Davis Vantage Vue & dew point/relative humidity

[PeggyD]

For about the last month the dew point shown on my PWS or Wunderground web pages drops gradually from about midnight to about 8 am when it will suddenly jump up to what I expect. The DP/RH drops to approximately -40º F/1% which I know is wrong. We have tried cleaning the radiation shield & it was better for one day. Should I look into replacing the sensor?

[elagache]

Dear PeggyD and WeatherCat station caregivers,

For about the last month the dew point shown on my PWS or Wunderground web pages drops gradually from about midnight to about 8 am when it will suddenly jump up to what I expect. The DP/RH drops to approximately -40º F/1% which I know is wrong. We have tried cleaning the radiation shield & it was better for one day. Should I look into replacing the sensor?

It sounds to me that you know your location and that probably your sensor is giving up the ghost.  However, you could compare your readings with any nearby stations on either Weather Underground or CWOP to see if indeed your station alone has these odd readings.

Did you go through the motions of dismantling your radiation shield to reach the sensor and clean that?  It is a more involved process, but if the shield is really dirty that might be necessary.

If after all that, you conclude that you do need a new temperature/humidity sensor, we can offer you some suggestions where you can locate this part.  If you are in the United States, some dealers offer this part at a significant discount.

Cheers, Edouard

[PeggyD]

I had checked nearby stations & none report such wild numbers for dew point/relative humidity.

My husband did clean the outside of the radiation shield but did not dismantle it. As I said, it did give reasonable readings for one day but has since gone back to the very wrong readings. He will try dismantling it & I will let you know.

Could you give some suggestions of where I can get a new part if I do need to replace the temperature/humidity sensor?

[elagache]

Dear PeggyD and WeatherCat station caregivers,

I had checked nearby stations & none report such wild numbers for dew point/relative humidity.

It does sound like a bad sensor, but checking nearby stations is a prudent check.

My husband did clean the outside of the radiation shield but did not dismantle it. As I said, it did give reasonable readings for one day but has since gone back to the very wrong readings. He will try dismantling it & I will let you know.

I don't know how hard it is to dismantle a Vantage Vue, but the radiation shield on the Vantage Pro-2 stations isn't too difficult to take apart.  You might check YouTube to see if someone has some instructions.  Again, it doesn't seem too likely that would be the problem, but the sensor is a significant investment.

Could you give some suggestions of where I can get a new part if I do need to replace the temperature/humidity sensor?

There are at least 2 vendors who sell parts in the USA at a discount.  I've personally dealt with Scaled Instruments for many years:

https://www.scaledinstruments.com/

Another vendor that WeatherCatters have used with satisfaction is Rain Man Weather:

https://www.rainmanweather.com/

I have a number of other vendors bookmarked, but I don't know if they also carry parts.  Let me know if you would like additional suggestions.

Cheers, Edouard

[PeggyD]

The radiation shield is easy to disassemble & reassemble. We disassembled it & washed the parts. My husband also dusted the sensor cover with a soft paintbrush. He did not take the sensor cover off, but I doubt that dusting the sensor itself will help. A problem I'm seeing is that the Vantage Vue has an integrated sensor suite (ISS). I don't see that anyone has replacement sensors for the Vantage Vue. The radiation shield & the cover shield for the temperature/humidity sensor are replaceable parts but not the individual sensors.

I am going to call or e-mail Davis Instruments & ask if it's possible to replace just the temperature/humidity sensor. Otherwise, I'll have to look into replacing the whole station. At least I would not have to get a new console & data logger. It may be a day or two before I get a chance to call them. I have a couple of other urgent things to deal with.

[elagache]

Dear PeggyD and WeatherCat station caregivers,

The radiation shield is easy to disassemble & reassemble. We disassembled it & washed the parts. My husband also dusted the sensor cover with a soft paintbrush. He did not take the sensor cover off, but I doubt that dusting the sensor itself will help.

I'm glad that you could at least rule out that sort of a simple cause for your problem.

A problem I'm seeing is that the Vantage Vue has an integrated sensor suite (ISS). I don't see that anyone has replacement sensors for the Vantage Vue. The radiation shield & the cover shield for the temperature/humidity sensor are replaceable parts but not the individual sensors.

Okay, I stand corrected.  I never looked into the differences between the Vantage Vue and Pro-2 and assumed that they used the same components.  Indeed I'm wrong about that. 

