[There is a lot of good related info in this thread, so it seemed better to add to this thread rather than start a new one.]
I'm getting very low wind speed readings from my Atlas. I took it down to try some of the things that were already mentioned. The wind cups seem to spin freely and not have any grit or resistance, so it surprisingly didn't seem like cleaning and lubrication would make much difference.
However, I noticed that the magnets are rusting away. See attached picture. Has anyone else had this happen?
What I'm assuming are the magnets are two cylinders mounted inside the skirt of the wind cups. While they are protected from rain from above they are exposed at the bottom to moisture. Mine are crumbling, but are still magnetic enough to attract a small screw driver, but don’t seem that strong. I wish I had taken a closer look when the station was new.
On new wind cups are the magnets completely sealed or are they open at the bottom?
So right now I'm guessing I need to replace the
wind cups (Acurite SKU 06078M) rather than the wind assembly.
Does anyone know if the wind assembly has reed switches that might wear out or if it has something like hall effect sensors? Shipping from Acurite to NY costs as much as the wind cups, so I’m wondering what else I should order. I wish they sold new aspiration fans.