times)

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Offline WheatonRon

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #125 on: October 21, 2016, 12:38:23 PM »

I personally do not care.  With the "old" model of sensor, I was previously spot-on with the very expensive mesonet equipment installed by agencies near my house.  That's all the accuracy 99.999% of guys need. 


Though likely true that you had one of the better older sensors, the 31 is just THAT much more accurate and exceptional (not to mention the very latest in sensor technology). If part of the refurb program didn't include cleaning the shield, I would definitely go in and see if they gave you the 31 (while cleaning the shield).

Davis probably cleaned your shield. Recently, I did my own refurbishment of my ISS that was 11 years old. I removed the electronics in the ISS, then soaked the shield in a bleach solution over night, followed by a light scrubbing in the morning, and wow, what a difference that made! I also upgraded the Temp-Humidity sensor to the SHT31, replaced the rain bucket base and tipper, and replaced the PCBA so I wouldn't have to add a calibration adjustment at the console for the SHT31. Now good as new and have two working VP2s (I decided to get another ISS)--one for uploading to CWOP and WU and the other for experiments, playing, etc. The downside to this is my wife has threatened to have me institutionalized for such behavior! :grin:
« Last Edit: October 21, 2016, 02:41:42 PM by WheatonRon »
Davis VP2 with SHT31 (3 complete VP2 systems—2 with a daytime fan and 1 that has a 24 hour fan); CWOP--CW5020, FW3075 and FW4350; WU--KILWHEAT17, KILWHEAT36 and KILWHEAT39; WeatherCloud.net; CoCoRaHS--IL-DP-132; and Weatherlink 2.0

Offline WxLover16

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #126 on: October 21, 2016, 12:43:43 PM »

I personally do not care.  With the "old" model of sensor, I was previously spot-on with the very expensive mesonet equipment installed by agencies near my house.  That's all the accuracy 99.999% of guys need. 


Though likely true that you had one of the better older sensors, the 31 is just THAT much more accurate and exceptional (not to mention the very latest in sensor technology). If part of the refurb program didn't include cleaning the shield, I would definitely go in and see if they gave you the 31 (while cleaning the shield).

Davis probably cleaned your shield. Recently, I did my own refurbishment of my ISS that was 11 years old. I removed the electronics in the ISS and soaked the shield in a bleach solution over night--wow, what a difference that made. I also replaced the Temp-Humidity sensor to the SHT31, the rain tipper and the PCBA to the 2016 version so I wouldn't have to add a calibration adjustment at the console. Now good as new and have two working VP2s (I decided to get another ISS)--one for uploading to CWOP and WU and the other for experiments, playing, etc. The downside to this is my wife has threatened to have me institutionalized for such behavior! :grin:

Ahahahaha! Just tell her we're not crazy, we're just very unique (and in a good way)  ;)

BTW, you're so lucky; I'd love to have another ISS for tests/play/fun. When I was testing my two 31's in the same ISS, I was basically like a kid in a candy store!  :lol:
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Offline WheatonRon

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #127 on: October 21, 2016, 12:52:47 PM »

I personally do not care.  With the "old" model of sensor, I was previously spot-on with the very expensive mesonet equipment installed by agencies near my house.  That's all the accuracy 99.999% of guys need. 


Though likely true that you had one of the better older sensors, the 31 is just THAT much more accurate and exceptional (not to mention the very latest in sensor technology). If part of the refurb program didn't include cleaning the shield, I would definitely go in and see if they gave you the 31 (while cleaning the shield).

