Frost, thawing, rain gauge problem?

[larrystein]

Hi, I have a problem with frost in my rain gauge. When it thaws it causes my rain gauge to trip when there is no rain.
I have looked for an answer but cannot find one.
What can I do to prevent this without going up there every frosty day and cleaning it?

Thanks

Larry

[steve]

I believe the standard practice is to include this in the precipitation total, but to make a note in the log/diary that this was due to frost melt. For manual recording, I think the total is prefixed by 'xx', eg: xx0.2mm.

[ironeagleuk]

I'm having similar concerns about this but with thawing snow.

I have manually adjusted the datafiles back to zero (I think I found all instances), and reset the memory of my weather station so that it had no rainfall included when it updated the software.

But Cumulus still shows that we have had 104.4mm today, this month, and this year.

Apart from this, I am loving the software.

[steve]

I have manually adjusted the datafiles back to zero (I think I found all instances), and reset the memory of my weather station so that it had no rainfall included when it updated the software.

But Cumulus still shows that we have had 104.4mm today, this month, and this year.

The 'total counter', which is held in the sensor, is probably still transmitting the same value. You can see the current value of this counter in the last line of the jan10log.txt file. You need to adjust the Start= value in today.ini (with Cumulus stopped) to match.

[ironeagleuk]

Hmmm....I think I have changed everything you suggested, and reset my weather station.

The sensor must still be storing the data as I have now got a Rainfall Rate per hour of 255.7mm, and the 104.4 has come back.

Apart from removing the batteries from the sensor....any idea how long it might hold this info?....tis abit chilly out there and I don't fancy climbing up the wall to get to it.

[steve]

Attach your jan10log.txt and today.ini and we should be able to work out what is required to fix it.

[dane]

You may want to look at the thread: Re: rain reset gone bad about ways to reset the rain counter in the weather station.

[ironeagleuk]

Attach your jan10log.txt and today.ini and we should be able to work out what is required to fix it.

Thanks,
Hopefully they are successfully attached.

Where is the data for all time records stored?...i see there is a *.rec file, but it's not a text file

[ironeagleuk]

You may want to look at the thread: Re: rain reset gone bad about ways to reset the rain counter in the weather station.

I noticed that thread not long after posting my previous but one post.....have tried clearing the rainfall readings in the station (not outside), but doesn't seem to have helped

[daj]

Where is the data for all time records stored?...i see there is a *.rec file, but it's not a text file

Yip, in the REC file, however there is an editor built into Cumulus for that under Edit, All time records

[steve]

The last line of jan10log.txt shows your counter to be 104.4:

03/01/10,17:44,0.0,92,-1.1,0.4,0.7,167,0.0,104.4,1013.4,104.4,21.3,46,0.0,0.0,0.0

Your Start= figure in today.ini is zero:

Start=0

So today's total is 104.4 minus zero = 104.4.

To get today's total to be zero, set Start=104.4 and then your total will be 104.4 minus 104.4 = 0. Do the edit with Cumulus stopped. You will also probably want to edit the 'total so far' figures (the ones just before the pressure). Don't bother editing the 'counter' figures (the ones just after the pressure) as they are only there to help when editing the actual rainfall and don't appear anywhere else.

The all time records can be edited using the all time record editor from the edit menu.

[ironeagleuk]

Where is the data for all time records stored?...i see there is a *.rec file, but it's not a text file

Yip, in the REC file, however there is an editor built into Cumulus for that under Edit, All time records

Aaah great thanks for that....have changed it back to Decembers' highest rate now