Garden Pier ..

[Brian28]

I’m going to install a pier in my garden , as my garden is too small to set up an obsy .. 

So I’m just wondering what others do or suggest in regards of covering the mount when not in use ..  

I will be installing a MESU200 on the pier , but will I need to remove it when not in use , or can I wrap it up .. my concerns are the damp

Obviously.. .....  I will be removing the scopes if not being used for a few days 
 

any thoughts or suggestions appreciated..   

Brian 

Edited January 23, 2020 by Brian28

[Saganite]

Hi Brian,

For the same reason as yourself, I installed a pier with an NEQ6 atop and covered with a cycle cover from a well known Automotive retailer. This is the third winter with no problems, being left under cover all year round. Apart from the observing sessions I remove the cover from time to time, and that's it....no problems.

I have, since this picture, put a stone circle around the pier, and a curved trellis wall with drapes on the inside to exclude light , and it is all rather cosy....

Edited January 23, 2020 by Saganite

[Brian28]

Thanks Steve .. Is the mount damp when you remove the cover ? 

[WanderingEye]

Hi,

I recently installed a pier in my garden, with the intention of leaving my EQ8 on it all the time and just bringing it my scope and camera, so I fitted it all, and had a waterproof breathable cover made to measure, and after a few days it was all good, then a few days later it was drenched in condensation and I thought I had ruined my mount... 😮, I have no idea why this happened, as many people, example above just throw a cover over and all is good 🤔, so anyway after trawling the Internet, I read a post somewhere that said a breathable cover is not always a good idea and to use a telegizmo 365, which are NOT breathable but have the silver lining to stop heat build up and also to secure it well around the bottom with a large desiccant pack inside to remove any moisture....and this has been superb, not a drop of moisture, and the desiccant packs are re chargeable by plugging in the mains for 12 hours, and last for ages in such a small space... I reckon I could leave my scopes on too....

So that’s what worked for me, the problem with condensation is that it can come and go in a few days, so unless you check under the cover almost every day, you might not even know it was there until it’s too late and electronics are ruined....

HTH

[Brian28]

Ok that sounds interesting as well .. 👍

where do these desiccant packs come from may I ask ?    
 

cheers Brian

[WanderingEye]

7 minutes ago, Brian28 said:

Ok that sounds interesting as well .. 👍

where do these desiccant packs come from may I ask ?    
 

cheers Brian

These ones came off ebay, £20 for a pack of two, so one can be I use and a second one to swap with...

similar to these...
 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/132929937389

I really don’t understand all the people that just seem to throw any old cover over a mount and never have issues with condensation, or do they, but don’t see it...as they don’t check every few days.... I found it to be a real problem, and that was with a bespoke good quality cover....🤔

Edited January 23, 2020 by WanderingEye

[carastro]

I regularly leave the mount outside for up to 5/6 days at a time when I am at Astro camp which is on grass. Last weekend I left it up from Friday to Tuesday morning at Davey T's.  It's covered with a long scope cover, if the daytime is dry I sometimes take the scope cover off to give it all some air and dry off any damp bits.  Davey T said his is outside all the time and he does the same and also puts a heated pet blanket inside the cover which is tied with a bungey.

I think you would be wise to bring in scopes and cameras if not being used for a while though, i.e,. during the Moon phases.  

Carole 

Edited January 23, 2020 by carastro

[Davey-T]

As Carole said I have mine permanently outside with a pet warming blanket under the cover, this runs of a 12volt golf trolley battery that has a 25watt solar panel to charge it although it doesn't charge sufficiently in the short winter days so I have to put a charger on it.

Keeps it dew free under the cover which I had made by a company that make car covers.

Dave

[Brian28]

Thanks Guys , all very interesting with some good ideas .. .I think I will definitely run a permanent power supply to the pier as well , sounds like it could be useful even when the scopes are not in use ! 😉 

[Saganite]

30 minutes ago, Brian28 said:

Thanks Steve .. Is the mount damp when you remove the cover ? 

Brian,

Thanks to a shoulder injury, I have not used this mount and refractor since last August and certainly the cover has not come off since probably November. I have just today removed it for a check, there is a slight feeling of dampness/coldness, but there usually is. I flicked the switch and it powered up immediately, and worked fine.

[x6gas]

+1 for the Telegizmos 365.  Expensive but I've had mine for 8 years and it's still going strong.

As with others it's sometimes just covering the pier, sometimes the mount for a few days / weeks and sometimes the whole setup for a day or two...

[Brian28]

9 minutes ago, Saganite said:

Brian,

Thanks to a shoulder injury, I have not used this mount and refractor since last August and certainly the cover has not come off since probably November. I have just today removed it for a check, there is a slight feeling of dampness/coldness, but there usually is. I flicked the switch and it powered up immediately, and worked fine.

Thanks Steve 

[AbsolutelyN]

My mount is always outside, covered with 2 big rubble sacks to waterproof and then a cheap scope cover. I keep a couple of dew heater strips wrapped around the mount all the time to provide some heat to prevent moisture buildup.  

