Weather stations are costly, and if you don’t want to invest money into buying a protective exterior, you can choose to build one. It may sound complicated, but there are steps you can take DIYing your home weather station enclosure.
This station box will be just as capable as some models on the market, but it must be made correctly to avoid being damaged by the outdoor environment. Either way, it’s a quick fix that can help you learn how to build a weather station box.
Contents
Why Build a Protective Exterior Box
The first step you’ll need to take is to make a protective exterior that allows air to pass through it. Home crafted weather station boxes aren’t as durable as ones on the market, which is why it’s best to start with finding protective materials.
The box should be able to prevent water, sunlight, and moisture from seeping into the system. This will help avoid an inaccurate reading as well. If you want an accurate weather station, then you will find a protective box that is made out of plastic, wood, or another durable material.
After the sides of the box have been chosen, you will need to make a protective screen which helps prevent moisture and direct sunlight. The display will need to have one roof that blocks out the sun and another that prevents rain from seeping in.
How to Build a Weather Station Box
Now that we’ve listed why we need the protective exterior, we can then focus on building the weather station box.
Materials
For this you will need:
- A laser cutter with 40W or more power
- 8⅛ inches thick plywood; at least 12 inches by 20.
- Waterproof glue
- 12 hobby clamps
- Paper towels
- Extra materials in case you mess up
Steps
Here is the detailed process of building a weather station box:
Step 1: Laser Some Louvres
The initial step is to determine how many louvers you want to include in this weather box. While it’s not necessary to go all out in this step, you may be able to get away with drilling some holes. However, louvers are the best when it comes to propelling moisture and water away from the weather station.
Cut evenly at least 18 louvers using your laser cutter and repeat this until you have at least 108 evenly cut louvers. This will provide you with enough to layer 27 on each side of the screen.
Once this is together, you will need to attach them to the other boards. Cut out six louver indents where you can place the louvers and continue to the next step.
Step 2: Assemble Louvres
Start by placing the cutouts down on the table and lay them so that you can weave the louvers into the cutouts. This should be similar to weaving a basket and isn’t too hard.
Once all of the slots have louvers in them, you will want to place another louver side on the top with the open ends and put the louvers through. Continue pushing more louvers until you have all of them inside the cutout. Louvers may pop out, so it’s essential to have at least one other person who can assist you.
Step 3: Gluing the Louvres
Next, place a few paper towels down on your table and take the louver side and coat it with the glue. Smear the blank louver side and make sure it’s well covered with glue.
After this, use clamps to help hold together the sides, as this will keep the louvers in place. Repeat this until you’ve found all the sides and let them sit for a day to dry.
Step 4: Box Materials and Tools
Once you’ve crafted the sides, you will need to create the bottom, roof, and a frame for the assembled louvers. For this you will need;
- Six inches of 2 x 2 board
- A ¼-inch thickness of 12 x 40 plywood
- Two- and three-inch screws
- White primer paint
- White glass paint
- Silicone sealer
- Drill bit set
- Table saw
- Drill
Step 5: Cutting the Top and Bottom
You’ll need to cut your wood into two 12 x 12 inches blocks of wood. This will suffice for the top and base of the weather box.
Step 6: Cut Framework and Attach
Next, cut a 10.5-inch and 11.5-inch post which will be used as supports. Start to assemble the base and then place them together.
You’ll need to center the louvers before pressing them along with the framework you just cut. Drill two screw holes located on each frame and then attach the base to the framework using the two-inch screws.
Step 7: Place Frames Together
Take the framework and the louver sections and place them together. You will want three of the louver sections attached on the right, left, and back of the box. The top and bottom should be the 12 x 12 inches cutouts of woof, and the frames can then be drilled together.
Step 8: Sealing and Painting
Once you have all of the pieces attached, the last step is to seal the exterior with a weather resistant coating. Use water-resistant glue to help prevent water from seeping through any loose boards or cracks and then spray with the primer paint and white glass paint. The last coating will be the silicone sealer.
Step 9: Securing
Using the 2×2-inch board, secure it to the middle of the box and place the sensors inside. This will function as a pole, except it will be supporting most of the sensors.
Lastly, secure the sensors inside the weather box and connect any wires if you’re not using a wireless box. You’ll want to secure the box shut using screws, or you can alternatively create a door using the last piece of louvers.
Conclusion
Those are the steps to how to build a weather station box. It can be a bit complicated to understand with writing, so we highly suggest that you find a video to help guide you through the steps if you get lost. Other than that, there may be methods to create your weather station box out of different materials, but the one discussed above is a good starting point.