Topic: Battery failures on Vantage Vue?

[DaculaWeather]

I guess we'll know if replacing the battery makes the problem go away! 

[krisp]

The ISS stopped transmitting again this morning and has yet to resume transmissions. The battery is a day old. There's a lot more wrong with this unit. We'll see if it comes back on it's own while I wait for Davis to reply. Most likely it's a bad batch of weather stations than a bad batch of batteries. The original was a name-brand Duracell, I doubt their quality control is low enough for this to be their problem. I replaced it with another Duracell purchased at Target, and the ISS failed less than a day later.

[DaculaWeather]

How close is the console to the ISS?

[W Thomas]

Kinda sounds like the old haunt of the transmitter staying on constantly and draining the battery is still circulating.
What sort of LED display are you getting on the ISS after replacing it with a fresh battery?

[grenouille59]

Hello, I'm french and I have the same problem as you. I await a response from Davis. My station works only on the day now. I replaced the batteries 7 times ...... I have to buy in U.S.

[killwilly]

Hello, I'm french and I have the same problem as you. I await a response from Davis. My station works only on the day now. I replaced the batteries 7 times ...... I have to buy in U.S.

Hello grenoulle59 and welcome to the forum. Perhaps it would be easier for you to purchase in the UK.

Alan

[grenouille59]

Thank you, that is correct but prices are not the same!

[Cleofide]

Thank you, that is correct but prices are not the same!

You can't get both a competitive price and a local customer service when you buy abroad... Have you contacted the seller yet? If not, start by doing this first.

[turnbuj]

Hi, time for an update. 2 weeks in service from new and a 'Low battery transmitter 1' error. I have two consoles and both show the same. Entering 'setup' mode on the console, cycling through the options and exiting clears the alarm until the ISS sends it again. Otherwise, I think it clears at midnight. Anyway, I cleared the alarm and about 10 minutes later it came back indicating that the ISS is still reporting a low battery. I went on the roof with a meter and managed to open the battery case and poke the prods in without actually removing the battery. It read 3.17V so is clearly not dead. Prior to touching it, I watched the LED - nothing. I then removed the battery to check the contacts. Sure enough there was a liberal coating of the grease everyone has mentioned. I replaced the battery. Once back on the ground, I reset the console and so far, a week later the alarm hasn't reappeared. In conclusion, it seems to me that the CPU in the ISS 'thinks' the battery is low when it's not. Removing it and replacing it is telling the CPU that it's been changed wan actually the same battery is reinserted. All I can do is wait. If it happens again, it goes back. Will keep you posted. Those of you who have been changing batteries, try replacing the same battery. My bet is that it will have the exact same effect. Either way, the unit is faulty. Mine hasn't stopped working though. John

[4wd]

Mine has shown the low battery warning maybe three times since early March when I got it.
I haven't touched the ISS at all and it has not shown the warning me for several weeks.
So doing nothing is an option as it seems almost no-one has actually discovered the batttery really is low.

[VaJim]

...my experience....

after about 4 months my Vue gave me the low battery message.  My problem then compounded when the green transmit light stayed on constant which drained the battery.

Davis was good about it and replaced the ISS.  It came with lots of grease around the new battery.

IMHO...there is a design flaw.  The battery should not be in an area that is subject to water/moisture or have a better seal.

[krisp]

My ISS has gone into a cycle of reporting data for a few hours then not sending data for a few hours, and it seems unrelated to the battery. They are supposedly sending me a new unit, so I'll let you all know if the new unit is problem free.

[CTBob]

Having low battery problems as well and just applied the anti-corrosion gel as directed and replaced the battery and still get the low battery message.  Do I have to leave the battery out and wait til the next morning to recycle the unit or is there something else I need to do?  First post so I appreciate any help you can give me.

[haddoct]

The standard life is 8 months without sun and 2 years with the panel. Replace the battery

[CTBob]

Failed to mention I also installed a new battery

[4wd]

Failed to mention I also installed a new battery

It should self reset the warning at midnight, usually going into set up mode then out again without changing anything will clear it also.

[Petergwy]

I installed a Vantage Vue a month or so ago.  I too am now receiving a warning that the battery is low. Before I installed the unit, I put in a new battery.  My immediate problem is that I installed the unit about 30 feet up on the tower that holds my wind turbine.  To install it I rented a cherry picker at the cost of $100.  I am not inclined to spend another $100 to replace the battery.  My wife's tolerance for my interest in weather and our new wind turbine is already past its limit.  I notice that there is a comment on this topic that the unit will function on the solar panel power but wonder whether I will lose data accumulated during the darkness.

Pete
Cheyenne, Wyo

[Mark / Ohio]

... To install it I rented a cherry picker at the cost of $100.  I am not inclined to spend another $100 to replace the battery. ...

Where there is a will there is a way.   

I notice that there is a comment on this topic that the unit will function on the solar panel power but wonder whether I will lose data accumulated during the darkness....

