frozen anemometer Options

[brucemcald]

My anemometer seems to have frozen during recent snow, sleet and rain. The wind speed has been reading 0 ever since. The weather vane still rotates freely, recording the wind directions. Other weather stations in my area have also read "calm", perhaps frozen stuck as well?

This is my first winter with the WMR-918, and the first storm that has frozen the anemometer. It's on the peak of the roof, so I can't access it without risking my neck. Should I put it on a pole that I can lower to melt the ice when this happens again, or is this likely to be a fairly rare occurrence?

Thanks!

[thundercloud]

I live in Baiting Hollow Long Island (near Riverhead). With the winter storms we get here, I'd say your anemometer will freeze once or twice a winter. My Davis Monitor-II anemometer has only frozen once in two years only because it is fitted with drip rings, which direct the ice away from the cups so the wind can blow it away. If you don't mind lossing up to twelve hours of wind data when it freezes, its wise to leave it on the roof for accuracy, otherwise you could use one of those telescoping poles radioshack sells. The poles come in 19' and 36' heights, if I'm not mistaken.

Just what ever you do, don't do what I did to my dad's station...throw snowballs at it to knock it loose. He still thinks that a mighty wind gust wrenched the wind vane off the station!

Another thought is to buy a set of Davis' drip rings and see if they fit on your station. They won't stop it from freezing every time, but they definatly reduce the number of occurences.

I hope this helps.

[ørjan]

as thundercloud wrote the davis anemometers also freeze especialy in freezing rain condition.....but it hasnt happened after putting the dripring on.......i would also recommend regular cleaning with etanol on the surface to remove fat tissue and other debriss to prevent dew..........anyway i think the wind equipment on your station is overdimentioned and therefore it will accumulate the water faster but there arent much you can do about that...............

ørjan
norway