A rain gauge is a device used to measure the amount of precipitation (rainfall) that occurs over a specific period of time. It consists of a cylindrical container with a wide opening at the top to collect rainwater and a measuring scale on the side to indicate the amount of rainfall. The collected water is measured in units such as millimeters (mm) or inches (in). Rain gauges come in various designs, including manual gauges that require periodic manual readings, as well as automated gauges that can transmit data wirelessly to a central database for real-time monitoring and analysis. They are widely used in meteorology, agriculture, hydrology, and environmental studies to track and analyze rainfall patterns.
Rain gauge Common problems and solutions #
The table in this article lists the general failure phenomena, causes and troubleshooting methods that may occur in the instrument.
| Central station performance | Rain sensor failure | Solution |
| Can’t count when it rains | Indicates that the rain sensor has no signal output or the transmission line is faultyreed switch failureThe distance between the magnet and the reed switch is too farThe welding wire is off or the signal wire is broken or the signal wire is reversedDump stuckInstrument clogged | Lower station inspectionreplaceadjustrepairexcludeclear |
| When it rains, the amount of rain received is quite different from that of the rain gauge | The base point of the volume sensor tipping bucket is out of balance, but this error generally does not exceed ±10%The position of the magnet and the reed switch is not good, resulting in good times and bad times, so that some signals are missing | Re-titration adjustment base point adjustment distanceThe objective situation is so, the instrument is fault-free |
| The central station keeps coming raining numbers, but the actual situation is not raining | Check whether the socket is flooded, this phenomenon often occurs after heavy rain | Treat incoming water, reseal |
⚠️Note: In the above table, the listed faults are not necessarily all faults of the rain gauge itself. After checking the faults of the instrument and eliminating the faults, you should also check whether there are faults in the transmission lines, data acquisition devices, and other equipment of the instrument, and check them one by one. be ruled out.
Rain gauge Maintenance and Care #
1 Daily maintenance
The instrument has been outdoors for a long time, and the operating environment is quite harsh. Therefore, the inner wall of the rain-bearing mouth of the instrument should be wiped with a soft cloth frequently to keep the rain-bearing mouth clean. When the instrument is not used for a long time, cover the ring mouth of the instrument to protect the rain port;
The long-term work of the instrument generally needs to be cleaned once a month, and once every three months;
2 Cleaning of tipping bucket
The tipping bucket is the key part of the instrument, which directly affects the measurement accuracy of the instrument. Over time, a little dust or oil will be deposited on the inner wall of the tipping bucket. Therefore, the tipping bucket should be cleaned. When cleaning, the inner wall of the tipping bucket can be washed repeatedly with clean water or gently brushed with a degreasing brush. It is strictly forbidden to wash the inner wall of the tipping bucket with hands or other objects.
