Heads up check your dehumidifier

[iwols]

Hi all just a heads up if you have a obsy with a dehumidifier  in,give the drain pipe a quick blow,just checked mine after a week or so and the end was blocked(ice) and the internal tank was nearly full meaning i just caught it before it would have stopped working cheers

[Chris]

Good reminder! Another tip is don't buy a cheap de humidifier! I've literally just binned a de humidifier today after deeming it useless. It was a cheap one from the supermarket but it promised to remove 300ml of moisture a day when in fact it removed around 10ml a day if lucky, even indoors! lol As much good as a chocolate frying pan. 

[Stuart1971]

Just ventilate the space, and you would not need them at all, why treat the symptoms when you could stop the cause....👍🏼

Edited January 15, 2021 by Stuart1971

[Hals]

I've had zero condensation in my ROR Obsy so far despite the very wet weather and chanegable temperature.

It's well ventilated, plus a tube heater and a desk fan running keeps the moisture at bay.

I agree with Stuart but if you have a dome they're naturally not so easy to well ventilate so can see the need for a dehumidifier.

So @iwols & @lockie's advice still stands.

 

Edited January 15, 2021 by Hals

[Chris]

8 minutes ago, Stuart1971 said:

Just ventilate the space, and you would not need them at all, why treat the symptoms when you could stop the cause....👍🏼

I personally have pretty good ventilation in my obsy, but it doesn't work so well when the air outside is so damp. It's been a very wet winter so far don't you think.

The toy de humidifier has been replaced with the an electric waterproof pet blanket  

[Stuart1971]

7 minutes ago, Lockie said:

I personally have pretty good ventilation in my obsy, but it doesn't work so well when the air outside is so damp. It's been a very wet winter so far don't you think.

The toy de humidifier has been replaced with the an electric waterproof pet blanket  

Well if the air is damp, which I agree it has been,  and the kit in the shed is no colder than the outside air temp, then condensation will not form, it’s just physics...

So if you are getting condensation then you need to change something...it’s not just about the air being damp, air is alway damp....there is much more at play here...

[tomato]

In a Pulsar dome, there is a bit of a draught coming in around the shutter but that is it for natural ventilation. If you are out for hours on a sub zero night the mass of metal gets very cold and then after you close up if a warm front comes in you are going to get condensation on the mount and pier. I have never seen louvres put into the sidewalls of the dome which would aid natural ventilation, any thoughts on why not?

[Stuart1971]

9 minutes ago, tomato said:

In a Pulsar dome, there is a bit of a draught coming in around the shutter but that is it for natural ventilation. If you are out for hours on a sub zero night the mass of metal gets very cold and then after you close up if a warm front comes in you are going to get condensation on the mount and pier. I have never seen louvres put into the sidewalls of the dome which would aid natural ventilation, any thoughts on why not?

I have heard that domes are prone to condensation, so I agree a better ventilation system for them would be a good idea...but I don’t think that after spending thousands on a dome you should really have to then use a dehumidifier to keep it condensation free....they should be better designed with better ventilation.

I just think treating the symptoms of condensation Is not the answer, it needs to be stopped in the first place. I have my EQ8 mount under a Telegizmo 365 cover, and secured at the bottom so just a little air can circulate, this along with a small 12v 20w dew strap keeps it at 7 degrees above ambient all the time, the humidity has never gone above 65% so no chance of condensation....👍🏼

[Skyline]

I replaced my cheap dehumidifier box 1 week ago underneath the cover of my pier after 3 months.

The pier was completely dry still

[Chris]

52 minutes ago, Stuart1971 said:

Well if the air is damp, which I agree it has been,  and the kit in the shed is no colder than the outside air temp, then condensation will not form, it’s just physics...

So if you are getting condensation then you need to change something...it’s not just about the air being damp, air is alway damp....there is much more at play here...

Physics wise is it that straight forward? Don't we need to take into account the thermal properties of the materials within the shed? E.g. my OTA is colder than the wood walls and the air and it does develop condensation without my electric blanket covering it. My obsy is a bit different to most in that it also has windows. These are also colder than the walls and surroundings and thus collect condensation on the inside during damp weather. There is a material temp gradient within the shed to cause condensation I'm guessing. The electric blanket is doing a great job though, just not on the windows lol    

Edited January 15, 2021 by Lockie

[Stuart1971]

5 minutes ago, Lockie said:

Physics wise is it that straight forward? Don't we need to take into account the thermal properties of the materials within the shed? E.g. my OTA is colder than the wood walls and the air and it does develop condensation without my electric blanket covering it. My obsy is a bit different to most in that it also has windows. These are also colder than the walls and surroundings and thus collect condensation on the inside during damp weather. There is a material temp gradient within the shed to cause condensation I'm guessing. The electric blanket is doing a great job though    

Heat with ventilation will always help...it’s a good combination....its how I stop it, as I mentioned above...maybe you just need a bit more heat to raise the temp a little more... 👍🏼

Edited January 15, 2021 by Stuart1971

[Stuart1971]

15 minutes ago, Skyline said:

I replaced my cheap dehumidifier box 1 week ago underneath the cover of my pier after 3 months.

The pier was completely dry still

Just put a small heater under Instead (as i mentioned above) and then no condensation to catch, which is much better in the long run.... 👍🏼

[Skyline]

I don't have an observatory.

[Chris]

7 minutes ago, Stuart1971 said:

Heat with ventilation will always help...it’s a good combination....its how I stop it, as I mentioned above...maybe you just need a bit more heat to raise the temp a little more... 👍🏼

I think this is it, I need a little heater in there  I have solar lighting installed, but I'm currently trailing the power cable from the other side of the garden where the shed used to be. I've given some thought to solar and wind power but I wont elaborate on this thread as I'm steering away from the OP's subject.  

Edited January 15, 2021 by Lockie