I moved to a new house about 5 months ago and my Tempest was packed up until this weekend, when I unpacked it to finally put it back up. Interesting weather is starting to spin up in the South Eastern US, so figured it was time.
I’m not sure what happened, but when I pulled the Tempest out, the top dome has separated and is skewed slightly to one side.
How sensitive are the Light, UV and Wind sensors in the dome to moisture? Rain will certainly get in there, so I’m wondering how this can be fixed. Unless others have seen a pattern of this happening over time, I’m not going to try to make a warranty claim, but also I don’t think I can buy just a replacement Tempest either. Could I seal it up with some silicon sealant? I’ve got the station running on my desk right now and the sensors appear to be functioning ok.
I realize this might not be something people here can answer, but I thought I’d ask before opening a ticket with support.
The gap is there to isolate the rain sensor cap from the rest of the unit. Do not put any sealant on it. Water can get in around the sonic transducers so I don’t think it will be too much of an issue. The circuit boards on the Tempest are supposed to be sealed really well.
You can purchase just a Tempest sensor if you want. Just ask support and they can send you an invoice link for one.
The dome is held in place by a ribbon of special foamy tape. Normally it stick pretty well in place and also serves as a damper for vibrations of the rest of the unit. The boards underneath are indeed covered to withstand moisture.
The tape should have kept the dome in place.
Do open a support ticket with the images and ask their opinion and I’m pretty sure they’ll help you out
The unit was indeed stored on its side, interesting that the tape would have deformed from doing so. It was stored in my garage, which over the summer easily hit 75 degrees and before I put a dehumidifier in, 80-ish percent humidity. After the dehumidifier, temps would touch 80 degrees because of the extra heat it generated, with humidity in the low to mid 50s.
Thanks for the info on the tape, it makes more sense now. I recalled it being sealed, so was concerned that there was a gap. I’ll open a support ticket, and won’t feel bad about mounting the unit outside until support can get back to me.