Davis probably cleaned your shield. Recently, I did my own refurbishment of my ISS that was 11 years old. I removed the electronics in the ISS and soaked the shield in a bleach solution over night--wow, what a difference that made. I also replaced the Temp-Humidity sensor to the SHT31, the rain tipper and the PCBA to the 2016 version so I wouldn't have to add a calibration adjustment at the console. Now good as new and have two working VP2s (I decided to get another ISS)--one for uploading to CWOP and WU and the other for experiments, playing, etc. The downside to this is my wife has threatened to have me institutionalized for such behavior! :grin:

Ahahahaha! Just tell her we're not crazy, we're just very unique (and in a good way)  ;)

BTW, you're so lucky; I'd love to have another ISS for tests/play/fun. When I was testing my two 31's in the same ISS, I was basically like a kid in a candy store!  :lol:

In case you haven't heard, per Scaled Instruments, Davis has upgraded its internal VP2 console temp-humidity sensor to the SHT31. Personally, I think that is overkill, as I really don't care about weather inside the house, particularly since I frequently turn on the console lamps which really heats up the console making inside temperature readings totally meaningless!
Davis VP2 with SHT31 (3 complete VP2 systems—2 with a daytime fan and 1 that has a 24 hour fan); CWOP--CW5020, FW3075 and FW4350; WU--KILWHEAT17, KILWHEAT36 and KILWHEAT39; WeatherCloud.net; CoCoRaHS--IL-DP-132; and Weatherlink 2.0

Offline WxLover16

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #128 on: October 21, 2016, 12:57:44 PM »

I personally do not care.  With the "old" model of sensor, I was previously spot-on with the very expensive mesonet equipment installed by agencies near my house.  That's all the accuracy 99.999% of guys need. 


Though likely true that you had one of the better older sensors, the 31 is just THAT much more accurate and exceptional (not to mention the very latest in sensor technology). If part of the refurb program didn't include cleaning the shield, I would definitely go in and see if they gave you the 31 (while cleaning the shield).

Davis probably cleaned your shield. Recently, I did my own refurbishment of my ISS that was 11 years old. I removed the electronics in the ISS and soaked the shield in a bleach solution over night--wow, what a difference that made. I also replaced the Temp-Humidity sensor to the SHT31, the rain tipper and the PCBA to the 2016 version so I wouldn't have to add a calibration adjustment at the console. Now good as new and have two working VP2s (I decided to get another ISS)--one for uploading to CWOP and WU and the other for experiments, playing, etc. The downside to this is my wife has threatened to have me institutionalized for such behavior! :grin:

Ahahahaha! Just tell her we're not crazy, we're just very unique (and in a good way)  ;)

BTW, you're so lucky; I'd love to have another ISS for tests/play/fun. When I was testing my two 31's in the same ISS, I was basically like a kid in a candy store!  :lol:

In case you haven't heard, per Scaled Instruments, Davis has upgraded its internal VP2 console temp-humidity sensor to the SHT31. Personally, I think that is overkill, as I really don't care about weather inside the house, particularly since I frequently turn on the console lamps which really heats up the console making inside temperature readings totally meaningless!

I had heard about that, and I agree with you that it is overkill. My lamp also stays on much of the time so I basically always discard my inside temp/humidity. My only use for it is if it feels warm/stuffy or cold inside I'll glance at the temp.
Davis Wireless VP2 SHT31 24hr 24CFM FARS

Offline WXman

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #129 on: October 24, 2016, 11:14:40 AM »
Got my console fired up this weekend and checked all my instruments and it appears that they are very accurate, just as they were before.  I'm very happy with the results.
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Offline WxLover16

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #130 on: October 24, 2016, 11:21:13 AM »
Got my console fired up this weekend and checked all my instruments and it appears that they are very accurate, just as they were before.  I'm very happy with the results.

Glad to hear Davis' refurbishment program worked so good for you.
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Offline pfletch101

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #131 on: October 25, 2016, 05:57:27 PM »

In case you haven't heard, per Scaled Instruments, Davis has upgraded its internal VP2 console temp-humidity sensor to the SHT31. Personally, I think that is overkill, as I really don't care about weather inside the house, particularly since I frequently turn on the console lamps which really heats up the console making inside temperature readings totally meaningless!

