Indoor/Outdoor Weather Station

[DrivinMyHome]

I would like to hear from other TT owners about these but if the moderators feel there is a better forum to place this question, please do.

We just purchased this one from Costco to replace our old one that stopped communicating with the outside sensor. With the old one, we had the sensor in one of our outside storage bays, which was not too accurate as the bay receives some 'climate control' from the cabin of the trailer.

I would like to put the new one under the propane cover as I believe it will give the most accurate temperature and humidity reading, but am nervous that the signal it sends to the inside unit could spark the tanks if they leak.

Other areas I've considered are: the fridge access bay (too hot), inside bumper (black paint could cause higher readings), underneath (not sure how to mount or protect it from dirt/debris on the road).

Does anyone have a weather station in their trailer and, if so, where have you put the outside unit? Am I missing a more (or less) obvious location to place it?

[Thunder1]

Not sure if yours is the same as mine, but ours fit perfectly inside the awning
support arm, just below the stop pins. We used a wide strip of peel & stick velcro.
Doug & Carol

[DrivinMyHome]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thunder1 Not sure if yours is the same as mine, but ours fit perfectly inside the awning support arm, just below the stop pins. We used a wide strip of peel & stick velcro. Doug & Carol

Interesting, I will check that one in the morning. Have you had any problem with rain/moisture getting on the sensor?

[Thunder1]

no problems, accurate readings. When we travel, I add a strap around the unit and arm, in case it jars loose, which seems unlikely.

[vermilye]

I've had the same sensor under the propane cover for 18,000 miles with no problems other than not being all that accurate when the sun hits the cover. There are no electrical contacts to spark other than the battery connections when you insert or remove them.

Do tie it to something rather than just wedge in in the top of a tank! (Don't ask how I know not to do that - a replacement sensor is only $5.00.)

[seasonedsole]

Rather than inside the tank cover, how about under the tank rack?

[DrivinMyHome]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thunder1 ...ours fit perfectly inside the awning support arm, just below the stop pins. We used a wide strip of peel & stick velcro. Doug & Carol

I tried this location, but it seems my sensor is just a bit too large to fit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vermilye I've had the same sensor under the propane cover for 18,000 miles with no problems other than not being all that accurate when the sun hits the cover. There are no electrical contacts to spark other than the battery connections when you insert or remove them. Do tie it to something rather than just wedge in in the top of a tank! (Don't ask how I know not to do that - a replacement sensor is only $5.00.)

I'm glad to hear this! I've been hoping that it was just paranoia with no real reason to skip this location. It seems that it would be the best spot if hung from the support on a string/rope of some sort. Full shade, no metal to absorb/give off the excess heat or cold, protected from direct rain or splatter from driving.

How far off is the accuracy from the sun hitting the cover?

[goldwingerx2]

I don't know if you have a slide or not but I have ours mounted on top of the storage bays that slide out with the slide. I just unclip when traveling to insure it is not lost. It has plenty of air flow and seems to be very accurate when I compare it.

[Wire Wrat]

What about the back side of the roof mouned airconditioner cover. I would think it would not get any moisture up there on the back side of the unit. Jimm Zi/

[bluepill]

I have had two outdoor units fail from getting wet. I like the idea of the propane bay - I'm going to try it with some kind of deflector to keep road water from splashing on it.

[texnet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wire Wrat What about the back side of the roof mouned airconditioner cover. I would think it would not get any moisture up there on the back side of the unit. Jimm Zi/

But it would get LOTS of heat from the A/C if it is running!

[DrivinMyHome]

I like most of these ideas. Keep 'em coming!!

For now I've decided to try suspending it in the propane bay and see how accurate the readings are. I'll post back in a week or two about the accuracy. If it doesn't work, I'd like to see as many ideas as you can give me...

[Wire Wrat]

I just mounted mine on the propane tank that is rarely used. I also placed my unit is a plastic sandwich bag, and used the new velcro straps to hold it onto the tank. The strap goes around the unit and between the spaces on the tank. Snug as a bug, and the water will have to find a way into the sandwich bag. Jimm Zi/

[frankdamp]

We have a LaCrosse indoor/outdoor min/max thermometer, rather than a full weather station. The LaCrosse tech guys said the outdoor transducer would not hold up well if subjected to vehicle-speed airflow.

I attached the outdoor bracket near the entry door, so it's shaded by the awning. we take the transducer in as part of the pre-departure checklist and put it out again when we've docked.