Data collected from the measurement of water, rainfall, snow and ice is used to identify potential heavy rainfall, flash floods, potential cloudburst threats and drought conditions and is essential for institutions that require a constant and accurate environmental record.  

“Accurate and precise rainfall measurement data is an imperative for the successful tracking of weather-related trends. This data is of particular importance to the agricultural and winemaking sectors in order to plan their scheduling of planting, irrigation, harvesting and cropping. Mining, too, particularly blasting operations, as well as general industry, rely on weather data so that infrastructure, materials and equipment can be protected and  the safety of personnel ensured,” says Senseca South Africa MD Jan Grobler.

Senseca has introduced its HD2013, HD2015 Tipping Bucket range and its 400 cm2 HD2016 Weighing rain gauge instrumentation to deliver accurate rain measurement.

The HD2013 device is designed to capture precise rain measurement in any weather conditions, and it is constructed from corrosion-resistant materials to ensure a longer lifespan. For extreme conditions, the unit comes with an option of integrated heating to provide reliable performance even in freezing temperatures. The heating facility is automatically triggered at a temperature as low as 4 °C, to prevent snow buildup and ice formation

A removable filter prevents debris from obstructing the collector and non-adherent treatment ensures optimal water flow.

Reading of rainfall can be done by using a datalogger such as the rain indicator datalogger HD2013-DB or the HD33 series datalogger with built-in 4G/3G/General Packet Radio Service, or GPRS, modem for direct communication of the measured data to the Senseca Cloud service or to the user’s own secured server.

The HD2015 200 cm2 Tipping Bucket rain gauge offers all the technical, temperature and design specifications as the HD2013, but features a larger measuring inlet and meets World Meteorological Association specifications. It has a resolution of 0.1 mm/tip to 0.2 mm/tip or 0.5 mm/tip.

The Senseca HD2013 and HD2015 rain gauges are supplied ready-calibrated and the calibration value, or resolution, is shown on the instrument label.  An ISO 9001 calibration report is available upon request.

Both Tipping Bucket rain gauges can be installed on the ground or raised above the ground. 

The Senseca HD2016 400 cm2 Weighing rain gauge is used to detect the weight of rainfall, which is collected by its expansive measurement inlet. The Weighing rain gauge is equipped with a load cell sensor situated at the base of its reservoir which is designed to ensure precise measurement. It has an advanced internal electronic board that processes signals in real time.

The device can provide data for total rainfall, partial rainfall (from the last reset command or from the last reading command), and the average rainfall rate in the last minute or in the last hour. The data is saved into a non-volatile memory, which can retain information even during a power failure.

It includes wind-reducing features and an integrated Negative Temperature Coefficient, or NTC, temperature sensor. The HD2016 is designed to deliver stable and accurate measurement in all adverse weather conditions and offers reduced maintenance and a long operating lifespan.

The Senseca HD2016 is factory-calibrated and equipped with a self-diagnostic system. It is ready-for-use, offering easy installation and operation.