That's bizarre! As documented in numerous threads here, there are so many things (heat produced by screen lights and/or the USB Weatherlink and Belfryboy's replacement (though less so)) interfering with the internal sensor giving you anything resembling reliable and/or consistent temperature readings over time that I cannot see the point of measuring faulty data more accurately!
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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #132 on: October 25, 2016, 06:04:35 PM »

In case you haven't heard, per Scaled Instruments, Davis has upgraded its internal VP2 console temp-humidity sensor to the SHT31. Personally, I think that is overkill, as I really don't care about weather inside the house, particularly since I frequently turn on the console lamps which really heats up the console making inside temperature readings totally meaningless!

That's bizarre! As documented in numerous threads here, there are so many things (heat produced by screen lights and/or the USB Weatherlink and Belfryboy's replacement (though less so)) interfering with the internal sensor giving you anything resembling reliable and/or consistent temperature readings over time that I cannot see the point of measuring faulty data more accurately!
Agreed. The only practical advantage I see is if you wanted to compare your ISS sensor to the one in the console if all heat sources are eliminated. I have done this myself with the ISS in the house when I tested my two 31's for outside.

Offline WxLover16

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #133 on: October 25, 2016, 06:10:10 PM »

In case you haven't heard, per Scaled Instruments, Davis has upgraded its internal VP2 console temp-humidity sensor to the SHT31. Personally, I think that is overkill, as I really don't care about weather inside the house, particularly since I frequently turn on the console lamps which really heats up the console making inside temperature readings totally meaningless!

That's bizarre! As documented in numerous threads here, there are so many things (heat produced by screen lights and/or the USB Weatherlink and Belfryboy's replacement (though less so)) interfering with the internal sensor giving you anything resembling reliable and/or consistent temperature readings over time that I cannot see the point of measuring faulty data more accurately!
Agreed. The only practical advantage I see is if you wanted to compare your ISS sensor to the one in the console if all heat sources are eliminated. I have done this myself with the ISS in the house when I tested my two 31's for outside.

Would this really work since the ISS is fan-aspirated and the console isn't? I'd imagine they'd give different readings, possibly very different.
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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #134 on: October 25, 2016, 06:14:42 PM »

In case you haven't heard, per Scaled Instruments, Davis has upgraded its internal VP2 console temp-humidity sensor to the SHT31. Personally, I think that is overkill, as I really don't care about weather inside the house, particularly since I frequently turn on the console lamps which really heats up the console making inside temperature readings totally meaningless!

That's bizarre! As documented in numerous threads here, there are so many things (heat produced by screen lights and/or the USB Weatherlink and Belfryboy's replacement (though less so)) interfering with the internal sensor giving you anything resembling reliable and/or consistent temperature readings over time that I cannot see the point of measuring faulty data more accurately!
Agreed. The only practical advantage I see is if you wanted to compare your ISS sensor to the one in the console if all heat sources are eliminated. I have done this myself with the ISS in the house when I tested my two 31's for outside.

Would this really work since the ISS is fan-aspirated and the console isn't? I'd imagine they'd give different readings, possibly very different.
Simple. I put a fan on them and waited for the readings to stabilize.

Offline WXman

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #135 on: October 26, 2016, 06:57:38 PM »
Apparently I spoke too soon. My console display starred acting odd two days later. :(  I'm out of range of the ISS, but I've still never seen this.
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Offline WheatonRon

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #136 on: October 26, 2016, 07:22:34 PM »
Apparently I spoke too soon. My console display starred acting odd two days later. :(  I'm out of range of the ISS, but I've still never seen this.

Looks like the console batteries need to be replaced.
Davis VP2 with SHT31 (3 complete VP2 systems—2 with a daytime fan and 1 that has a 24 hour fan); CWOP--CW5020, FW3075 and FW4350; WU--KILWHEAT17, KILWHEAT36 and KILWHEAT39; WeatherCloud.net; CoCoRaHS--IL-DP-132; and Weatherlink 2.0

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #137 on: October 26, 2016, 08:12:42 PM »
Apparently I spoke too soon. My console display starred acting odd two days later. :(  I'm out of range of the ISS, but I've still never seen this.
No idea whether this will help or not, it's from the VP2 manual.

