Five tips to get more from your Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge
A tipping bucket rain gauge is by far the most popular instrument used today by home weather aficionados and weather professionals, like meteorologists, to collect and to measure precipitation in an area over time.
With so many in use, Instrument Choice scientists have set out five essential tips to help you can get the best results possible from your tipping bucket rain gauge.
A quick overview of tipping bucket rain gauges
A tipping bucket rain gauge is an instrument that measures rainfall via a two-bucket system.
Several components allow this measurement to measure rainfall accurately. These are:
- A funnel
- Two buckets balanced on a pivot. (Imagine a see-saw)
- A reed switch/ sensor
- Drainage holes
They work like this:
- The funnel directs rain into the top bucket
- Once the top bucket fills to the pre-calibrated level, it will tip. Then the second bucket will rise into position so it can begin to fill.
- Each time a bucket tips, it triggers a reed switch/sensor, which in turn sends a message to the weather station (base unit) that the calibrated amount of precipitation has occurred.
For more detailed information on how they work, see our article ‘What are Tipping Bucket Rain Gauges and How Do They Work?
Five tips to get more from your Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge
1. Mount your rain gauge on a flat surface: An uneven surface can create two problems, inaccuracy and system failure. If the surface is not flat, the tipping bucket mechanism may not completely fill before it tips, causing inaccurate rain readings. In some cases, the bucket may not tip at all.
2. Mounting Height: The higher you mount your rain gauge, the more likely strong wind could buffet your equipment and cause inaccurate measurements. Hint - the Australian Bureau of Meteorology installs their rain gauges 0.3m from the top of the collector to the ground. We recommend you consult your product’s user manual for specific mounting instructions.
3. Do not set-up your rain gauge on a vibrating or moving surface. The tipping bucket mechanism is extremely sensitive. Movement and vibrations can cause the bucket to tilt even if it’s not raining.
4. Don’t place the gauge in a sheltered area. While not placing your gauge under direct shelter is a no-brainer, having the gauge too close to a wall, tree, or fence could seriously affect readings. Hint: the distance of your gauge from any obstructions should be at least twice, and ideally four times the height of the obstruction. So, if a tree is 10 meters high, the gauge should be at least 20m away. The ideal distance would be 40m.
5. Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance: The great outdoors can be harsh. Over time the accuracy of your rain gauge may be affected due to obstruction from debris. Hint: periodically open up and check your rain gauge for any obstructions such as leaves, twigs, spider webs, insects - even bird droppings.
Great examples of Weather Stations incorporating a Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge
The Instrument Choice scientists have put together three examples of rain gauges that use the tipping bucket mechanism to measure rainfall. Any of the instruments listed, together with the five tips listed above, will ensure you always achieve accurate rainfall measurements.
Digital Rain Gauge with Temperature .jpg?Action=thumbnail&algorithm=fill_proportional&width=176)
The digital rain gauge with temperature is the perfect budget-friendly rain gauge.It features wireless self-emptying rain collector for measuring rainfall and temperature. The wireless rain collector sensor transmits data by using a low power radio frequency to the display of the main unit located up to 150m away (line of sight). The tipping bucket accuracy is 0.2 mm ± 7% or one tip; 127 mm: ± 7%.
The kit comes with an LCD screen where you can easily view your rainfall measurements in hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly intervals.
Applications: We recommend this product as a perfect entry-level rain gauge for anyone interested in weather.
Wireless Rain Gauge With Outdoor Temperature .jpg?Action=thumbnail&algorithm=fill_proportional&width=175)
The RGR126N Wireless Rain Gauge with Outdoor Temperature features an automatic self-emptying rain collector measures and then eliminates collected rainfall. The rain data collected is transferred wirelessly to the included LCD screen up to 100 meters. Accuracy up to 1.02 mm in measurement when reading the rainfall collection
With the included LCD screen, you can view collected daily, ten-day, and cumulative rainfall records.
Applications: The RGR126N Wireless Rain Gauge is value-for-money and accurate rain gauge/weather station for home or work.
NETATMO Rain Gauge for the Weather Station .jpg?Action=thumbnail&algorithm=fill_proportional&width=190)
The Netatmo Rain Gauge is a rain gauge attachment to the Netatmo Urban Weather Station. The tipping bucket is self-emptying and accurate to ±1 mm/hour.
The Netatmo rain gauge provides real-time and accumulated precipitation data, and via the home weather station, rainfall data can be uploaded to an app on your phone for easy access.
This popular model tracks rainfall precisely, helping gardening enthusiasts know when it’s time to water plants.
This rain gauge and station is excellent for the tech-savvy weather enthusiast.
Conclusion
Tipping bucket rain gauges are the most popular style of rain gauge on the market. They are budget-friendly, easy to use, and reliable. By following the tips of installing on a level surface, installing in the correct location and continually maintaining the gauge will ensure you always collect accurate and reliable rain data.
The example products we have introduced above are just a few of many rain gauges available in the Instrument Choice online store. You can browse more by clicking here.
Following the tips but having some trouble with your gauge? Need help finding the perfect location to install your gauge? Call one of our super scientists on 1300 737 871 or email [email protected].
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