# Battery cut-out thresholds (Solved) **URL:** \ **Category:** Tempest Owners\ **Created:** [July 10, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501 "2018-07-10T16:38:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WFmarketing](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/wfmarketing/32/62_2.png) [@WFmarketing](https://community.tempest.earth/u/WFmarketing)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/1 "2018-07-10T16:38:29Z")
Your AIR and SKY devices will report their battery levels with each observation. Users can enable a battery “card” on their dashboard to monitor. App \> Settings \> Stations \> select station \> Advanced \> ‘Show Battery Card’. ![battery%20card](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/sws/original/2X/8/8863c720619665f6755da5ab81cae12e3b4efa65.jpg) If you use the recommended Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries (and insert in the correct orientation!), the starting voltage will be in 3.4-3.5v range. Here’s a battery power curve for an AIR in use for over 9.5 months: [https://smartweather.weatherflow.com/share/1934/graph/3474/battery/5](https://smartweather.weatherflow.com/share/1934/graph/3474/battery/5) . And a battery power curve for a SKY in use for ~4months. (As of mid-July 2018) [https://smartweather.weatherflow.com/share/1934/graph/7267/battery/5](https://smartweather.weatherflow.com/share/1934/graph/7267/battery/5) . AIR voltage will remain sufficient until ~2.4v, then the lightning sensor will not have enough juice to function. However, the other sensors will continue to report until ~1.9v. SKY voltage will remain sufficient and all sensor will function until ~2.0v. (Note: at ~2.2v the lithium batteries are approximately 90% drained.) Users who wish to get more battery life from the SKY should enable the [‘power save’ mode](https://community.tempest.earth/t/sky-power-save-mode-2yrs-battery-life/1021) which samples wind every 15sec instead of every 3sec…with an expected life of 2+ years. We strongly recommend Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries as they perform much better in fluctuating temps. Alkaline batteries will work, but will not last nearly as long. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are **not** recommended. (We do not have any affiliation with Energizer or receive any reciprocal compensation to recommend. We tested lots of batteries, and those are the best we’ve found.) ---
**Author:** ![926darkblue](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/926darkblue/32/1409_2.png) [@926darkblue](https://community.tempest.earth/u/926darkblue)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2018, 6:58pm UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/2 "2018-07-10T18:58:58Z")
Any idea on what I might be able to expect for battery life ? ---
**Author:** ![vreihen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/vreihen/32/13217_2.png) [@vreihen](https://community.tempest.earth/u/vreihen)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2018, 7:49pm UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/4 "2018-07-10T19:49:40Z")
I have an early Air that has been running for 462 days on the recommended batteries, and still reads 3.50 volts per the battery card. I have a Sky that has been running for 133 days (in non-power-save mode) on the recommended batteries, and it is reading 3.43 volts. As with any battery, the voltages will drop when it gets cold, and recover when it gets warm. Murphy’s Law in action…you’ll have to change the batteries on the coldest day of the winter! Given the wild variability of battery life depending on local climate, I don’t think that WF can give a more precise answer than they provided above. If you live in an area where it snows, I would change the Sky batteries every autumn just as preventative maintenance so that I will never have to go outside and take down the mast AGAIN at -5 F during a nor’easter. My suggestion is to leave your battery cards enabled in the app, and watch the voltage graph as the temperature changes. Maybe I’m just a geek, but the graph on the battery card is one of the most interesting things to me in the WF system during winter months… ---
**Author:** ![vinceskahan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/vinceskahan/32/2785_2.png) [@vinceskahan](https://community.tempest.earth/u/vinceskahan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2018, 9:18pm UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/5 "2018-07-10T21:18:49Z")
Are there any IFTT (or the like) alarms we can set for triggering a tweet or email etc. when battery voltages go below a certain threshold ? An occasional heads-up nagging message that we could configure on/off would be certainly nice to have… ---
**Author:** ![WFmarketing](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/wfmarketing/32/62_2.png) [@WFmarketing](https://community.tempest.earth/u/WFmarketing)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2018, 9:26pm UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/6 "2018-07-10T21:26:54Z")
> [@vinceskahan](#): > > Are there any IFTT (or the like) alarms we can set for triggering a tweet or email etc. when battery voltages go below a certain threshold ? The WeatherFlow app will alert you. And, WeatherFlow will send an alert email when voltage gets low. ---
**Author:** ![rhoadrunner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/rhoadrunner/32/1884_2.png) [@rhoadrunner](https://community.tempest.earth/u/rhoadrunner)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 12:55am UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/7 "2018-07-18T00:55:30Z")
I used the batteries and installations as recommended (except power save mode) and Sky only lasted 44 days. When I get new batteries I’ll replace them and set power save. Any other suggestions? I’m like 40 miles away from WF in east Orlando, so we’re getting about the same weather. ![Sky%20battery%20level%20071718](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex020/uploads/sws/original/2X/8/8717e2ea5cc1058d3ed6b1b5291a8cfbfb956d70.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![eric](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/eric/32/13553_2.png) [@eric](https://community.tempest.earth/u/eric)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 5:07am UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/8 "2018-07-18T05:07:53Z")
Hy Did you use the recommended batteries as they really last way longer in the devices. ![50](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/sws/original/2X/b/b35c6613d27409859d2eb50d19d2a7d358f66db7.png) ---
