Outdoor setups

[Anthonyexmouth]

Are there any issues with leaving a refractor outdoors permanently? I plan on leaving the HEQ5 undercover on a pier but was wondering what else could be left outside safely. 

[paul mc c]

I had my 12" SCT set up outside under a weather proof cover for well over a year and never had a problem.

[Stu]

Likewise I left a scope and mount out for a long period of time under a good cover with no issues. I checked it regularly and aired it every now and then, apart from normal use of course. I made sure I always dried it off after a long session and as said, no problems,

[Demonperformer]

Only one word of caution ... how secure is the area from sticky fingered individuals?

[souls33k3r]

Been thinking of doing the same, putting it under a good cover and then also have some puppy heat pads installed. Would also be interested to see what others have come up with.

[ollypenrice]

My kit - and as an astronomy provider there's a lot of it - lives in unheated observatories throughout the year - in the south of France, be it said, though at altitude. Would I leave my kit under a high quality cover, unheated, outside, in my environment at all times of year? No. And in GB? No. But if I put a very low wattage heater, like a pet warmer, under the cover then Yes, that changes everything.

Olly

[DaveS]

Although dismantled for moving my imaging rig (Two imaging scopes, cameras, filters etc) has lived under a Telegizmos 365 cover with a low power puppy pad to keep the dew away. The mount gets an occasional most of silicone water repellent spray.

[DaveS]

Um... that should be *mist*

Stupid autocorrect.

Stupid again. Um, not I'm

[Anthonyexmouth]

59 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

My kit - and as an astronomy provider there's a lot of it - lives in unheated observatories throughout the year - in the south of France, be it said, though at altitude. Would I leave my kit under a high quality cover, unheated, outside, in my environment at all times of year? No. And in GB? No. But if I put a very low wattage heater, like a pet warmer, under the cover then Yes, that changes everything.

Olly

would you have the heater on all the time or on a timer?

[ian_bird]

Mine's been outside, mount, OTA, camera, electronics and all for 8 years now.

As Olly said - the trick is the heated puppy pads. Mine are on a thermostatic controller.

And because I'm a geek - it's a thermostatic controller with built in GSM - so it can send me a text message if it loses power. And I can text it to see what the temperature is under the covers. But that's probably overkill.

As long as your security is OK - it's a good solution.

Cheers.

Ian

[Anthonyexmouth]

Just now, ian_bird said:

Mine's been outside, mount, OTA, camera, electronics and all for 8 years now.

As Olly said - the trick is the heated puppy pads. Mine are on a thermostatic controller.

And because I'm a geek - it's a thermostatic controller with built in GSM - so it can send me a text message if it loses power. And I can text it to see what the temperature is under the covers. But that's probably overkill.

As long as your security is OK - it's a good solution.

Cheers.

Ian

thats got me thinking, could install a short underfloor heating element in the concrete pour when i do the pier. 

[ollypenrice]

1 hour ago, Anthonyexmouth said:

would you have the heater on all the time or on a timer?

In my case the weather's either damp or absolutely not damp at all (ie most of the time) so I'd do it manually. Given the trivial current draw I'd probably leave it on if in doubt, so to speak.

Olly