Davis Vantage Pro 2 longevity?

I’ve had mine up and running now here in the harsh Labrador climate for 13 years now with hardly a hiccup. I do wonder how much more life I can expect out of the gear. I’m sure the UV is hard on the plastics. At what point do they start breaking down? Internals? Any user’s comments?

I should mention…it’s the wireless version.

Mine has been running 8-years and the only issue I had was the anemometer reed switch stuck. Unfortunately the anemometer is not very accessible as its on a mast about 8-feet above my house therefore I decided to get a new Davis anemometer that now uses a solid state switch in the hope it will last a lot longer :?

The wireless VP2 I’m using now is 12 years old. When it was 8 years old I thought about having Davis re-furbish it but replaced the ISS instead (which included the redesigned anemometer). High temps and high solar radiation/UV are the hazards here.

My VP1 is still going OK now for 13 years, OK not in a particularly harsh environment. I’d expect a VP2 to work at least as well.

Stuart

We don’t have intense heat here in Labrador, although the UV Index can get up there.
My father-in-law in South Dakota has recently sprayed his Davis Vantage solar panels with a clear coat which has breathed new life into those panels. His batteries are now charging as they ought. I’ve attached my solar panel on my Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge ISS. Might not hurt?

I have my other ISS (Anemometer) 2/3rds to the top of my 30 foot tower attached to my house. I can climb up very easy and reach the solar panel. I’ve rigged up the tower to swivel down to reach the anemometer if needed. Not that I want to, though.


Mine is ten years old and the plastic cover over solar panel on the ISS had degraded quite badly - opaque and flaking. I just rubbed it down with some wet’n’dry (dry), then sprayed it with an outdoor clear coat. It came it up great and the panel still seems to work fine.

Yep!


isspanel.jpg

You’ve got the flaking, but that is still relatively clear compared to how mine got. If it goes again I’ll try replacing it with a bit of glass from a phone screen protector.

Mine will be 11 years old in 6 weeks from now.
Temp/hum and UV sensors were replaced under warranty early on.
Have bought and replaced temp/hum sensor twice since then.
Anemometer failed after 10 years so replaced with new.
FARS complete fan/motor unit replaced once, motor replaced my myself twice. Not bothering with that anymore so just a passive shield now.
All other parts original and working fine including ISS and supercap, but white plastics showing their age for sure.

i have had mine since 1993. I replaced the ISS because of a leaky supercap. My arm was in a cast so I couldn’t replace the item myself. I bought a replacement from Scaled Instruments. The damaged one, when the arm came out of the cast , I replaced the supercap and use it now as a soil surface temperature unit for my soil station.

The anemometer I have two. the one on the top of my mast has been chugging along since 1993. Mysterious as it seems, but it does still work. I have a lower one with a wireless anemometer unit just incase the older one conks out. I am too old to take down the mast now.

I am not sure of the longevity, I think it depends on the conditions the unit is located. For Des Moines, Iowa and the weather we do have, it has survived .

Congrats on that. I

As I recall the original Vantage Pro was introduced in 2000 so if you have a station from 1993 it’s not a VP2, or a VP.

I know I had a WMII, and then the VP1. I recall I had a tough time with the signal getting to my logger. I used a lot of repeaters. Then the VP2 came out and I sprang for it. You are very correct on the date, If you can measure from when the WMII gave up and now, that is a lot of time.

I ordered a VP when it was announced in late 2000, but Davis didn’t manage to produce it until some months into 2001. They did send a nice “we screwed up” apology letter :slight_smile:

having a mac has produced for me a lot of complications. Being very close to 71, I don’t see a need to purchase a PC, which would solve everything for me. I use the API from the weatherlink Ip to update my site and Weatherdisplay/weathercat for my personal needs.

Back to the topic, the station has changed very little since it came out. The plastic is sturdy and perhaps with the main station, the solar panel tends over time to fog over and sometimes the film over it cracks, holes. Davis claims it is ok. The foam plug where the cables enter the transmitter tends to get crunchy and needs to be replaced. Those FARS, the fans need to be replaced as does the batteries. I have the solar and UV sensors and the leveling bulbs have dried out, so I use a level. It is a sturdy station, and it depends on the conditions. Harsh climates will have it toll on it. But for the most part, yes it is sturdy.

A while ago Davis asked what people would like to see in a newer model. I said a color console, but I don’t know if anything happened. the new rain cone with the anti bird has worked for me. Yeah, it is a good station.