Any way to use it in the rain?

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SilasGreenback
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Joined: Fri May 22, 2020 11:55 am

Any way to use it in the rain?

Post by SilasGreenback »

As the title says. So far 0 success in the rain. I get sensible readings for maybe 20mins tops then max power sometimes even in single digits as the wind tube gets blocked.

Given the UK weather is 92.6% rain, 7% heavy cloud and 0.4% sun i was hoping to be able to use it a bit more!
Velocomp
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Re: Any way to use it in the rain?

Post by Velocomp »

There are two places where sufficient rain can cause problems:

1) water plugging the wind port
2) water plugging the baro port (the small port on the bottom side of PP)

I recommend that you mount PP on your handlebars, away from the front wheel spray that comes up from the front tire. That will reduce the possibility of water plugging the baro port.

Make sure you're using one of our pitot tubes.

Also, make sure your pitot tube is pointed down, so that any rain entering it can flow out more easily.

If these measures don't work, you can try extending the length of your pitot tube even more with a tight-fitting straw. You'll need to recalibrate your unit, but the longer tube will make it even more difficult for water to plug the port.
John Hamann
SilasGreenback
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Re: Any way to use it in the rain?

Post by SilasGreenback »

Will give it a try thanks. Got mudguards and pitot tube so will try and angle down more.

Re: calibration do i need to do that with angle changes too or will it self adjust?
Velocomp
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Re: Any way to use it in the rain?

Post by Velocomp »

If the angle change is small (less than 20 degrees down) then you probably don't need to do a new cal ride. Post a ride file.
John Hamann
spangelsaregreat
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Re: Any way to use it in the rain?

Post by spangelsaregreat »

Unfortunately in reality nothing will really stop the PP from working in the rain. I have the pitot tube, tried changing the angle of the PP but the port still gets blocked after a while (20 minutes is about my time too). There is occasions where it does not block in the rain but they are a rarity. I accept it as a known limitation of the device and revert back to HR.

Regards
Velocomp
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Re: Any way to use it in the rain?

Post by Velocomp »

spangelsaregreat wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 8:01 pm Unfortunately in reality nothing will really stop the PP from working in the rain. I have the pitot tube, tried changing the angle of the PP but the port still gets blocked after a while (20 minutes is about my time too). There is occasions where it does not block in the rain but they are a rarity. I accept it as a known limitation of the device and revert back to HR.

Regards
Where is your unit located on your bike? If it is on a front mount, directly above the tires, it is likely that the baro port (small hole on the bottom side of PP) is getting plugged. This will have the same effect as plugging the wind port.
John Hamann
spangelsaregreat
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Re: Any way to use it in the rain?

Post by spangelsaregreat »

No, located on handlebars off centre of front wheel.
spangelsaregreat
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Re: Any way to use it in the rain?

Post by spangelsaregreat »

On a related note John, would a pitot tube with a right angle in it help reduce the impact of water blocking the port?
Velocomp
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Re: Any way to use it in the rain?

Post by Velocomp »

spangelsaregreat wrote: Thu Oct 29, 2020 5:08 pm On a related note John, would a pitot tube with a right angle in it help reduce the impact of water blocking the port?
I don't understand what you are suggesting. Please post a picture of your idea.
John Hamann
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lorduintah
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Re: Any way to use it in the rain?

Post by lorduintah »

https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead ... hBT&adurl=


Instead of a straight tube, one the has an angle to it - not sure how well this would work in the PP situation or if you would even need two right angles to get the opening facing the direction the bike is moving in.

It would probably require the current opening to be reworked to accommodate the proper right angle

.
440px-Pitot_tube_types.svg.png
440px-Pitot_tube_types.svg.png (17.41 KiB) Viewed 4225 times
spangelsaregreat
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Re: Any way to use it in the rain?

Post by spangelsaregreat »

Yes that is what I meant (picture, thousand words and all that).
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