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Problem number 1

Earl

By Earl
in DIY Observatories

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Earl

Earl

Posted
Posted

Well last night I managed to get a few hours of data gathered however...

Condensation forms on the underside of the roof, this also happens in my garage when it piratically rains in there its that bad.

How do I counter this?

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Moonshane

Moonshane

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not sure really off the top of my head but you'd need to consider something glued on with an adhesive which would be water resistant and also heat resistant (sun exposure on the roof) I expect. never built anything like this myself. I am sure others must have a solution that's well tested.

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Budgie

Budgie

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I used to get this in my old Land Rover, not good on a cold morning when you brake for the first time!!

Any type of foam will do, the cheapest maybe something like the underlay for laminate flooring. Or you could go the whole hog and insulate it?

What type of roof is it?

Just thinking how easy it will be to fix the foam to the roof.

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Gina

Gina

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Yes, I agree, the roof needs insulating. We have galvanised corrugated iron on the goat shed and after a frosty night it too rains indoors! The small slope on it doesn't help - a steeper roof and the condensation drops would run down the roof and only drop at the beams. Another shed and the garage have asbestos roofs and there is no condensation. Asbestos is a good insulator. (But nowadays has to be specially treated to prevent any dust coming off it.)

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Gina

Gina

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I used to get this in my old Land Rover, not good on a cold morning when you brake for the first time!!

Any type of foam will do, the cheapest maybe something like the underlay for laminate flooring. Or you could go the whole hog and insulate it?

What type of roof is it?

Just thinking how easy it will be to fix the foam to the roof.

If it's corrugated, I think I would suggest polyether or polyurethane foam (the soft, flexible sort) and use a contact adhesive applied to the roof. I have an idea you can get self adhesive insulation but don't know, or if it would stick to the roof in question. One point is to make sure the roof is clean and dry when you apply insulation.
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steppenwolf

steppenwolf

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I'm so tempted to tell a saucy story about my first car, a Mini Van that I had when I was a student but the code of conduct and my position as a junior moderator would make this inadvisable :)

However, I used to suffer from this problem with the glass fibre roof of my observatory and dew also formed on my mount to the extent that it used to literally pour off it some mornings much to my utter dismay. The solution which has been 100% successful was to install a de-humidifier. I now know that all my observatory equipment is well protected every night and it is amazing how quickly late night condensation on the gear and ceiling of the dome is removed by the device - highly recommended.

That said, of course, insulating the roof will be a very good idea too but you will still get dew on other metal parts which is bad news and the de-humidifier will resolve that.

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Earl

Earl

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Some great ideas thanks guys, ill be insulating and ill get a dehumidifier also.

Remote mains control is also on my list, and WoL for the PC.

Once there done all i need to do is remote the roof LOL...... NO lets not go there... yet :)

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Psychobilly

Psychobilly

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I looked at the value of the kit it's "protecting" ... especially after having to strip and clean the CPC800 and the Megrez 72 ...

I actually leave more kit out there now as I know its not going to be a problem... I have a temp and humidity logger running out there and check to make sure the unit is still running every few days... It restarts automatically after power cuts... I did have a bug crawl up the drain ones which meant it diverted to the internal tank and cut-out when it was full...

I used aluminised foam (the stuff you put behind radiators) to line my obs roof... that reminds me - need to re do it as I had to remove it to get rid of the wasps nest...

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Budgie

Budgie

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Ooh, a wasp nest could spoil an evenings viewing.

The aluminised foam sounds like a good idea, I'd forgotten about that. That would be good for insulation and available at most B&Q's.

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Gina

Gina

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I looked at the value of the kit it's "protecting" ... especially after having to strip and clean the CPC800 and the Megrez 72 ...
Yes, I'd thought of that and a good point :)
I actually leave more kit out there now as I know its not going to be a problem... I have a temp and humidity logger running out there and check to make sure the unit is still running every few days... It restarts automatically after power cuts... I did have a bug crawl up the drain ones which meant it diverted to the internal tank and cut-out when it was full...
I shall have one of my weather station receiver units in the warm room so that will log the temperature and humidity. I'm just wondering though if dehumidifier and sensors will want duplicating in the observatory part.
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Budgie

Budgie

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I shall have one of my weather station receiver units in the warm room so that will log the temperature and humidity. I'm just wondering though if dehumidifier and sensors will want duplicating in the observatory part.

You could use something like the 1-Wire system, it's not wireless but as the name suggests, it's only one CAT5 cable run from the sensors to the PC and you can add the sensors that you want in a "daisy chain".

Two temp/hum sensors and a USB adaptor and you're sorted. :)

It takes about 10 days to arrive from the States and I'm not sure if it'll integrate with Cumulus software but it does with Weather Display. :D

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JamesF

JamesF

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You could use something like the 1-Wire system, it's not wireless but as the name suggests, it's only one CAT5 cable run from the sensors to the PC and you can add the sensors that you want in a "daisy chain".

Two temp/hum sensors and a USB adaptor and you're sorted. :)

It takes about 10 days to arrive from the States and I'm not sure if it'll integrate with Cumulus software but it does with Weather Display. :(

As the name doesn't suggest though, it's not 1 wire :D

However, an aquaintance of mine sells some of the 1-wire stuff in the UK if you want it faster:

HomeChip

For temperature sensors though, I picked a whole tube of them up from fleabay for pence each. I think I just put the legs into a "chocolate block" and wired them up like that.

James

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JamesF

JamesF

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is it possible to buy spray on foam in a can? a bit like the stuff builders use to fill gaps?

I've used it for various jobs, including some the god of DIY won't ever let me into heaven for, but it's horrible to work with and not at all cheap in volume. Most DIY stores sell it.

You can get some that you mix up yourself which I imagine is cheaper but even more horrible to work with.

James

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