**Author:** ![rhoadrunner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/rhoadrunner/32/1884_2.png) [@rhoadrunner](https://community.tempest.earth/u/rhoadrunner)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 12:23pm UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/9 "2018-07-18T12:23:58Z")
Yep, exactly those, but the 8 pack… Which I just ordered again last night from Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![eric](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/eric/32/13553_2.png) [@eric](https://community.tempest.earth/u/eric)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 12:37pm UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/10 "2018-07-18T12:37:16Z")
[contact WF support](https://help.weatherflow.com/hc/en-us/requests/new) as this is not normal for a normal production unit. It should last +/- 1 year. Some models are known to have a small ‘leakage’ and can drain the unit way to quick. They will investigate. ---
**Author:** ![WFmarketing](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/wfmarketing/32/62_2.png) [@WFmarketing](https://community.tempest.earth/u/WFmarketing)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 5:06pm UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/11 "2018-07-18T17:06:19Z")
Hi @rhoadrunner Thanks for the detailed report with the included power curve graph. This is definitely not the expected behavior. A normal power curve for SKY looks more like this: [https://smartweather.weatherflow.com/share/1934/graph/7267/battery/5](https://smartweather.weatherflow.com/share/1934/graph/7267/battery/5) Never fear, we’re happy to send you a fresh set of batteries free of charge. Run the new batteries for a few months. If you still experience a similar faster-than-expected power drain, we’ll send you a new SKY. (And retrieve your SKY for our engineers to inspect and learn from.). Thanks for experimenting. Our goal is to make all owners stoked they chose WeatherFlow. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![vreihen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/vreihen/32/13217_2.png) [@vreihen](https://community.tempest.earth/u/vreihen)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 6:04pm UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/12 "2018-07-18T18:04:56Z")
Did anyone verify that all of the batteries were inserted properly (all 8 facing the same way)??? ---
**Author:** ![WFmarketing](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/wfmarketing/32/62_2.png) [@WFmarketing](https://community.tempest.earth/u/WFmarketing)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 6:23pm UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/13 "2018-07-18T18:23:52Z")
> [@vreihen](#): > > Did anyone verify that all of the batteries were inserted properly (all 8 facing the same way)??? @vreihen Probably would not have operated for 44 days if inserted the wrong way. Entirely plausible that one bad battery can cause drain on all 8…we’ve seen this even with Energizer Ultimates. Aside from electrical engineers, no one tests each battery before insertion — but you’d be surprised what we’ve found from trusted brands. Then again, it’s also plausible there is a electrical drain somewhere in the circuit board on the SKY. A diligent way to test is to run known good batteries and see what happens. Onward! ---
**Author:** ![rhoadrunner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/rhoadrunner/32/1884_2.png) [@rhoadrunner](https://community.tempest.earth/u/rhoadrunner)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2018, 12:48am UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/14 "2018-07-26T00:48:02Z")
Yep, double checked when I re-seated the batteries. ---
**Author:** ![rhoadrunner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/rhoadrunner/32/1884_2.png) [@rhoadrunner](https://community.tempest.earth/u/rhoadrunner)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2018, 12:51am UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/15 "2018-07-26T00:51:08Z")
I replaced the batteries with the ones sent by WF, and put it on battery saver and it seems to be staying flat at 3.39 volts, though it looks like it has gone down very slightly since I installed. I’ll keep an eye on it. Let me know if you would like me to turn off the battery saver as a test. ---
**Author:** ![WFmarketing](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/wfmarketing/32/62_2.png) [@WFmarketing](https://community.tempest.earth/u/WFmarketing)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/16 "2018-08-02T17:48:25Z")
---
**Author:** ![poider1982](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/poider1982/32/7396_2.png) [@poider1982](https://community.tempest.earth/u/poider1982)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2018, 1:39pm UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/20 "2018-10-21T13:39:10Z")
What could this be? ![smartweather](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex020/uploads/sws/original/2X/3/3053379e2b432b4b842cdcf6a31360c4d0718cdb.png) It was for a duration of 10 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![vinceskahan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/vinceskahan/32/2785_2.png) [@vinceskahan](https://community.tempest.earth/u/vinceskahan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2018, 5:31pm UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/21 "2018-10-21T17:31:28Z")
yeah it happens occasionally… ---
**Author:** ![poider1982](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/poider1982/32/7396_2.png) [@poider1982](https://community.tempest.earth/u/poider1982)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2018, 7:47pm UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/22 "2018-10-21T19:47:00Z")
Funny… Nothing strange in the records of windspeed and direction. It still recorded everything at that moment. ---
**Author:** ![GaryFunk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/garyfunk/32/5729_2.png) [@GaryFunk](https://community.tempest.earth/u/GaryFunk)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2018, 7:51pm UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/23 "2018-10-21T19:51:57Z")
Several have experienced this anomaly and some have actually recorded that data. WeatherFlow is aware and has it marked to fix. ---
**Author:** ![poider1982](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.tempest.earth/poider1982/32/7396_2.png) [@poider1982](https://community.tempest.earth/u/poider1982)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2018, 8:11pm UTC](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501/24 "2018-10-21T20:11:18Z")
Alright. 😊 Thnx Gary. [Next page](https://community.tempest.earth/t/battery-cut-out-thresholds-solved/1501.md?page=2)