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Rain Gauge Blockage

For discussion of DIY weather equipment - sensors, accessories, improvements to existing kit etc
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Tau Bootis
Posts: 128
Joined: Sun 13 Jun 2010 11:44 pm
Weather Station: WH1081
Operating System: Windows XP Pro SP3
Location: Audley Staffordshire UK
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Rain Gauge Blockage

Post by Tau Bootis »

Hi All
I just noticed my rain graph and it has been registering a constant rainfall since midday but it stopped raining at 16:00,
at first I thought I had a malfunction with the transmitter then I checked the total rain so far and compared it with my
manual rain gauge; there was 5mm in that and about 4mm from the station.
It was then that I thought it could be blocked and just seeping through, I was right; a blackbird had used my newley modified rain gauge as a toilet! :evil:
I think I may have to attach some spikes to stop them percing on the rim of the funnel.
Any one else had this problem?
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Mark

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werribee_au
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Weather Station: WH-1081 (Jaycar Digitech XC0348)
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Location: Wyndham Vale, Vic, Australia.
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Re: Rain Gauge Blockage

Post by werribee_au »

Sorry, but I had to laugh when I read that :lol:
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Gordon-Loomberah
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Re: Rain Gauge Blockage

Post by Gordon-Loomberah »

Not a blockage problem, but Butcher Birds often "make use" of my Davis rain gauge... More of a problem is the spiders that keep producing webs in and outside it, sometimes enough to stop the buckets tipping when I get a light sprinkle of rain. These days I try to clean the webs out every week or 2.
Loomberah Weather: http://gunagulla.com
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steve
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Re: Rain Gauge Blockage

Post by steve »

I have the same problem but with Gulls.
Steve
andrewinpopayan
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Re: Rain Gauge Blockage

Post by andrewinpopayan »

Duct tape a few knitting needles to the body of the gauge :lol:

I solved the spider problem by glueing some pieces of mesh taken off an old flour sieve onto the "outlet" holes on the bottom of the gauge.
wd40
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Re: Rain Gauge Blockage

Post by wd40 »

On things like cherry trees and ground plants like strawberries an effective deterrent is running monofilament(fishing line) over the bush or tree. I use it as well.

Good article here.

http://animalrangeextension.montana.edu ... lament.htm
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Tau Bootis
Posts: 128
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Weather Station: WH1081
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Re: Rain Gauge Blockage

Post by Tau Bootis »

Strangely in the two years that I have had the WS, I have not had any spiders taking up residence; maybe that blackbird has been eating them :)
Mark

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nking
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Re: Rain Gauge Blockage

Post by nking »

wd40 wrote:On things like cherry trees and ground plants like strawberries an effective deterrent is running monofilament(fishing line) over the bush or tree. I use it as well.
Off topic - I have found fishing line also stops the Herons stealing fish from my pond.
artworksmetal
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Re: Rain Gauge Blockage

Post by artworksmetal »

It is amazing what one can learn on this site.
My OS rain guage lived about 3 years without a spider problem - it came with a screen over the drain holes.
Question about the 'spikes' solution: do the birds hover over the rain gauge, or do they usually just perch and squat?

Seriously, I had the same problem with my hot tub lid. A big plastic owl seems to have done the trick nicely. Rubber snakes also make a good deterrent.
Art Thompson
Timberville, VA USA

http://www.3866n7874w.net
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