The need to measure
Humans have been trying to measure rainfall for a long time. In fact the first known rainfall records were kept by the Ancient Greeks, beginning about 500 B.C. People living in India began to record rainfall as early as 400 B.C.
In 1441 the Cheugugi was invented during the reign of King Sejong the Great of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea as the first standardized rain gauge.
Then in 1662, Christopher Wren created the first tipping bucket rain gauge in Britain in collaboration with Robert Hooke.
Collaboration Yields Innovation
Our personal obsession with the measurement of rainfall began in the 1980’s with a collaboration between Hydrological Services and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology who wanted a more accurate, reliable Rain Gauge. A key requirement was that the instrument could operate for extended periods in remote locations without failure. This led to the development of our three signature rain gauges which over the next 20 years became the largest selling products in our portfolio worldwide.
Many prestigious international agencies such as NOAA, Environment Canada, Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Cemaden Brazil, China Water, South African Weather Service and Department of Meteorology Thailand to name just a few, have made our Tipping Bucket Rain gauges a keystone of their rainfall measurement programs.
How does a Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge work?
A Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge consists of a collector shaped like a funnel, two small ‘buckets’ mounted on an axle somewhat like a see-saw, and an electronic reed switch. Rain enters the collector and is funneled into one of two very small buckets, which when full, tip the water into the base of the rain gauge where it exits through a screened hole into the bottom. Each bucket tip is registered by an electronic reed switch and recorded by the data logger either as 0.01 inches, 0.2mm, 0.5mm or 1.0mm of rainfall.
“I have been struck again and again by how important measurement is to improving the human condition.”
-Bill Gates
The Quiet Achiever
The TB6 Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge is the unassuming star of our Rain Gauge lineup…kind of like Martin Short in The 3 Amigos! Sometimes overlooked because of the TB3 and TB4’s impressive performance in high intensity rainfall events, the TB6 is the ideal instrument for many customers and at a lower cost.
Robust, reliable and accurate with very stable calibration, the TB6 delivers a better than 1% accuracy at rainfall rates up to 2” per hour. Its field proven reliability has been demonstrated world-wide in a range of extreme environments.
And it will help you avoid clogs…
Not that kind of Clog!
Nashville Metro Water achieved an 81% reduction in the number of clogged rain gauges as a result of switching to the TB6. This is due to the difference between the flat screen filter on many tipping buckets and the innovative finger filter on the TB6.
Its all about the Data
Is there anything more important than knowing that the rainfall that is falling is being accurately measured and reported to you? If you can’t trust your data where does that leave you? It’s so fundamental that it almost seems redundant to ask the question. However, in order to get a great answer you need to ask the right question.
Here are 4 questions you need to know the answers to before you purchase a Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge.
Region: What is the expected range of intensities the rain gauge will measure?
Accuracy: What level of accuracy is acceptable?
Return Frequency: Up to what return frequency do you wish to measure accurately?
Reliability: What is the expected level of reliability over time?
Conclusion
Tipping Bucket Rain Gauges represent a tremendous advance in our ability to accurately measure rainfall in unattended environments and to be able to receive precise data in real time.
