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General Weather/Earth Sciences Topics => Other Weather Topics => Topic started by: nincehelser on August 26, 2014, 07:01:43 PM

Title: How often do you check the accuracy of your tipping-bucket rain gauge?
Post by: nincehelser on August 26, 2014, 07:01:43 PM

Purely out of curiosity.

If you're one who has had to recalibrate, how far off have you been?

Title: Re: How often do you check the accuracy of your tipping-bucket rain gauge?
Post by: DanS on August 26, 2014, 07:30:48 PM

I find that I need to get into them about once or twice a year to clean out the accumulated crud in the spoons but never needed to readjust the stops in them. (that I've noticed, against a manual gauge)

Title: Re: How often do you check the accuracy of your tipping-bucket rain gauge?
Post by: wxtech on August 26, 2014, 07:50:23 PM

I have tested more than 30 tipping bucket rain gauges.  Most test within 15% error so I don't make adjustments.  I test at 2 or more rain rates.  http://www.lexingtonwx.com/equipment/html/novalynx.html (http://www.lexingtonwx.com/equipment/html/novalynx.html)
Rain gauges should be cleaned often depending on what accumulates in the buckets or if spiders or bugs affect the operation of the mechanism.

Title: Re: How often do you check the accuracy of your tipping-bucket rain gauge?
Post by: Old Tele man on August 26, 2014, 08:47:40 PM

I clean the crud out every time I open it up, but I "...don't fix, what ain't broken..."

Title: Re: How often do you check the accuracy of your tipping-bucket rain gauge?
Post by: ocala on August 26, 2014, 08:55:52 PM

Being that my cocorahs gauge is about 8 inches away I check the accuracy with each rain fall.
Since I calibrated it a few years ago it remains pretty much even with the plastic gauge with the exception of heavy rain events where it under reports.