How To Set Up An Aneroid Barometer

Find Your Local Barometric Pressure Reading

To find your current local barometric pressure reading, Google “current barometric pressure [your suburb], for example, “current barometric pressure Montville”

There may not be a reading specifically for your town, however the closest weather station will be sufficient. The Bureau of Meteorology or Weatherzone websites seem to provide the most accurate information and you can select the weather station that is closest to your location.

Please note: Air pressure lowers as you increase in elevation. In other words, the higher you head in the atmosphere, there will be less weight/ pressure. If you live above sea level, you need to calibrate the instrument to what it would read at sea level, closest to your location. If you don't calibrate your barometer, but your location is at high altitude, it will show a low pressure reading, incorrectly indicating stronger winds, unsettled conditions, cloudiness and rainfall. 

Calibrating Your Barometer

Once you have your current pressure reading, use a small, flat nose screwdriver to turn the brass adjustment screw at the back of the barometer so the indicator hand points to the current barometric pressure. Turn the adjustment screw slowly- it may only need a quarter or half turn to adjust the indicator nut enough to reach the desired position. Note: if you are at a high altitude and the indicator hand is reading low, you will have to move the indicator hand around the dial in a clockwise direction from low to high pressure. If you move the indicator hand counter clockwise, you will run to the end of the operating range and the instrument will not work correctly. You can check this by moving the screw (in turn moving the hand) all the way to the high end of the pressure scale, and then reversing the direction, checking that it moves all the way back to the other end of the pressure scale. Under normal weather conditions, the indicator hand will be set around the 12 o'clock position, or 1014 hPa.

To read the barometer, you can move the reference hand to sit over the indicator hand. You do this by adjusting the hand knob on the face of the barometer. Please note this hand may be tight to move and is designed that way to hold the set position. 

Once the reference hand is set, you can read daily changes in barometric pressure by observing the difference between the indicator and the reference hand. As the pressure changes, the indicator hand will move slowly across the dial, leaving the reference hand behind. You can chart these movements over the course of a week to see how much the pressure has changed in your area. After you observe the reading, simply reset the reference hand over the indicator hand and continue to monitor the change.

Your barometer is now set and ready to use! Simply hang your barometer on a wall and start reading the weather today.

Things That May Affect Your Barometer

To get the best use out of your aneroid barometer, it’s important to know a few things:

1. The weather changes printed on the dial are not indicative of the current weather conditions. These indicate change - so a low pressure reading means generally windy / unsettled and rainy conditions, whilst a high pressure reading generally means fine, light winds and more settled conditions. So if the indicator hand is pointing towards rainy conditions, it may not actually be raining.

2. Air pressure readings are typically slow moving and often barely change, especially if the weather isn't variable in your area. This can cause one to think the instrument isn't working. A quick google search for the barometric pressure readings in your area over the past week or month will often show little or no change, as per your instrument. Another way to check your instrument is to place it in a large clear heavy plastic bag, gather the top together and then blow air into the bag and twist the top closed to create a balloon of air. Now push on the bag while keeping the top sealed closed to create more pressure inside and watch to see if the indicator hand moves with the change in pressure. If the hand is not responsive, then you may in fact have a faulty instrument.

3. Well sealed and air conditioned rooms may not have the same pressure level as your suburb/city. Standard rooms inside a house have no influence on the pressure level, however very well sealed rooms such as soundproof media rooms may exhibit a different pressure level.

4. Your pressure level will be exactly the same inside or outside the home, so there’s no need to put an indoor aneroid barometer outside. Only use dedicated outdoor weather stations and barometers for outdoor use, and be sure to keep these instruments away from direct elements like the rain. Outdoor weather stations are best kept under cover like a verandah.

5. Keep your barometer away from windy locations such as next to an open window, as this will affect the reading.

6. Keep your barometer out of direct sunlight as this will provide inaccurate readings

7. Aneroid barometers may not function correctly when they are 1000m or more above sea level in elevation, as the air pressure is too low to physically move the sensitive metal chamber inside the instrument.

Need More Help?

If you need more assistance with your barometer, or you think something is not quite right with the product, please contact Clock Shop by submitting a ticket using the link below:

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