Section 6. Maintenance and
Troubleshooting
These guidelines apply to several different Campbell Scientific weather stations.
6.1 Maintenance
Proper maintenance of weather station components is essential to obtain accurate data. Equipment must be in good operating condition, which requires a program of regular inspection and maintenance. Routine and simple maintenance can be accomplished by the person in charge of the weather station. More difficult maintenance such as sensor calibration, sensor performance testing (i.e., bearing torque), and sensor component replacement, generally requires a skilled technician, or that the instrument be sent to Campbell Scientific or the manufacturer.
A station log should be maintained for each weather station that includes serial numbers, dates that the site was visited, and maintenance that was performed.
6.1.1 Instrumentation Maintenance
The instrumentation requires a minimum of routine maintenance. A few preventative maintenance steps will optimize battery life and decrease the chances of datalogger failure.
6.1.2 Batteries
Instruction 10 can be used to measure battery voltage. By recording battery voltage the user can determine how long a fresh set of batteries will last (see the Installation Section of the datalogger Operator's Manual for cold temperature effects on alkaline batteries). Short Cut and ETPro automatically program the weather station to measure battery voltage.
When alkaline batteries are used, the battery voltage should not be allowed to drop below 9.6 VDC before replacement. Where CR10 or 21X dataloggers are used in the instrumentation, an external battery must be used to maintain power to the datalogger when changing batteries, otherwise the clock, program, and data will be lost (refer to the Installation Section of the datalogger's Operator's Manual for details). When not in use, remove the eight cells to eliminate potential corrosion of the contact points, and store in a cool dry place.
Rechargeable power supplies should be connected to an AC transformer or unregulated solar panel at all times. The charge indicating diode should be "ON" when voltage to the charging circuitry is present. Be aware of battery voltage that consistently decreases over time, which indicates a failure in the charging circuitry.