You won't loose collected data but you won't be collecting new data either once the voltage drops too low for it to operate.  Once the console has collected the data it will be stored inside. 

[killwilly]

I have now resolved the problem I had with the "low battery" warning by applying the gel. However, I now have an intermittent problem with the rain gauge not working, some days it does, others it doesn't. I have been emailing a person at Davis by the name of Eric Nick, who informs me that he is unable to help because I live in the UK. He did say that he would contact Mcmurdo UK, who are the UK importers of Davis stations and they would then contact me. nothing from them at the time of posting.

I will keep everyone informed of my progress, but my gut tells me I'm not going to get very far with Mcmurdo.

It appears from this thread alone that the Vue does have issues which Davis are unable, or unwilling to resolve. I would also say that I am not impressed with Davis after-sales service here in the UK. We have read many posts on this and other forums where members have had problems with Oregon Scientific stations, but at least here in the UK OS after-sales has been, in my opinion brilliant. Even supplying replacement equipment after the warranty period.

In one of my emails I gave Eric Nick a link to this thread and suggested he read it, he made no comment!

Alan

[johnd]

Just for clarity, Davis operate different support schemes in different territories. To my knowledge, the US is the only territory where support is handled centrally (ie from the factory).

But in the UK, for example, the system is that front-line support is expected to be provided by the supplying dealer and this is always who users should contact in the first instance with any problem. McMurdo effectively provide more of a central repair shop in the UK for issues that cannot be answered/fixed directly by the supplying dealer (either by advice or by the provision of simple spares or swapout parts) and which have been prefiltered through the dealer. McMurdo actually do their best to be helpful but are simply not set up to deal with a large volume of direct calls from end-users.

I'm not suggesting that this support arrangement in the UK (and probably outside the US more generally, though I can only really speak for ther UK) is perfect - that's a separate debate and probably not one for this forum - but it is the scheme that Davis have allowed to evolve in these territories. Good support is certainly available in eg the UK but it's important to find out how support works in your country and, most important, choose a reputable dealer (ie one who is committed to offering  good after-sales service) to buy from in the first place.

[killwilly]

John, I take your point regarding contacting the original supplier, which I did when I first had problems with the battery message. They suggested returning the whole station including the console for repair and that they would not supply a replacement and neither could they tell me how long I would be without my station, which I felt was unreasonable and unacceptable to me, especially that I had only had my station for a couple of months, that is the reason I contacted Davis direct.

My warranty ends in December and I am determined to get these issues resolved before then.

Alan

[johnd]

Ah OK - so it's more a dispute about how the fault should be handled under warranty than inability to get support at all.

In general, manufacturers or their representatives of more or less any product are typically (not always I know but usually) going to want to be given the opportunity to repair a unit under warranty before replacing it. This is what happens with cars and most other consumer products - it's a standard part of (UK) consumer law. And the default Davis warranty in the UK is an RTB (ie Return To Base, at the customer's expense) warranty.

So I think that you're going to struggle to get any improvement on the initial support offer that your supplier has made, but good luck in trying.

Re the rain gauge problem and assuming that the spoon is tipping correctly and not misaligned etc, then I would just have sent out a 7345.923 battery board that's got the reed switch for the rain gauge onboard and asked you to fit it. The Vue ISS is designed so that virtually every part is potentially user replaceable. It's obviously unfamiliar the first time that you take a Vue ISS apart and clearly needs to be done with a little care. But it's quite instructive to do so and easy to get to the point where you can feel comfortable about replacing any part (given suitable instructions) with an appropriate spare in the years to come.

[killwilly]

You have hit the nail on the head. "I would just have sent out a 7345.923 battery board that's got the reed switch for the rain gauge onboard and asked you to fit it". That has not been offered yet, perhaps it will, we shall wait and see.

You also make the analogy to a car warranty. I bought a new car in June and should I have a problem during the warranty period, I know for a fact that I would get a replacement vehicle whilst mine is off the road. I also fail to understand why the supplier wanted me to return the console as well as the faulty part, which they wanted me to return at my own expense. 

I am aware that your company is a supplier of Davis equipment and I have no argument with you, but I do think that Davis customer care here in the UK is pretty poor compared with it's competitors, IE, Oregon Scientific.

Alan

[johnd]

I can see that you've had a specific support experience that you're unhappy with but it's inaccurate, if understandable, to extrapolate that to all Davis support. Isolated examples where users don't feel that they've received the support to which they are entitled will always exist unfortunately, but provided you choose to buy from a reputable dealer that specifically offers prompt and responsive aftersales support then the Davis support experience in the UK should generally be good.

[killwilly]

I did buy from a reputable dealer who list the following as a part of their client list.

* London Eye,
* Felixstowe Docks
* Spinnaker Tower
* and many airports and ports around the UK.

I wonder what would have happened had I imported from the US, like many other people on forums I visit.


Alan.