Author Topic: Vantage Pro 2 rain gauge issue  (Read 3224 times)

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Offline PANDY weather

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Vantage Pro 2 rain gauge issue
« on: January 22, 2018, 08:04:40 AM »
Hello all - for the past week or so my rain gauge has stopped working. I checked everything out and finally decided the the reed switch for the tipping bucket wasn't working properly, so I ordered a new reed switch, which I now have, but I'm waiting to fit.

In the mean time I've reverted to using my old manual rain gauge and taken daily readings so that I have a complete record of the rainfall. Yesterday (21st Jan) I measured 32mm via the manual method, then this morning consider my amazement when I discovered the 32mm was showing on my Vantage Pro consol. It had been recorded for the wrong day i.e. a day later (22 Jan), but the complete reading was there. It would seem that my old reed switch is indeed working, does anyone have any idea what's going on here - it's certainly head scratching time for me!!

Thanks for any help

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Offline archae86

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Re: Vantage Pro 2 rain gauge issue
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2018, 08:27:08 AM »
I think two things to check are what time your console thinks the time is, as the idea it has of midnight divides one day from the next, and also check which specific rain parameter you are looking at on the console (your post did not mention that point).

Offline PANDY weather

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Re: Vantage Pro 2 rain gauge issue
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2018, 08:37:02 AM »
Hello archae86 thanks for replying.

The clock on the consol is showing the correct time and if I understand you correctly the rainfall amount is showing in mm. on the consol.

One thing I hadn't mentioned in my original post is that most of the 32mm rain from 21st Jan was recorded on today (22nd Jan) on my Weather-link software between 3am and 4am with a smaller amount at 11am.

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Offline SnowHiker

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Re: Vantage Pro 2 rain gauge issue
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2018, 03:17:03 PM »
Doesn't make much sense, but strange things do happen.  :?

Only thing I can think of is that the rain bucket was plugged, so that the rain stayed in the bucket until the plug loosened up enough to let the water through.

The thing about that; it would surprise me that the measured amount would be so accurate with no apparent loss compared to your manual gauge, the Davis gauges seem to have a reputation for under reporting to begin with. But I guess some rainfall from previous days could have remained, and just coincidentally equaled the same amount as the manual gauge.
« Last Edit: January 22, 2018, 03:19:46 PM by SnowHiker »

Offline PANDY weather

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Re: Vantage Pro 2 rain gauge issue
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2018, 03:52:10 PM »
Hello SnowHiker - thanks for your input.

If by 'plugged' you mean the tipping bucket wasn't operating properly, well, that wasn't the case, as, while I was testing everything out to try to locate the fault one of the things I did was to trickle water into the funnel and the tipping bucked worked perfectly well, but nothing registered on the consol.

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Offline johnd

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Re: Vantage Pro 2 rain gauge issue
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2018, 04:18:27 PM »
It's not uncommon for reed switches to fail intermittently as they reach the end of their service life - eg maybe the contacts get stuck together temporarily until something happens (eg drying out, warming up - relatively at least, or simply some physical disturbance to the ISS) to free them off. But usually once this happens then the problem will recur.
Prodata Weather Systems
Prodata's FAQ/support site for Davis stations
Includes many details on 6313 Weatherlink console.
UK Davis Premier Dealer - All Davis stations, accessories and spares
Cambridge UK

Sorry, but I don't usually have time to help with individual issues by email unless you are a Prodata customer. Please post your issue in the relevant forum section here & I will comment there if I have anything useful to add.

Offline PANDY weather

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Re: Vantage Pro 2 rain gauge issue
« Reply #6 on: January 22, 2018, 05:11:31 PM »
Hello johnd, thanks for your reply.

So you're suggesting that I go ahead and replace the reed switch in case it's intermittently working - OK, well I was certainly thinking along those lines as well, at lease this would rule out a faulty reed switch. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a dry day and I can get onto doing this job.

I suppose I haven't done too badly out of this Vantage pro 2, I've had it for 16 years, since 2002.

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Offline SnowHiker

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Re: Vantage Pro 2 rain gauge issue
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2018, 05:58:58 PM »
I suppose I haven't done too badly out of this Vantage pro 2, I've had it for 16 years, since 2002.
2002? You sure it's a VP2 and not an original Vantage Pro?

Offline PANDY weather

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Re: Vantage Pro 2 rain gauge issue
« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2018, 07:19:11 PM »
Well spotted SnowHiker - yes it was the original Vantage Pro, although I have added other sensors onto it over the years (uv and solar radiation), along with SIM upgrade kit which seemed upgrade the system closer to the more recent VP2, well, that's what I've been led to believe anyway.

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Offline SnowHiker

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Re: Vantage Pro 2 rain gauge issue
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2018, 07:47:37 PM »
Well spotted SnowHiker - yes it was the original Vantage Pro, although I have added other sensors onto it over the years (uv and solar radiation), along with SIM upgrade kit which seemed upgrade the system closer to the more recent VP2, well, that's what I've been led to believe anyway.

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My original VP will be 15 in April.  I've gotten my money's worth and it's still going strong.  :-)

The only thing to keep in mind is that many parts are not interchangeable with the VP2, and some parts, such as the temp/hum sensor, are no longer available.

Fortunately, your reed switch for the rain gauge should be compatible.  No worries there.  Though it still confuses me that the rain showed up the next day.  One other thought, Archae86 mentioned the time on the console, I assume the time on the WeatherLink software and the computer agree?

Offline dalecoy

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Re: Vantage Pro 2 rain gauge issue
« Reply #10 on: January 22, 2018, 10:36:00 PM »
then this morning consider my amazement when I discovered the 32mm was showing on my Vantage Pro consol. It had been recorded for the wrong day i.e. a day later (22 Jan), but the complete reading was there.

Just checking....
Are you certain this wasn't "storm total"?

Offline PANDY weather

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Re: Vantage Pro 2 rain gauge issue
« Reply #11 on: January 23, 2018, 07:33:52 AM »
Hello All - just back on line.

To SnowHiker - yes, the time on the consol and the computer are in sync.
To dalecoy - The 32mm was definitely for the 'Daily rain'.

I was hoping to get the new reed switch fitted today, but we have more rain again. I suppose I could take the SSI into my workshop to fit the reed switch, but it's a bit of a job to move it so I was going to fit it 'in situ', but if this wet weather continues, I may change my mind on that.

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Offline PANDY weather

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Re: Vantage Pro 2 rain gauge issue
« Reply #12 on: January 26, 2018, 10:22:47 AM »
Hello All - I finally had a dry day today so I set about replacing the reed switch, a straight forward job but quite fiddly. When I took the old reed switch out I could see that the wire was well rusted at one end, then it fell apart, so there may well have been a crack in the glass as well.

All I need is some rain now to test it properly, although I did trickle some water in the funnel and it did register on the consol, so I'm very hopeful that it's all fixed now. I'll update again after we've had some rain.

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Offline PANDY weather

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Re: Vantage Pro 2 rain gauge issue
« Reply #13 on: February 02, 2018, 07:07:16 AM »
Just thought I would give you all an update as to how things are going with my rain gunge - we finally had some rain (tested it over a couple of days) and I'm very pleased to say that everything seems to be working perfectly well now.

Many thanks to everyone who gave some input on this post.

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Offline SnowHiker

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Re: Vantage Pro 2 rain gauge issue
« Reply #14 on: February 02, 2018, 01:30:30 PM »
Thanks for the update.

It's good to get good news too!