If you suspect your rain gauge is measuring rainfall inaccurately, there are a number of things you can check in order to rectify the issue.
There are a few points to note regarding the measurement of rainfall:
- Comparing the rainfall measured by your Davis® Rain Gauge against the local BOM rain measurement, or the local weather report, or even your neighbours rain gauge, is not an accurate comparison. Rainfall can be very localised and rainfall volumes can vary greatly, even over small distances.
- The small, tube style rain gauges that are available from hardware stores, are not an accurate way to measure rainfall. If a manual rain gauge is to be used as a reference, it should be at least 4 inches wide, and sited adjacent to the Davis Rain Gauge, to provide a reasonable level of accuracy. A gauge with an 8 inch aperture will be even more accurate.
When determining whether your Davis® Rain Gauge is measuring rainfall accurately, please ensure you are comparing the most current measurements with a known, accurate, local source, such as described above.
Most inaccuracies in rainfall measurement with the connected rain gauge are caused by debris in the rain bucket and/or tipping spoons or damage to the post/bucket, causing the bucket to be unbalanced. These causes can be avoided or quickly rectified through regular inspection and maintenance.
Please refer to Davis® Rain Gauge Maintenance Guide for instructions.
After completing the maintenance procedure, observe the next rainfall event and determine if the gauge is now reading accurately by comparing it to an accurate local source. Preferably this comparison source is a 4 inch or 8 inch aperture rain gauge, correctly installed adjacent to your Davis® Rain Gauge.
If you believe your Davis® Rain Gauge is still reading inaccurately after these checks, please get in touch with LX Incyt Support contact@incyt.io so that we can provide assistance.