[Saganite]

8 minutes ago, Brian28 said:

Thanks Guys , all very interesting with some good ideas .. .I think I will definitely run a permanent power supply to the pier as well , sounds like it could be useful even when the scopes are not in use ! 😉 

Definiteley a big plus for me. Lugging an 85 amp /hr leisure battery from the garage to the pier  for the first year or two lost its appeal in spite of the simplicity..

[spillage]

You could always make a wooden frame to go over the mount. This would keep the waterproof material off the scope and if you leave a gap at the bottom allow the air to circulate. 

[WanderingEye]

The desiccant units are ideal to use under a cover, and can be re charged in 12 hours, but buy a pack of two.... so you always have one ready...

I guess the solution is, either remove any moisture, to stop condensation, or heat up the area to stop it, both seem to work... 👍

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/132929937389

[Brian28]

Believe me I will go “belt and braces” desiccant units , heater blankets, and covers ..  ✊️

[souls33k3r]

2 hours ago, Saganite said:

Hi Brian,

For the same reason as yourself, I installed a pier with an NEQ6 atop and covered with a cycle cover from a well known Automotive retailer. This is the third winter with no problems, being left under cover all year round. Apart from the observing sessions I remove the cover from time to time, and that's it....no problems.

I have, since this picture, put a stone circle around the pier, and a curved trellis wall with drapes on the inside to exclude light , and it is all rather cosy....

Sorry Brian not trying to hijack your thread by any means and since I'm in the market for the exact solution as yourself so I wanted to find out from Steve (since I don't drive so I don't get the hint), can you share the link to this cover? Pm me if you need to if this goes against the rules of posting it publicly. 

Thanks 

Edited January 23, 2020 by souls33k3r

[Jkulin]

Hi Brian,

I leave my Mount, scope, camera, filters, in fact everything outside under a 365 and an ENS cover and have done with all my equipment since getting a permanganate pier, I'm up and running in 5 mins. I tend to regularly check the PA as taking the covers on and off gives me a small concern with accuracy, but that's it, I leave plenty of room underneath so that everything can breath: -

[Carbon Brush]

Very good advice from the above posts.

One thing missed (by us scope enthusiasts) is the appearance.
There are certain non-astro folks who don't want a stick with a bag on top in the middle of the garden!😒

Somewhere (I don't remember where) a few years back I saw a fibre glass ornamental dovecote used to cover a mount.
I think it had been hacksawed in half and a weather seal on the joint.
It made it easy to lift off or replace each night.

If you don't want a dovecote, then I'm sure you could fit an ex children's playground cartoon figure or whatever🤔

David.

[Brian28]

1 hour ago, Carbon Brush said:

Very good advice from the above posts.

One thing missed (by us scope enthusiasts) is the appearance.
There are certain non-astro folks who don't want a stick with a bag on top in the middle of the garden!😒

Somewhere (I don't remember where) a few years back I saw a fibre glass ornamental dovecote used to cover a mount.
I think it had been hacksawed in half and a weather seal on the joint.
It made it easy to lift off or replace each night.

If you don't want a dovecote, then I'm sure you could fit an ex children's playground cartoon figure or whatever🤔

David.

I’ll live with a bag ..  and so will the wife ! ✊️

[Brian28]

2 hours ago, Jkulin said:

Hi Brian,

I leave my Mount, scope, camera, filters, in fact everything outside under a 365 and an ENS cover and have done with all my equipment since getting a permanganate pier, I'm up and running in 5 mins. I tend to regularly check the PA as taking the covers on and off gives me a small concern with accuracy, but that's it, I leave plenty of room underneath so that everything can breath: -

 

Hi John ,  what’s a 365 & ENS cover ? .... 

I am hoping to leave the mount outside , and after reading the comments received so far that all seems doable with out detrimental effect to the equipment .. I will leave the scopes set up if there are periods of clear skies forecast , otherwise I will remove and store back in my workshop ..  

 

[Alan White]

Hi Brian,

365 is 365 Astronomy and ENS is ENS OPtical, both have branded covers.
Be interested to see the pier when done.
You hit me as very brave to leave a Mesu mount out inside a bag, why not a push away small housing or similar?

 

[Carbon Brush]

Alan's push away suggestion reminds me of a Norfolk SGL members solution. A Tardis!

Open the doors and push the 'shed' backwards on rails to reveal everything set up and ready to go.

[souls33k3r]

36 minutes ago, Brian28 said:

Hi John ,  what’s a 365 & ENS cover ? .... 

I am hoping to leave the mount outside , and after reading the comments received so far that all seems doable with out detrimental effect to the equipment .. I will leave the scopes set up if there are periods of clear skies forecast , otherwise I will remove and store back in my workshop ..  

 

365 is the Telegizmos 365 cover variant and ENS optical have something that's called Astro Jacket. 

Edited January 23, 2020 by souls33k3r