Topic: Acurite 5in1, yay or nay

[idaho_native]

I got one of these Acurite stations for Christmas. I installed it christmas night and set up the WU link. It did take a few tries but I finally got it connected. So far I like it and it seems to be fairly accurate besides some erratic wind direction readings. I've seen mixed reviews all over the internet, people either like them or hate them. What do you like or hate about yours?

[DoctorKnow]

The daytime aspiration fan is the weak link with these when it starts wearing out. Also the anemometer bearings get dirt in them and bind up the shaft from turning smoothly, thus the wind readings are low. You will likely get 8-12 months out of it before it becomes an issue depending on the area. You may find the rain gauge over reads, but you can adjust the screws on the bottom if needed.

[Jim_S]

I also got my 5in1 for Christmas, back in 2016. It's still working fine after 6 years. A few years ago I upgraded from the single  solar panel version to the 2 panel one which comes with a new anemometer. I liked the unit well enough that a year later, when they went on sale again at Costco, I bought a second one. Now I have two displays and a spare 5in1 outdoor unit still in to box.

I have not noticed any problems with the wind readings so far. I have noticed the temps sometimes read high on a sunny day but less so now that I have the dual solar panel version.

One tip, definitely use lithium batteries in the 5in1 outdoors. They'll last at least a couple of years, have much better cold weather performance and don't leak like alkalines.

[daman]

My 5n1 is around 8+ years old now and the only issue I've had was the temp/thermo board went bad around 3 years in, it started reading -40 and eating batteries, replaced that board and all was well, batteries last 3 years+. The fan, solar panels, wind cup assembly is all original! i do take it down clean and oil the fan/and unit once a year.

No issue with display either, this combo for me has been great!!  

[idaho_native]

Thanks for all the input. Sounds like regular maintenance and cleaning should keep it running for a while. I've only had mine for 2 weeks but so far so good.

[DoctorKnow]

Yes, I always oiled my motors and cleaned the bearings. If you do that, you will get a lot more out of it. It's not as easy as saying it. There are a lot of screws and sections to it.