Mierij Meteo’s rain gauge is an instrument used to measure the amount of rainfall. It is built to work under extreme conditions with high precision and reliability. The instrument features a funnel to capture rain. The funnel is made to provide precise measurement and avoid any loss of rain drops. It funnels rainwater to a gold plated double bucket which accumulates the water. Once a bucket is full it tips over and empties. The gold plating and the special bucket shape ensure proper emptying of the bucket. When the bucket tips, a reed contact mounted close to the bucket is activated and generates a signal. The bucket only tips when a certain amount of water has gathered inside it.
The water from the bucket passes through stainless steel pipes and leaves the instrument via outlets in the base plate. These outlets are screened with stainless steel mesh (against animals). The buckets are available in capacities that correspond with precipitation of 0.1 mm. If needed, the rain gauge can be delivered with a heater inside (MR 22 H) such that also snow can be measured as precipitation. The heater is controlled by a thermostat mounted on the inside of the funnel which activates the heater at around 3°C.
The Rain gauge models MR 22 and the MR 22 (H) meet the requirements of the WMO (World Meteorological Organization) specifications.