I am going to call or e-mail Davis Instruments & ask if it's possible to replace just the temperature/humidity sensor. Otherwise, I'll have to look into replacing the whole station

That's certainly prudent although Davis is notoriously slow to respond to technical support requests.  They might offer to sell you a replacement or they might offer to repair your Vue.  If neither seems appealing,  Scaled Instruments does have replacement Vue sensor suites available:

https://www.scaledinstruments.com/shop/davis-instruments/sensor-suites/vantage-vue-sensor-suites/davis-6357-vantage-vue-wireless-integrated-sensor-suite/

You might also consider if you want to upgrade to a better quality weather station.  There are limitations in the design of the Vantage Vue that perhaps are crimping your style at this point. 

Please do keep us updated on how you resolve this.

Edouard

[PeggyD]

I found the best price for a replacement sensor suite at RainmanWeather.

https://www.rainmanweather.com/6357-Vantage-Vue-Integrated-Sensor-Suite

I plan to call Davis rather than e-mail.

I did look at a Vantage Pro but that's a much bigger expense, approx. $300-400 more, than just a new Vue sensor suite, considering that my console is good. Would the data link I have work with a Vantage Pro?

[PeggyD]

I called Davis support & the tech was very helpful. He did offer repair with me needing to pay postage to California. He pointed me to a reseller that sells just the sensor board since I don't need the whole housing. I got the last one in stock. I did see that before but it wasn't clear what it was.

https://www.scaledinstruments.com/shop/davis-instruments/parts/vantage-vue-parts/vantage-vue-sensor-suite-parts/davis-7345-916-vantage-vue-iss-sim-usa-version/

[elagache]

Dear PeggyD and WeatherCat station caregivers,

I called Davis support & the tech was very helpful. He did offer repair with me needing to pay postage to California. He pointed me to a reseller that sells just the sensor board since I don't need the whole housing. I got the last one in stock. I did see that before but it wasn't clear what it was.

I'm glad that you were able to get hold of Davis in a timely manner and got the answer you needed.  That is what technical support is for!

If it isn't too much trouble, please let us know how easy it is to swap the sensor board.  That way we can advise anyone else who runs into similar difficulties.

Thanks for taking the time to keep us updated.

Edouard

[Blicj11]

I have found Ryan @ Scaled Instruments to be extremely helpful in figuring out various technical issues on my Davis hardware. I too had a transmitter board go bad a few years ago. I bought a replacement from him and the replacement turned out to be dead. He was very quick to get me a second replacement, which solved the issue. Thanks for keeping us in the loop on your repair adventures.

[PeggyD]

The part finally arrived today but there are no instructions. I have e-mailed Ryan at Scaled Instruments & will try calling Davis tomorrow.

[elagache]

Dear PeggyD and WeatherCat bold DIY types, . . . . . 

The part finally arrived today but there are no instructions. . .. . . .

[Pulling your leg mode on]

. . . . Instructions?  You don't need any stinking instructions!  Try oil!  bailling wire! glue! bobby pins! chewing gum!  and if all else fails Gorilla tape!! . . . . 

You can file this one under: "that's why it is so hard to get men to ask for directions!" 

[Pulling your leg mode off]

Cheers, Edouard 

[PeggyD]

Ryan at Scaled Instruments is very helpful. My son was able to disassemble the Vantage Vue & could not install the new part. First, the cables are too short & the boards are different. Especially the battery board is much smaller. And there is an extra piece that doesn’t match anything on the existing unit. Ryan said there are different versions of the part but he only has whatever is currently available from Davis. I did call Davis & the tech insists that all of the boards have the same lenght cables. I have pictures that show otherwise!

Anyway, I decided to just get a new Integrated Sensor Suite from Rainman Weather (best price) & it should be here Friday.

[elagache]

Dear PeggyD and WeatherCat station caregivers,

Ryan at Scaled Instruments is very helpful. My son was able to disassemble the Vantage Vue & could not install the new part. First, the cables are too short & the boards are different. Especially the battery board is much smaller. And there is an extra piece that doesn’t match anything on the existing unit. Ryan said there are different versions of the part but he only has whatever is currently available from Davis. I did call Davis & the tech insists that all of the boards have the same lenght cables. I have pictures that show otherwise!

Sorry to hear about your family's difficulties in trying to repair this instrument cluster.  I must confess that the Vantage Vue has always rubbed me the wrong way for no apparent reason.  Your experiences seem to provide a basis for my suspicions.  While, indeed significantly more expensive, the Vantage Pro-2 line is relatively easy to work on because it has an open architecture and the sensors can be relocated without too much labor.

Anyway, I decided to just get a new Integrated Sensor Suite from Rainman Weather (best price) & it should be here Friday.

Sorry about the weather data you have lost in the interim, but glad to hear that you should be back in the weather monitoring business soon.

Cheers, Edouard

[Blicj11]

Sorry to hear you couldn't replace the part but glad you have a solution.