THEMA:

Burrs In Rain Collector Cone
(Grate im Regen-Messer-Kegel)

Over the past year or two we have been getting reports of rain collectors reading significantly low. We have yet to recreate the problem here and have often suspected that the customers methods and/or their environment play a part in the "perception" that the collector is reading low.

Yesterday a customer called back after already reporting that his collector was reading severely low. What he reported was that a spiral, plastic burr in and under the small hole of the rain cone was redirecting the water flow away from the tipping bucket mechanism. He witnessed this redirection when he poured water down the cone. He felt that this, especially during heavier rains, caused the low rain reading. He has removed the burr, observed that the redirection does not occur while pouring water in and is now waiting for natural rainfall.

I don't have any proof that this is truly causing problems in the field but have seen a burr in the collector hole more than once and would not be surprised if this is the cause of these reports. Please be on the look out for these plastics burrs in the cone and advise any customer who reports low rain to examine their cone carefully.

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