2nd Anemometer Failing

[Super-T]

What was the timescale for the failures?

[water01]

Wow that litany of failure and cost makes me glad I chose Ecowitt!!

[Mapantz]

Just as I expected, cannot be fixed. If it's water in the connector, there can be a temporary fix. However, I think it's the potentiometer, like the last one.

[Mapantz]

Well, I sent an email ro prodata asking if there was a refurbishment option, and I was told no.

However, Davis responded, and said they do an option where they send a refurbished anemometer, and I send my old one back to them. I asked if this was possible for UK customers, and I was told YES - contact our dealer at prodata.

[RayProudfoot]

Result!

[Mapantz]

I wouldn't go that far.. I still have to pay a large sum.

[ConligWX]

I wouldn't go that far.. I still have to pay a large sum.

its a pity they couldn't just supply a service kit for it. I'm on my Second Anemometer in 6 years.

[prodata]

Well, I sent an email ro prodata asking if there was a refurbishment option, and I was told no.

However, Davis responded, and said they do an option where they send a refurbished anemometer, and I send my old one back to them. I asked if this was possible for UK customers, and I was told YES - contact our dealer at prodata.

I won't pre-empt what our sales/support team in the office might say. But just to comment generally on the email exchange thus far: This information from Davis is not accurate I'm afraid. Frontline support at Davis sometimes think that overseas dealers have access to the same facilities as at the Davis base. The factory obviously have access to virtually any component at minimal price straight from the production line and also potentially technicians who are skilled at assembling anemometer components from their constituent parts. And so they assume - wrongly - that overseas dealers can offer exactly the same service and at the same rock-bottom prices. Sadly we just don't have that luxury.

In reality all we have access to are finished anemometers and certain spares like the wind speed cartridges, all bought in at standard trade prices (which usually don't have a very generous margin). So we typically have no stock whatsoever of 'refurbished' units. (The only exception might be if we very occasionally have spare 'used' units that might have been used for demo purposes at a show for example or some similar situation like a returned/unwanted order, but that is rare.)

The moral is to talk direct to the dealer in cases like this - they will typically know much better than Davis what actually is and is not feasible in international markets like the UK.

I wish it were otherwise or that Davis were more generous with their allocation of spares or refurbished units for situations like this (though I don't the details of this particular incident - how close is the anemometer to the sea for example, which can have a major impact on anemometer life), but just trying to explain the reality of being an overseas dealer in general.

[Mapantz]

Wow. I'm stunned.

How on earth can there be this type of confusion? If that is the case, you need to be contacting Davis about this matter, because I shouldn't be being told this information by Davis if it's incorrect.

I feel completely let down by this situation.

I'm just going to leave the anemometer where it is until it breaks, fully.
I will not be purchasing another Davis product ever again.

[prodata]

How on earth can there be this type of confusion?

Well, I could say several things to that, but let me keep it short:

1. Ever wondered why dealers don't engage more often with this sort of forum? Maybe I am stupid to even try and help by trying to explain things from a dealer's perspective.

2. I haven't been into the office today, so I honestly don't know what the situation with this particular support incident might be and I will leave a formal response to them. Maybe there might a resaleable anemometer available, but please don't get your hopes up - as I explained, it's not normally possible. But in any event I am only posting in general terms - it's really not very feasible to do individual support in public.

3. What is the answer please to how close to the sea this anemometer might be? Salt spray in the air is not the best lubricant for anemometer parts.

4. There really isn't a worldwide policy for Davis support, beyond a basic 1-year warranty on new stations (actually we offer a 3-year warranty on complete new stations, as one example of international variations, much better than the US for example). You asked Davis support in the US a question and, unsurprisingly, you got a reply about the situation in the US, with all the benefits of support being based at the factory. At a guess, there must be 100 or more Davis resellers around the world - TBH it is pretty unrealistic to expect US support to know the details of the support situation in each individual country. As I say, you need to ask the in-country support, preferably the dealer you purchased from, to get chapter and verse on the support available in that locality.

