Preparing for cooler and freezing temps

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Preparing for cooler and freezing temps

Preparing for cooler and freezing temps

When the weather outside is frightful, following a few easy tips can ensure your weather monitoring remains delightful. If you’re in a cooler climate, you’ve probably already put away the lawn furniture, raked the leaves, cleared the gutters and dusted off the snow blower. There are a few additional steps you can take to prepare for winter and extend the life of your weather monitoring devices.

Got batteries?

One of the simplest, yet most important, things you can do to prepare for chilly temps is to switch out the batteries in your outdoor devices. Lithium batteries love the cold and will work better in extreme conditions than alkaline. So swap them out, or consider using them year round as they function equally well when summer temps begin to swelter.

Location, location, location.

Consider where snow drifts will accumulate when placing your outdoor thermometers or any weather station that includes the small weather sensor. If they get buried in the next storm you may get inaccurate readings.

Bring them in.

With summer’s long days far out of sight, some off-season products should come inside to extend life and ensure they work as intended for years to come. Our rain gauges could crack from continued freezing and thawing, so keep them safe alongside your flower pots and other summer gear.

Give a bit of extra protection.

Our new AcuRite Atlas and other 5-in-1 weather stations are built to withstand the winter weather. You can give a bit of extra protection and make sure the snow slips right off by spraying them with WD-40 or a basic non-stick cooking or car wax spray.

Sit back and keep an eye on the weather.

Our product engineers work to design durable products you don’t have to pay constant attention to. They’re easy to use and reliable. When the next storm hits, or the wind chill takes a nosedive, sit back in your favorite chair and get an accurate reading on the day ahead. You’ll have peace of mind knowing whether you need to break out the full snowsuit, or just a light jacket.

December 12, 2018

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Comments

Joseph Bryan

December 12, 2018

Just have the in home monitor right now but hopefully I'll be able to buy the other equipment over the next year.

dave

December 13, 2018

i have a 5in1 and the new atlas, i live in northern ny, winters are bad. i cover the raincollector on my units to keep the snow and ice out. you should design a snap on cover for the units to keep the snow out and protect our equipment from damage, where the climate is harsh like up here.

AcuRite Team

February 8, 2019

Thank you for the suggestion! We will be sure to pass it along to the proper team for future consideration.

joyce french

December 13, 2018

This is all good info.....is this included with the directions for setting up the weather station? If not, it should be.

AcuRite Team

January 24, 2019

It is not, however we have a support page that has a wealth of information for you to access. Here is a link to the page that has tips and tricks for the 5-in-1 https://support.acurite.com/hc/en-us/articles/360007681294-5-in-1-Sensor-Installation

MIke Lorence

December 14, 2018

Regarding spraying the weather station with WD-40 or other sprays, do you just spray it over the whole unit? Do I need to cover up the rain gauge and ventilations holes? Please provide some additional information so I don't accidentally ruin my weather stations. Thanks

AcuRite Team

January 24, 2019

When spraying your outdoor sensor, we recommend coving the ventilation holes in order to prevent the spray from getting on the internal components. If you have any other questions regarding general maintenance, please feel free to reach out to our Support Team via live chat or email.

Steven Hanson

December 22, 2018

Will the new Atlas products keep out ants and spiders? I dont want another station that requires constant maintenance

AcuRite Team

January 24, 2019

One thing that you can do to help prevent spiders and ants from nesting inside of your weather station is to tape a moth ball to the inside wall of the rain gauge. Many of our customers have had success with doing so.

Steven Hanson

January 24, 2019

Tried that. Works for short time. No answer about the Atlas product?

Mike Lorence

January 24, 2019

I used a self-adhesive screen patch to cover the holes to keep out spiders and wasps. It still allows air and water to flow through. The mothballs didn't do a thing for me. I did post about this and recommended it to Acurite. Never heard anything back. It should be out there if you search. Good luck.

Marty Prather

October 27, 2019

With the rain gauge, how do I avoid ruining the device as it may rain one day and freeze the next.

AcuRite Team

October 28, 2019

To prolong the life of your rain gauge, we do recommend bringing the collector inside once you start to experience freezing temperatures to prevent damage.

A M

December 3, 2019

Is it actually recommended to cover the rain funnel on the pro 5-1 weather sensor? I live in a cold climate where the snow will accumulate and the temperatures are very cold.

AcuRite Team

December 4, 2019

Our 5-in-1 sensors are designed to withstand colder weather so there is no need to cover the rain gauge.

Scott

October 19, 2020

I have one of your 5 in 1 weather stations. I am a little confused about your answers of what to do with the weather station in the winter. One answer you said to bring it indoors for the winter and in another answer you said it was built to withstand freezing weather. We live in Canada and expect long periods of freezing cold. Do you recommend covering the rain collector or bring it indoors for the winter. Thanks

AcuRite Team

October 19, 2020

The 5-in-1 Weather Station is designed to remain outdoors all year long and withstand winter conditions. If you are concerned about freezing water damaging the sensor, you may cover the rain collection area to prevent water from entering the sensor if you wish. We have another model of Wireless Rain Gauge that we do recommend bringing inside during the winter, Wireless Rain Gauge Collector model #06034.

Scott

October 20, 2020

Thank you for your quick response.

Dan

March 22, 2022

Has anyone used a cover over the rain collector during the winter? We go away for several months during the winter and like to monitor our home weather conditions. I’m not concerned of moisture amounts so eliminating this feature while we are gone is ok.

Tommy Farr

January 6, 2023

I'm finding that the batteries in my atlas sensor are lasting about 30 days. is this normal? if I purchase the battery replacement power supply, it it weather proof or does it need to be protected from wet weather? Lastly, The rain guage on my atlas sensor can go about 2 months before before it's full of bird poop. and has to be taken down and cleaned. do you market any type of deterrent to keep the birds from plugging up the rain guage?

AcuRite Team

January 10, 2023

We apologize that your Atlas sensor is experiencing this issue but we would be happy to assist! Please review the suggestions in the following link and reach out to our support team via live chat or email request if we can further assist. https://support.acurite.com/hc/en-us/articles/1260802095810-AcuRite-Atlas-7-in-1-Draining-Batteries We do recommend protecting the Atlas Sensor Power Adapter from direct rainfall.