Garden sheds

[bish]

Hello all

My scope currently sits in an unheated veranda by the patio.  Quick and easy with not much cool down time.

My wife now wants the space so it looks like I will be putting a new shed up the top of the garden. There are some surrounding trees and bushes to cut back and a patio burried in garden waste (looks like a skip is needed).

Does anybody else keep their scope in a shed? I have a cover for it. Are there any modifications I should do? A roll off roof is probably beyond my DIY skills!

cheers

[cloudsweeper]

Meet the Dobhouse, Bish.   I only keep the Dob there (of course!) - the fracs and SCT live indoors, but Mrs Sweeper just about tolerates them!  There is some natural ventilation between the roof and the sides, and I periodically turn on a fan heater (cold setting) to move the air about as well.  If the 'scope is dewy, I then apply some hot air to drive the moisture away.  Seems to work well - no problems with dampness or mustiness at all.

Doug.

[bish]

7 minutes ago, cloudsweeper said:

Meet the Dobhouse, Bish.   I only keep the Dob there (of course!) - the fracs and SCT live indoors, but Mrs Sweeper just about tolerates them!  There is some natural ventilation between the roof and the sides, and I periodically turn on a fan heater (cold setting) to move the air about as well.  If the 'scope is dewy, I then apply some hot air to drive the moisture away.  Seems to work well - no problems with dampness or mustiness at all.

Doug.

Thanks Doug, that’s great. Your set up is just what I had in mind.

[Macavity]

I have no doubt this matter has been variously discussed before on SGL.
But I am in a similar position... My (singleton) home is too small for ****! ?

I am lucky enough to have an observatory! I have relegated all *hardware*
(The metal-only stuff) to this "shed"... along with my long-surviving HEQ5!

I am contemplating shifting scopes outside too. My ST102 drew the short
straw on this one! lol. I will be keeping all my (albeit budget!) ED scopes,
Clearly my Lunt and all small optics can/will in an under-stairs cupboard. ?

I do wonder. I SENSE it well worthwhile adding some form of additional
protection to scopes... A simple cover... A pukka case (for smaller ones)
I have room for (and bought) one of those Office-Style Grey Cupboards. ?

[Craney]

Blimey @bish  your shed has a carpet  !!!! ......   well posh.

[bish]

40 minutes ago, Craney said:

Blimey @bish  your shed has a carpet  !!!! ......   well posh.

That’s Doug’s shed - but I think I have some old carpet I could put down.  Might as well make it homely?

[Peter Drew]

Don't forget to make room for the Hoover and carpet shampooer!   ?

[Craney]

32 minutes ago, bish said:

That’s Doug’s shed - but I think I have some old carpet I could put down.  Might as well make it homely?

Oops!  ... my bad.

Re-play....   Blimey @cloudsweeper  your shed has a carpet  !!!! ......   well posh.

.... and I live in Harrogate.... before anybody else says it !!!

[cloudsweeper]

20 minutes ago, Craney said:

Blimey @cloudsweeper  your shed has a carpet  !!!! ......   well posh.

.... and I live in Harrogate.... before anybody else says it !!!

Not all that posh - notice the two offcuts are mismatched.  You wouldn't get that in Harrogate, and I bet they even use underlay there!

Doug.

[Craney]

For one thing, in Harrogate we have non-residential storage facilities rather than sheds, and one must insist on a deep pile wool Axminster to prevent scraping the Dob base... one really must.

[mikeDnight]

I'd never keep a refractor in a shed/observatory if it was light enough to carry, but I'd have no worries about leaving a Newtonian permenantly set up.

A shed is a great idea, but if you can turn it into a run-off roof observatory you'll certainly reap the rewards, as will your scope. Perhaps you could befriend a local astro society where there will be enthusiastic amateurs more than willing to help in the construction of a run-off observatory.

I thought about a ready made she'd when I was given the go-ahead for an observatory by my owner. In the end I built my own from 3/4" ply and 3" by 2", then externally clad with white plastic cladding which reflects the heat very effectively. Very cosy!

 

 L=8', W=7', H from internal floor level to top of wall when roof is open = 6' 6".

[Craney]

@mikeDnight.... are you in the Health & Safety business ??   

They look like non-slip panels on the vertical surfaces...??     Roll-on-Roll-Over  Observatory ??

[mikeDnight]

38 minutes ago, Craney said:

@mikeDnight.... are you in the Health & Safety business ??   

They look like non-slip panels on the vertical surfaces...??     Roll-on-Roll-Over  Observatory ??

It's my padded cell!

The floor is covered with black interlocking exercise matting, which keeps feet warm, prevents breakages and cleans easily. The walls are indeed also covered in black matting as it absorbs light and aids in dark adaption. The rubber mat around the steel pier is the most recent addition, as when leaning against the cold steel in the middle of winter can be uncomfortable. I'm getting soft in my old age! The white top to the pier keeps my hand warm when resting against the control knob, and the Styrofoam block on the counter balance arm is there to protect anyone who comes into contact with it in the dark, confined space of the observatory. A few years ago a good friend who was observing with me, walked eye socket first right into the end of the arm. There was blood everywhere!  I'm determined it will never happen again!!

[Gina]

Very sensible!

[Wyvern]

And not forgetting that eyepieces bounce better on rubber or carpeted floor.............. Trust me,    it'll happen.

 

Les

[niallk]

I'd be a little worried about mirror coating failure... unless a low wattage electric heater is an option or something.

[bish]

31 minutes ago, niallk said:

I'd be a little worried about mirror coating failure... unless a low wattage electric heater is an option or something.

Thanks. What would be the cause, cold temperature,  change in temperature, damp? I have power going to a green house at the top of the garden so it wouldn't be too much problem to put power into the shed.

[cloudsweeper]

1 minute ago, bish said:

Thanks. What would be the cause, cold temperature,  change in temperature, damp? I have power going to a green house at the top of the garden so it wouldn't be too much problem to put power into the shed.

Getting power in is well worth the trouble.  I had to get the living room floor up, drill the wall, open a trench across a flower bed and patio, take the cable into the brick shed, run it across, out through the far wall, then through space and into the Dobhouse.  So now there's heat, light, and a powered up laptop with Stellarium and internet going while observing.  Really takes it all to a higher level!

Doug.

[bish]

13 minutes ago, cloudsweeper said:

Getting power in is well worth the trouble.  I had to get the living room floor up, drill the wall, open a trench across a flower bed and patio, take the cable into the brick shed, run it across, out through the far wall, then through space and into the Dobhouse.  So now there's heat, light, and a powered up laptop with Stellarium and internet going while observing.  Really takes it all to a higher level!

Doug.

Blimey, doesn't seem so bad now, having to get  power from the greenhouse to the shed.

[niallk]

1 hour ago, bish said:

Thanks. What would be the cause, cold temperature,  change in temperature, damp? I have power going to a green house at the top of the garden so it wouldn't be too much problem to put power into the shed.

Yes - repeated temperature changes and moisture forming on surfaces.  I believe some people on SGL have experienced and reported issues.