"An “L” displays when the signal is lost (and the console is “asleep.”) The
console stays in this mode for 15 minutes until returned to “R” mode. To force
the console into “R” mode (“wake up” the console), enter and exit Setup Mode."

Offline WXman

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #138 on: October 26, 2016, 08:54:33 PM »
I just put brand new batteries in this week when I got the console back from refurbish. The console currently shows "R", but it has gone haywire. I suspect I'll have to contact Davis about this. Sigh....
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Offline WheatonRon

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #139 on: October 26, 2016, 08:55:58 PM »
I just put brand new batteries in this week when I got the console back from refurbish. The console currently shows "R", but it has gone haywire. I suspect I'll have to contact Davis about this. Sigh....

Call Davis support rather than email. They are more responsive that way.
Davis VP2 with SHT31 (3 complete VP2 systems—2 with a daytime fan and 1 that has a 24 hour fan); CWOP--CW5020, FW3075 and FW4350; WU--KILWHEAT17, KILWHEAT36 and KILWHEAT39; WeatherCloud.net; CoCoRaHS--IL-DP-132; and Weatherlink 2.0

Offline WheatonRon

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #140 on: October 26, 2016, 09:00:08 PM »
I just put brand new batteries in this week when I got the console back from refurbish. The console currently shows "R", but it has gone haywire. I suspect I'll have to contact Davis about this. Sigh....

Did you try taking the batteries out for a minute or so then reinstalling them?
Davis VP2 with SHT31 (3 complete VP2 systems—2 with a daytime fan and 1 that has a 24 hour fan); CWOP--CW5020, FW3075 and FW4350; WU--KILWHEAT17, KILWHEAT36 and KILWHEAT39; WeatherCloud.net; CoCoRaHS--IL-DP-132; and Weatherlink 2.0

Offline WXman

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #141 on: October 26, 2016, 09:21:17 PM »
I just put brand new batteries in this week when I got the console back from refurbish. The console currently shows "R", but it has gone haywire. I suspect I'll have to contact Davis about this. Sigh....

Did you try taking the batteries out for a minute or so then reinstalling them?

I just tried this and reset the console. It seems too have come back from its coma. Hopefully it won't repeat that issue. Thanks.
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Offline WheatonRon

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #142 on: October 26, 2016, 09:38:05 PM »
I just put brand new batteries in this week when I got the console back from refurbish. The console currently shows "R", but it has gone haywire. I suspect I'll have to contact Davis about this. Sigh....

Did you try taking the batteries out for a minute or so then reinstalling them?

I just tried this and reset the console. It seems too have come back from its coma. Hopefully it won't repeat that issue. Thanks.

It's like if all else fails with a computer, reboot, which is what you did. Glad it worked.
Davis VP2 with SHT31 (3 complete VP2 systems—2 with a daytime fan and 1 that has a 24 hour fan); CWOP--CW5020, FW3075 and FW4350; WU--KILWHEAT17, KILWHEAT36 and KILWHEAT39; WeatherCloud.net; CoCoRaHS--IL-DP-132; and Weatherlink 2.0

Offline WheatonRon

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #143 on: November 25, 2016, 11:26:09 PM »
I just put brand new batteries in this week when I got the console back from refurbish. The console currently shows "R", but it has gone haywire. I suspect I'll have to contact Davis about this. Sigh....

Did you try taking the batteries out for a minute or so then reinstalling them?

I just tried this and reset the console. It seems too have come back from its coma. Hopefully it won't repeat that issue. Thanks.

How is the console doing after nearly 1 month?
Davis VP2 with SHT31 (3 complete VP2 systems—2 with a daytime fan and 1 that has a 24 hour fan); CWOP--CW5020, FW3075 and FW4350; WU--KILWHEAT17, KILWHEAT36 and KILWHEAT39; WeatherCloud.net; CoCoRaHS--IL-DP-132; and Weatherlink 2.0

Offline wunderbugwx

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #144 on: December 03, 2016, 10:47:52 AM »
I recently sent my Vantage Vue weather station into Davis to have the humidity sensor replaced and for the over haul service. I sent it on 11/06/16, they received it on 11/09/16. They finished the work and shipped it back to me on 12/03/16. I should have it back on 12/05/16. Because my ISS was too old (6 years) all they did was replace it with a newer refurb unit. The console was just checked for the current firmware.
If I had to do it again, I would just buy another ISS for $155 free shipping which is only $30 more than I paid Davis ($100 plus $12 shipping both ways). That way I don't have 4 weeks of no data and still have my old ISS for back up. Feel a bit cheated. Hindsight is 20/20 I guess.

