Why home weather stations require the right battery

Weather stations that can be used by people at home are quite useful weather instruments for monitoring one’s immediate surroundings. These tools have the ability to provide information that the meteorologist cannot. There are many different types of weather instruments that offer excellent utility and accurate information for a variety of activities, including sports, research, professional photography, adventure travel, and farming, etc. A weather station in your home can be very useful, especially in the fall and winter months, during which the weather can be quite unpredictable. The weather during the summer is quite predictable, but the winter months, especially in the colder regions of the United States of America and Canada, can be quite dangerous.

Unfortunately, even if you buy one of the best home weather station brands, it’s the batteries that often present a problem. The colder the weather, the worse its performance. Compared to automotive batteries, which provide specific warnings about battery performance over various seasons, the batteries used in these weather instruments are notable for their lack of this information. Since batteries form an important part of the station system, it is important not only to be able to choose the right battery, but also to understand the difference between the different types.

Alkaline batteries: These batteries are good for the weather station sensor located outside your home during mild summers and cold winters. However, as it gets colder, below freezing, the chemicals in the battery start to have problems and weaken and can stop working altogether. However, new alkaline batteries can still work down to 0 degrees Celsius. If your battery is weak, take it inside to warm it up and use it again.

NiMh rechargeable batteries – If you are in a really cold region where temperatures during the winter months often drop below 0 degrees, it is best to buy NiMh rechargeable batteries. These batteries work down to levels of -10 degrees C, however you will need to recharge them more often to keep your weather station working.

AA Lithium Batteries – A new entrant to the market, these AA-size lithium batteries are great for cold weather. They work even at temperatures as low as -30 degrees. However, unlike NiMh batteries, these batteries cannot be recharged and should not be used in the NiMh AA charger.

In case you have a portable weather station that works with remote sensors and has an LCD screen, it is possible that, even when using Li batteries, the screen tends to freeze below 0 degrees. The reason for this is that LCD screens cannot work in very cold conditions. However, keep the weather meter indoors by exposing it to the outside environment only when you need to check the weather and just trust the device. In any case, weather stations display the data indoors and will indicate a problem, if one exists.