Adding Decoration and Functionality Using Weather Instruments

by Belfort Instrument ~ April 8, 2008

Author: Jonathan Goodman

Weather instruments are both utilitarian and look great as decorative pieces indoors and outdoors. Apart from this they make great gifts that you will be remembered for, for a long time. Some of the most common weather instruments are:

* Barometers

* Thermometers

* Hygrometers

* Outdoor clocks

Barometers

A Barometer is used to measure air pressure and shows whether the pressure is rising or falling. When the barometer rises, it indicates sunny and dry conditions while a falling barometer indicates stormy and wet weather. The first ever barometer was built by the Italian scientist Torricelli in 1643.

Thermometers

Thermometers measure the temperature. A majority of thermometers are closed glass tubes that contain alcohol or mercury. As the air around the tube heats the liquid, the liquid expands and move up the tube. A scale on the thermometer shows the corresponding temperature.

There are different kinds of thermometers like the digital thermometer, Galileo thermometer, mercury thermometers and dial thermometers.

Galileo thermometers are available in a variety of designs and they are great conversation pieces. Regardless of whether your decor is antique or modern, a Galileo thermometer will add value to it.

The Galileo thermometer comes with colored glass spheres weighted precisely to respond to changes in temperature by rising or falling in a glass cylinder filled with liquid. The sphere that floats the lowest indicates current air temperature. Each Galileo thermometer sphere is dual calibrated for accuracy.

You will find that as ambient temperature rises the spheres descend one by one. The ones above ambient temperature remain floating at the top of the fluid. The actual temperature that is shown by a numbered medallion that hangs from the bottom of each sphere is of the lowest sphere that is still floating.

To look attractive, the decorative Galileo thermometer is available with different colored spheres.

Another type of thermometer is the dial thermometer that can be of various types. Bimetal thermometers use a bimetal spring to sense the temperature, while liquid or gas filled thermometers use gas or vapor. The dial display shows you the temperature in both Fahrenheit or Celsius, in addition to other readings. Dial thermometers are mostly used in industrial and lab applications.

Digital thermometers are of course the most prevalent today as they are easy to read.

Hygrometers

Hygrometers are used to measure the relative humidity in the air. There are various kinds of hygrometers. These devices are delicate and need to be calibrated so that they show accurate results. Hygrometers are easy to use and are also called humidity sensors. If you have one at home, you can tell whether your house has too much or too little humidity. Once you find out, you can take steps to regulate it. If the relative humidity in your house is too low, you can raise it. If it is too high, you can lower it.

There are devices where you can measure both humidity and temperature, making them a hygrometer cum room thermometer.

Outdoor clocks

There is an amazing range of outdoor clocks available to decorate your patio or backyard. These outdoor clocks are weatherproof, which means you can have them out in both summer and winter. You also get thermometer clocks and wall clocks for outdoor use.

Outdoor clocks are made of resins, metals and woods and you can select one that matches your decor or theme. These decorative timepieces look stylish and charming and make good conversation pieces.

Other interesting weather instruments are the rain gauge that shows the amount of rainfall over a particular period, a wind vane that tells you the direction from which the wind is blowing and an anemometer that that measures the speed of the wind.