Offline arrowspace90

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #145 on: December 05, 2016, 10:08:45 PM »
Yeah you need to have another station ready to go up before you send the old one in, because for many of us, it's about the data.
However, I still didn't get it right.  I put up a Pro II, and it's doing a great job and no data interruption, but I sent the Vue into Davis for refurb without getting a repair number first.
Result, they didn't let me know it got there, about a month ago, and I haven't heard from them at all.

Offline WheatonRon

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #146 on: December 06, 2016, 05:02:18 PM »
Yeah you need to have another station ready to go up before you send the old one in, because for many of us, it's about the data.
However, I still didn't get it right.  I put up a Pro II, and it's doing a great job and no data interruption, but I sent the Vue into Davis for refurb without getting a repair number first.
Result, they didn't let me know it got there, about a month ago, and I haven't heard from them at all.

Moral of the story? Ask permission when sending dirty laundry in for cleaning and don't forget to get a claim ticket!😀🌦🚰
« Last Edit: December 06, 2016, 10:54:39 PM by WheatonRon »
Davis VP2 with SHT31 (3 complete VP2 systems—2 with a daytime fan and 1 that has a 24 hour fan); CWOP--CW5020, FW3075 and FW4350; WU--KILWHEAT17, KILWHEAT36 and KILWHEAT39; WeatherCloud.net; CoCoRaHS--IL-DP-132; and Weatherlink 2.0

Offline WXman

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #147 on: January 18, 2017, 03:17:27 PM »
I just put brand new batteries in this week when I got the console back from refurbish. The console currently shows "R", but it has gone haywire. I suspect I'll have to contact Davis about this. Sigh....

Did you try taking the batteries out for a minute or so then reinstalling them?

I just tried this and reset the console. It seems too have come back from its coma. Hopefully it won't repeat that issue. Thanks.

How is the console doing after nearly 1 month?

Console is still doing great.  Not sure what happened!  Just a gremlin I suppose.

So do you guys think I should bother to ground my ISS or not?  It's in an open field, with utility lines nearby but all structures are over 100' away.  Would grounding it save the ISS in a strike, or is it going to get zapped anyway?
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Offline Bushman

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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #148 on: January 18, 2017, 03:24:40 PM »
If there is a strike in the immediate vicinity it'll get zapped no matter what.  I wouldn't waste the time/money.
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Re: Davis Weather Station Repair/Refurb Information
« Reply #149 on: May 08, 2017, 08:08:54 AM »
Hi all,
New to the forum, but I read through this thread with interest.
My Davis Vantage Pro 2 has been up and running since 2011. In 2014 my Temp/Hum sensor in the ISS went bad, and I got a new one from Davis and all was great. Here it is 2017, and my Hum sensor seems to be behaving oddly again. Last time it was just no readings from either Temp/Hum, now I'm getting odd readings from the Hum. Like in a pouring rain it was 45%, but when the rain clears and the sun came out it went to 65%. In the latter's case, that is what the airport 9 miles away said (roughly), but during the rainstorm they, and everyone around me, had 95-100%. This has been going on for a bit and I have cleaned the contacts for the clip of the T/H to the ISS and blew around the T/H sensor itself and got some dutst out - but all to no avail. This morning, all around me is 90-100% (fog and rain) and I'm at 48% currently.
T/H going south again? Ideas?
I may order the new sensor (is Scaled Instruments good?) just to have it, and then try to fix this one as a spare???
Any thoughts/ideas welcome.

Bill