[Super-T]

As a matter of interest, in New Zealand, we have the "Consumers Guarantee Act" which will give you protection for an Item, bought in New Zealand, for an expected lifetime a lot further than any Local Distributors Warranty. For example, I had a Hot Water Heat Pump that lost it's gas after 5 years due to a faulty Charge Valve. The local Agent was only willing to pay for the valve itself (around $5), and not pay for the Freon Gas and the labour required.

I went to the Disputes Tribunal, A Government Agency, and won the case last month, for full compensation for all my costs of $1167.50. The Referee at the Hearing had asked the Local Agent "how long should a HWHP last?" he said "at least 10 years" so that is why I won. The CGA overrides any Local Reseller Warranty. I love the CGA.

Next case will be my Solar Panel Inverters that are having communication problems.

[prodata]

@Super-T That's an interesting idea and I can certainly see how it could apply to domestic appliances where the conditions of use are controllable.

But for weather station sensors it would be much more tricky given how variable siting and climate would be. I suspect that the manufacturer would end up saying something like ' Not suitable for installation within 1 mile of the sea' (because of the potentially damaging effect of salt in the air'. Whereas in practice it is perfectly possible to use say a VP2 station close to the shoreline, but the user just has to accept that the life of vulnerable sensor parts might be only say 2-3 years, even though it might be anything out to 5-10 years or more in a more benign climate/environment.

And what about rainfall readings in a climate exposed to periods of extended temperature below zero?

There are ways around all of these potential issues, but the resulting stations end up being very expensive and also needing regular (eg annual) paid-for maintenance.

Notice that I am talking about the outside sensors above. The bits that live indoors like console, logger etc typically have a much longer expected life of 5 years plus and it's not uncommon to see eg consoles and loggers still working fine after 10-15 years. Indeed, even original anemometers and T/H sensors can be found working OK after 10 years in a quieter inland location, but these are usually considered to be parts with a finite life.

[RayProudfoot]

Hi John,

I suppose one option is an anemometer that has no moving parts. Put it up and forget it.

The Davis Sonic Anemometer is available at your store. https://shop.weatherstations.co.uk/davi ... nYEALw_wcB

The price is a bit frightening but long-term might be a cheaper solution provided it was very reliable and as accurate as the conventional one. Does the backup battery require replacing? I imagine so. So that means owners still need to access it 30ft up on the roof.

What's your view on it and have customers preferred it over the conventional one?

[prodata]

The OEM for the Davis ultrasonic anemometer is a French company called LCJ Capteurs. We were selling the LCJ version for a few years before Davis launched their modified version of the LCJ anemometer. But TBH because of the cost (and it used to be even more expensive before the Davis modified version came along) it sells in relatively small numbers and neither version has really been around long enough to get good experience with long-term reliability over eg 5-10 years

The anemometer does have its own small built-in solar panel but it's perhaps debatable whether this solar panel is really large enough for cloudier parts of the northern UK and as a result the rechargeable battery might need to be replaced more often.

I do like the technical elegance of the ultrasonic unit (eg no moving parts as you say, pretty much instant responses to wind conditions etc), but the simplicity of the standard 6410 anemometer also has some appeal, plus the fact that you get visual feedback that it is operating correctly. The LCJ anemometer only seems to be specified up to a top gust speed of 40m/s (IIRC) which in reality is probably fine for inland UK. The LCJ is reportedly good for coastal locations, but I wish there was more hard data to back up this claim.

Overall, I don't have a strong opinion I'm afraid: the LCJ wins on technical appeal, the 6410 on simplicity. But there just isn't the a huge body of data for long-term reliability for the LCJ yet. No reason to doubt its reliability/durability at all, but that's not quite the same as having hard data.

But I do think overall that there needs to be an acceptance that some AWS sensor elements are parts with a finite lifespan, like brake pads or tyres on a car. But that lifespan varies according to several factors, with salt spray in the air (even some distance inland) or other forms of airborne pollution being a major factor. But there will of course always be a random element with any manufactured product.

[RayProudfoot]

Thanks for that useful info John. Guess I'll be sticking with my conventional anemometer for now. As with all relatively new technology these things will improve over time.

My highest gust is 65mph and I'm 35 miles from the Irish Sea so my kit has been pretty reliable. As you say everything that moves eventually needs replacing. The only problem with the anemometer is access. None of us are getting any younger.