Topic: Rainwise tipper

[CW2274]

As many here know I use the Rainwise 111 as the tipper for my VP2. A couple of weeks ago we had significant rain here with the RW registering 1.69", the Stratus directly to it, 1.53" , they're almost always no more than 0.02" apart. So got out my trusty milk jug and did some testing...sure enough, the RW was over reporting. The adjusting screws were "set" as I had felt/heard them break free when I turned them, so I'm wondering why the RW all of the sudden got goofy. There was a tiny bit of dirt in the corner of the spoons so I tooth brushed them clean and re-calibrated (really time consuming to get it right, especially at different flow rates). Anyway, the last rain was 0.93 for the RW and 0.925 for the Status, so evidently I'm back in business. Moral of the story, having a manual gauge is vital to keeping your tipper on the up-and-up, even when you think it doesn't need it.

[ValentineWeather]

Thanks for the report as you know I use the Rainwise on one of my remote stations. I've also noticed after time calibration tends to drift. My thought is the dust/dirt buildup may be more significant than I realized.  I think I'll do a good cleaning this coming spring on all the tippers. 

[fkapp]

Hi guys,
Is a rain guage heater avail for Rainwise 111?
Or what do you use for a heater as I am in cold Buffalo NY climate and am interested in this mod for VP2 I am looking at getting.

Thanks

[DaleReid]

First, while I've not installed on, the plans and perhaps still available heater 'kit' that I think Ryan used to have from Scaled Instruments for the old VP or VP2 that used essentially the same unit, should work.  I think there were several plans or implementations that made this a heated gauge, using a heater for reptile aquariums or even a couple large resisters and application of the insulation.  Not perfect, but better than nothing.

Second, it would make sense that the build up of fine material brought down by rain would decrease the holding volume of the clean tipper, and thus tip too soon, and would cause over reporting.  It would be interesting to see if a gentle but thorough cleaning with a q-tip after soaking would restore previous values, or are there other factors in play. 

[CW2274]

Second, it would make sense that the build up of fine material brought down by rain would decrease the holding volume of the clean tipper, and thus tip too soon, and would cause over reporting.  It would be interesting to see if a gentle but thorough cleaning with a q-tip after soaking would restore previous values, or are there other factors in play.

That is an excellent point reference the "dirty rain", dust is almost always present in the air here. I could have cleaned then checked, but decided to do a "start from scratch" approach after cleaning, it was off way too much for my liking. The q-tip is also a great idea, I used an old tooth brush, but a q-tip would have been just as good.

[DaleReid]

Qtips are common and as a gentle reminder should NOT be used to clean ear canals.

If I recall, they were invented to clean newborn baby's belly buttons.

[CW2274]

Qtips are common and as a gentle reminder should NOT be used to clean ear canals.

Since I found no evidence of ear wax in my spoons, that must be why Qtips never crossed my mind....