Meteorology Sensors

PG-4 High Capacity All Season Standpipe Precipitation Gauge

The PG-4 High Capacity All Season Standpipe Precipitation Gauge is designed for measuring both rain and snow precipitation at remote field sites. It consists of a 380 mm (15") diameter vertical PVC pipe 1.5 meters in length with a bottom end PVC sealing plate. A pressure transducer is mounted externally to the bottom plate and connected to a 14 cm copper stillwell tube inside the pipe.

During the initial setup, the gauge is charged with about 20 cm (20 liters) of environmentally safe antifreeze and topped off with mineral oil to prevent evaporation. The pressure transducer output provides a reading of the total amount of fluid in the precipitation gauge. To inhibit freezing as the antifreeze becomes diluted with increasing precipitation, a 12-volt pump is used to circulate the fluid inside the precipitation gauge. A data logger, such as the Neon or Starlog Data Logger, can record the pressure transducer output and control the pump power. The gauge is typically mounted on a tower or scaffolding to keep it above the snow pack.

Specifications