Topic: Bad fan motor or solar panel?

[DoctorKnow]

My 5 in 1 with dual solar is not starting up in the morning, and is spiking about 6 degrees. It will eventually start and then all is fine. I am thinking the motor is shot, and  I have another motor to replace it. I also have another solar panel, so I am going to do both at the same time. I'll plan to do it today.

kncjacks23

[DoctorKnow]

Just made the repair. It was the solar panel negative wire on the east side that caused the issue. It just came off the panel. I put a new panel in, and soldered it, glued it, and re installed. As I put the last guy line in the ground, it broke off, so I have to take the station back down and fix it. I should get back up in a little bit.

[Mabcmb]

How does the old saying go , if it's not one thing it's another . 

[Glenn]

My unit is having a similar issue. I ended up ordering the entire top assembly. How did you get the top unit apart to access the solar panel? I'm not sure how the wind cup assembly comes off.

[DoctorKnow]

My unit is having a similar issue. I ended up ordering the entire top assembly. How did you get the top unit apart to access the solar panel? I'm not sure how the wind cup assembly comes off.

I pried off the solar panel. You can do it from either side really, but I started it from the back where there is a slit on the bottom, and then stuck a small flat screw driver behind the panel from the front to pull it off. Then you can see the wires attached.

The wind cups come off by pulling them off the top shaft. Another way is to take off the magnet, but I found it easier to pull off the wind spoon section.
The fan is working really well now on mine. Sometimes the temp is lower now on my 5n1 than my Atlas reading.

[kingkoz]

My unit is having a similar issue. I ended up ordering the entire top assembly. How did you get the top unit apart to access the solar panel? I'm not sure how the wind cup assembly comes off.

Check youtube. There are instruction videos on how to make those changes. Its simple, Flip the unit over, remove the 3 or 4 screws (can't remember how many) to separate the unit into 2 halves. Flip the top half over and there are 4 more screws that loosens the solar assembly (and the wind cups). My fan was covered with spider webs stopping it from working. There must have been something more than the spiders causing an issue because after reassembly it still reported +10 degrees. So I replaced the solar unit and it immediately reported accurate temps.

[DoctorKnow]

kingkoz,

Thanks for picking up on how Glenn didn't know how to take apart the screws. I was thinking Glenn was referring to getting into the portion where the fan motor and connections to it and the solar panels are found. That is the hardest part to get to.

[Glenn]

Thanks everyone!

My issue was getting the windcups/shaft separated off of the top unit. From there, it appears you can access the solar panels and associated wiring.

I have an entire new top unit that I will install and hopefully solve the morning temp spike I'm getting due the bad panel. I plan on keeping the old top unit and taking it apart for a look.

[DoctorKnow]

Since I fixed the solar panel, my 5n1 has been running really nicely. It does not run hot at all like it did at times. I think the wire was barely touching for quite a while, and just let go enough to make it obvious there was a problem with it. This top is one I got as a warranty replacement years ago when acurite had bad fan motors.

[Glenn]

I've been playing around with the old unit and it's certainly one of the panels. The wiring looks good to the panel that's bad, so I'm wondering if it's the panel itself. I think there are replacements available out there. Amazon perhaps?

Another things I've been looking at are the bearings for the wind cup shaft. They look fairly basic. I'm debating sourcing some sealed bearings that would (in theory) not need to be oiled like the OEM ones. Anyone know what size the bearings are?

[hofpwx]

I must be having the same bad panel problem - like clockwork I get a spike in temps in the morning.

[DoctorKnow]

Sure looks like it. Maybe check the wires first before replacing the panel.

[DoctorKnow]

Another things I've been looking at are the bearings for the wind cup shaft. They look fairly basic. I'm debating sourcing some sealed bearings that would (in theory) not need to be oiled like the OEM ones. Anyone know what size the bearings are?

Here is the topic about the size of the berings. https://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=38842.0

I had to take my system down again a few days ago, because the anemometer seized. I had to break it down to the shaft and bearings to fix it. It was all full of dirt where the two bearings ride against the plastic housing. I had two spare bearings, so I just cleaned the dirt off the plastic and changed the bearings, because they had caked dirt on them. The thing spins perfectly now. That fan pulls in dirt, so this is going to need to be done regularly, or you will have bad wind data. I would just buy new bearings and replace every so often. My humidity readings are lower now too, it was a good 5% too high with that dirt in there.

[spacetrucker]

you are writing about a problem I believe I am going to have to work on.
where are you purchasing the solar collector, Fan motor and bearings?
I can buy the top of the outdoor sensor(which contains all the parts) for about $20 plus shipping from Acurite, so curious about the prices you are getting.
Thanks for your response...

[DoctorKnow]

I didn't buy them. I used parts from a single panel head and put them on the dual solar head. There is a link above that takes you to another topic with a link for bearings. There are other topics with the motor size, if you scroll down and maybe on another page.

[Glenn]

Another things I've been looking at are the bearings for the wind cup shaft. They look fairly basic. I'm debating sourcing some sealed bearings that would (in theory) not need to be oiled like the OEM ones. Anyone know what size the bearings are?

Here is the topic about the size of the berings. https://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=38842.0

I had to take my system down again a few days ago, because the anemometer seized. I had to break it down to the shaft and bearings to fix it. It was all full of dirt where the two bearings ride against the plastic housing. I had two spare bearings, so I just cleaned the dirt off the plastic and changed the bearings, because they had caked dirt on them. The thing spins perfectly now. That fan pulls in dirt, so this is going to need to be done regularly, or you will have bad wind data. I would just buy new bearings and replace every so often. My humidity readings are lower now too, it was a good 5% too high with that dirt in there.

Thank you for that! I measured the bearings a few weeks back and came up with  5x10x4. I believe that translates to MR105 or MR105-2RS bearings. Looks like they go for about $10 +/- for a 10 pack on Amazon.

The OEM bearings on the 5 in 1 are not sealed. I'm guessing that's why lubing them with regular oil on the shaft does the trick. I'm going to assume (and we know where that gets us!) sealed bearings would hold up better long term. I've had luck with cleaning  and regreasing sealed bearings on my snowmobiles. That should work with any sealed bearing in theory.