Any suggestions? I'm going to need one. Just installed our rainwater catch cistern. 30,000 gal. Excited to leave a little more groundwater in the ground for future generations.

*upside down photos. Let me fix.

going to be damned hard to catch rainfall upside down.

Total picture fail. Thanks iPhone and Imgur

I manage a weather network and one of the most common rain gages used is the Texas Electronics Tipping Bucket Rain Gage. It requires a datalogger to record and can be set to record at whatever interval you want (10min, hourly, daily, etc.) . Granted though you are looking at about $1500 for a complete setup.

We get our equipment from Campbell Scientific
The Rain gage: https://www.campbellsci.com/te525-l

You did ask for the most accurate...

Furlock Bones said:

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going to be damned hard to catch rainfall upside down.

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laugh/cry

I sure did ask for the most accurate.

What would you suggest as the next most accurate that is, let's say, under $1G

To go down a grade my next recommendation would be a WatchDog Station ~$500
A bonus is this one also records air temperature so it may be useful for monitoring tank water temp possibly??

https://www.specmeters.com/brands/watchdog/3200r4-watchdog-wireless-rain-temp-station/?F_All=Y

Edit to Add a HOBO Station would be slightly below the Watchdog
https://www.onsetcomp.com/products/data-loggers/rg3

Pad prep

Sand pad ready for cistern

Install day

View from the future screen porch. Home still under construction.

AgySkeet06 said:

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To go down a grade my next recommendation would be a WatchDog Station ~$500
A bonus is this one also records air temperature so it may be useful for monitoring tank water temp possibly??

https://www.specmeters.com/brands/watchdog/3200r4-watchdog-wireless-rain-temp-station/?F_All=Y

Edit to Add a HOBO Station would be slightly below the Watchdog
https://www.onsetcomp.com/products/data-loggers/rg3

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How does that compare with the much cheaper Oregon Scientific tipping bucket rain gauge: https://www.oregonscientificstore.com/p-5-oregon-scientific-pcr800-wireless-rain-gauge-for-professional-weather-stations.aspx

I have this one, and it seems the bucket tips at 0.04 inches of rain, but I don't know how that compares.

I have a davis vantage vue at my house and put one at my parents house. accurate to the .01 or rain. I Have not had any problems with it and I have had mine for 4 years. Eventually I will go to a next level model of some type be it the Vantage Pro or maybe even another brand.

This is not just a rain gauge though, more of a weather system.

I would like to have a water catch system one day like that. Very nice.

http://www.weatheryourway.com/cocorahs/rgcoco.htm

Measures to 1/100th "

https://www.scientificsales.com/6330-Stratus-Rain-Gauge-p/6330.htm

This is what you want. You either want accuracy or you don't. Davis is fine. Electronic is fine. But they are not as accurate as you would think. I use Davis for the house because it's close enough. For actual rain total reports to local spotter associations they want the one measured from the link.

Never heard of or used that rain gage-brand before but glancing at their website looks like it would be comparable to a prepackaged accurite type of sensor system for homeowners.

Brazos Dog02, the gauge I linked to is the same gauge you linked, but mine is a lot cheaper.

For accuracy, my father had a rain gauge that was very accurate. The mouth was about 9 or 10 inches across, but it all fed to a column about two or three inches in diameter. It has a special measuring stick for measuring the water in the gauge that was calibrated to include the displacement of the measuring stick as well as the smaller cross section of the water column compared to that of the catch area.

Here's mine. Can be a little hard to read and maybe a little off at times due to the shed it's next to and run off from the roof, but it's fairly accurate overall.

LiveOak said:

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Pad prep

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Not to be a nit picker but does your supply pipe run under the cistern and fill from the opposite side?? Could be a potential pain if shifting ever cracks that pipe....

The sawn trench that goes under the cistern and fills from the opposite side is for the double trunk lines that convey water from the downspouts and into the cistern

We rock sawed through solid limestone slab rock to cut that trench. If the rock ground shifts enough to crack my four inch trunk lines, then I'm/my entire house is probably in more trouble than having to re route those around the cistern.

Supply line to the house originates from the galvanized box on the ground and does not go under the cistern.

Chose to run those under cistern to keep the pipes out of view of the house, and run the first flush further down the hill.

Kid Shelleen 13 said:

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Brazos Dog02, the gauge I linked to is the same gauge you linked, but mine is a lot cheaper.

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Yeah I noticed that after I sent it but I didn't check prices. I bought mine on amazon. I was just trying to get the brand and model out.

6.5CM


Oh.. you said rainfall

I've got one of these and it works pretty well. No clue how accurate it actually is but I'd imagine it's accurate enough as long as birds don't take a dump in the gauge. Plus it's only ~$150.

https://www.ambientweather.com/amws2902.html

edit: been posted a couple of times earlier. Apologies.

WGAF....When it's full it's full. An inch of rain will give you @600 gallons per 1,000 sqft of roof area.

I have nothing to add since our rain gauge was a Lowe's special that got taken out by a soccer ball (along with a hummingbird feeder-kid had a pretty good foot) but I sure would like to see some photos of your pretty place when it is all finished!

I have the Ambient Osprey as well. Its pretty darn accurate.

Less than 2 weeks after install and we've captured over 15,000 gallons and counting. Fast.

Right build at the right time!

drred4 said:

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I have a davis vantage vue at my house and put one at my parents house. accurate to the .01 or rain. I Have not had any problems with it and I have had mine for 4 years. Eventually I will go to a next level model of some type be it the Vantage Pro or maybe even another brand.

This is not just a rain gauge though, more of a weather system.

I would like to have a water catch system one day like that. Very nice.

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We take the Vantage Pro and put all of the data on the web via cellular communication to be viewed through our app anywhere in the world.

They are really nice and contain nearly all of the sensors to make irrigation decisions in the Ag industry.