Members - keep in mind I'm asking the TS to consider the "Reset" process. I personally don't need an answer. I have a rain sensor on the roof. It's currently set that if 3/4 inch of rain fall will shut off the sprinklers. I have no desire to measure anything. The way my sensor works is there are some fiber pads that swell when wet. More rain more swelling. That swelling activates a microswitch to open the ground circuit in the sprinkler controller. No ground - no circuit for the sprinkler valves to operate. Water shuts off. After some time unbeknownst to me - the pads dry out and the sprinklers are able to run on schedule again.

Let me be clear before I get accused of hijacking a thread - I don't want or need an answer. I want the TS to consider that part of it. If you have a gauge that tips and empties itself at one inch, then detect the tip-over.

My thinking was on measuring the amount of rainfall. Whether it's an inch or a tenth of an inch, my thinking was how to measure that. Then suppose you get a tenth on Monday. Tuesday is warm, windy and dry. What was collected on Monday will likely have evaporated. Wednesday's rainfall may equal 95/100 of an inch and you still don't have your "Inch" of rainfall to tip the bucket.

Again - I'm not looking for an answer. I'm asking that these points be considered in the design of the TS measurement / alarm system.

OK, but the tilting bucket sensor is the answer to all those questions. To the resolution of the sensor, often .1” you just record the rainfall, nothing to evaporate, and any accumulation of data can be done entirely outside the sensor.

 

Pondering one approach - - - mount a tube on a spring bar. Measure the amount you want to detect. This case - one inch. Fill the tube to that level then mount and adjust the laser and sensor just till the beam is interrupted. When interrupted you have the exact weight and measurement of one inch. The longer the bar the more sensitive it is.