Author Topic: Should I keep my BloomSky station?  (Read 1750 times)

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Offline weathergirl

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Should I keep my BloomSky station?
« on: February 19, 2016, 05:41:54 PM »
I'm having doubts about setting up the Bloomsky station I received for my birthday last month. I read that the station might not do well in the cold and we have been having some major cold here in southern Ontario this winter. What is your opinion?
Ann-Marie
Beamsville, Ontario, Canada

Offline Jáchym

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Re: Should I keep my BloomSky station?
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2016, 05:47:07 PM »
In the other thread they talk about -4 F, so if temperatures at your place regularly get below this value then it might be problematic especially if using it in such cold means voiding the warranty

Offline waysta

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Re: Should I keep my BloomSky station?
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2016, 06:08:13 PM »
Got to -21F with no problems this last cold spell.  When I first ordered the Bloom Sky, they told me that the latest version has an improved battery over what was used earlier.  I do recommend the version the solar panel though to keep the battery charged.

There are other problems, such as non-standard reporting of barometer readings (which will likely get sorted out eventually) and a UV index which is not defined to us so far.  But it does make UV numbers ...

Several Bloom Sky cameras got through the cold with seemingly no problems.  Log into the Bloom Sky website and look at examples across the globe. 

It really is a fun instrument to work with.

Here is my station on WU, you can look back through the colder days and see that it worked fine:
http://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KNYWHITE25

On the Bloom Sky site: (click on the map to look at other stations, some in Canada):
https://map.bloomsky.com/weather-stations/eaB1rJytnpS4rp6r

There are some reports of problems getting new Bloom Sky units registered on Weather Underground (not a requirement by any means, the BloomSky website and mobile app might be fine alone).  I have had good luck with both Bloom Sky technical support and WU support when I ran into registration problems.

I'm having doubts about setting up the Bloomsky station I received for my birthday last month. I read that the station might not do well in the cold and we have been having some major cold here in southern Ontario this winter. What is your opinion?
« Last Edit: February 19, 2016, 06:19:04 PM by waysta »

Offline Jáchym

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Re: Should I keep my BloomSky station?
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2016, 06:33:08 PM »
This is difficult to tell though. One thing is whether it measures at lower temperatures, but the problem is if that voids the warranty. Like for example if something unrelated to this happens and they refuse to accept it because you exposed it to temps lower than -4F.

Offline waysta

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Re: Should I keep my BloomSky station?
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2016, 06:40:03 PM »
Call Bloom Sky tech support and ask.  I told them my area goes down to -25F to -30F and there were no concerns.  I cannot speak for battery life though ...

They have a public Q&A section now, someone could ask about low temperatures and if they would honor their Warranty there:
https://bloomsky.desk.com

The Sky Cam is great fun, I would say go for it!
« Last Edit: February 19, 2016, 06:46:32 PM by waysta »

Offline nincehelser

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Re: Should I keep my BloomSky station?
« Reply #5 on: February 19, 2016, 06:50:05 PM »
This is difficult to tell though. One thing is whether it measures at lower temperatures, but the problem is if that voids the warranty. Like for example if something unrelated to this happens and they refuse to accept it because you exposed it to temps lower than -4F.

I put no faith in that "-4F" figure.

The design specs originally specified -13F.  That was extended down to -40F with a battery upgrade during the Kickstarter phase.

I've seen no announcement of any problem that the specs suddenly had to be changed to -4F.  I suspect a typo is to blame.

Quote from one of their postings:

"When we think of putting BloomSky every location on this planet, it includes those places with extreme low temperature during winter. We've gotten many inquires in low temperature outside BloomSky’s operating range -13°F to 149°F (-25°C to 65°C). We want to make it work for you. We did tons of research in seeking for a high quality and high performance battery for BloomSky. And finally we settled with a premium battery solution: temperature range from -40°F to 149°F(-40°C to 65°C)!  Upgraded battery offers a more specialized line of cells that are optimized for low temperature performance at -40°F(-40°C). This is absolutely incredible!"

Source: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/907431954/bloomsky-snapshot-of-your-weather/posts/903799