Excellent Cover for a mount permanently outside

[Catanonia]

Wanting to keep a mount permanently outside and as safe from the elements as possible ?

Now I have my EQ8-R and I will always keep it outside on the patio, so I wanted to protect it as best as possible from the elements.

Stargazer telescope covers can cost £170, but this from Amazon is perfect - 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09J2H2118/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

I got the bigger version and it easily fits over my EQ8-R and RASA8 with room to spare. I place the edges under the flat feet of the tripod so the whole mount is totally enclosed on my patio. 

Even has a zip down the side, so unzip, remove over the side of the mount without unhooking it from tripod feet and zip up again when done.

Well worth the £23 

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by Catanonia

[mikeDnight]

I used a canvas garden chair cover that I bought from a garden centre to cover my Losmandy GM8 and G11 equatorials. These were permanently mounted on a pier and open to the elements. Yet by covering the equatorials along with their electronics, and securing the canvas cover using a bunji cord, wrapping it several times around the pier, the mounts and electronics never got wet. The mounts were there for years and weathered storms, snow, rain and heat. The canvas chair cover cost me £10.

Edited February 2, 2022 by mikeDnight

[Craig a]

That’s a great find, I wonder how it will affect the grease in the mount on hot days with it being black I may get very warm under there. I look forward to an update later on in summer 👍

[Astroscot2]

I'd be worried it acts like a giant sail, not sure how protected your garden is from your winds, currently looking into my garden and watching tree litter spinning around.

[Jiggy 67]

For both the reasons above, I wouldn’t be confident with that cover, let alone how water proof it is. I use a Telegizmos 365 and I keep my mount out semi permanently . It has a silver inner lining for heat and is 100% waterproof. Expensive, yes but I wouldn’t skimp on this issue 

[gilesco]

I have the cover the OP gave, but not for permanent use. I use it if I am setting up during the day to cover the scope and tripod until nightfall.

I live near the seaside and the seagulls like to bomb their waste around the place, particularly if they're flying towards the house and suddenly feel like they need to put a little extra wing effort in to gain height to clear over it. Who knew that our seagulls were somewhat incontinent?, probably caused by rummaging around in human litter bins and general poor diet.

Thankfully they're not nocturnal creatures.

[Jiggy 67]

21 minutes ago, gilesco said:

I have the cover the OP gave, but not for permanent use. I use it if I am setting up during the day to cover the scope and tripod until nightfall.

I think it would be perfect for that purpose 👍

[scotty38]

32 minutes ago, Jiggy 67 said:

I use a Telegizmos 365 and I keep my mount out semi permanently . It has a silver inner lining for heat and is 100% waterproof. Expensive, yes but I wouldn’t skimp on this issue 

Same here too, mine stays out while it is reasonably fine so I am ready to go but is brought inside if the weather gets too bad (for me rather than the scope etc).

[Realtimedoctor]

Just to add, I leave mine under telegizmos 365 and have done so for the last two months. Prior to that, I had the cheap bicycle cover, on top of a garden furniture cover on top of an absorbent mat. Never had any issues, I've left my equipment set up outside for over two years, and everything works perfectly, bar a few rust on the adjustment bolts. 

[newbie alert]

It needs to be breathable as well as waterproof... those zips look like the first thing to leak...

I used a bbq cover over mine.. it was breathable, I never leaked but it did still show signs of moisture  which I'm sure come upwards rather than from the top  

Edited February 3, 2022 by newbie alert
Corrected

[jacko61]

4 hours ago, newbie alert said:

It needs to be breathable as well as waterproof... 

I've never understood this for inanimate objects. Breathable fabrics work for my waterproof jacket as my body heat 'pumps' (for want of a better word) the moisture through the fabric.  Unless you're putting a heater under the cover this isn't going to happen with a telescope mount.  FWIW, when my mount was outside full time (before I built a shed round it) I had it covered with a Ducksback outboard motor cover and it didn't have any problems with moisture. 

Graeme

[newbie alert]

5 hours ago, jacko61 said:

I've never understood this for inanimate objects. Breathable fabrics work for my waterproof jacket as my body heat 'pumps' (for want of a better word) the moisture through the fabric.  Unless you're putting a heater under the cover this isn't going to happen with a telescope mount.  FWIW, when my mount was outside full time (before I built a shed round it) I had it covered with a Ducksback outboard motor cover and it didn't have any problems with moisture. 

Graeme

So the scope/ mount when it's being used in the depths of the night doesn't  take on the outside temp/ ambient  conditions.. yes if its sunny / breezy  it's fine to let it dry out, but how many times does it cloud up and rain cutting the session short or rain early hours so no chance of it drying out.....

If you was dripping wet then put your breathable coat on would you dry out?

[jacko61]

14 hours ago, newbie alert said:

If you was dripping wet then put your breathable coat on would you dry out?

No. That's the main failing of breathable membranes - at least for waterproofs.  If your clothes are dripping wet - and we'll imagine maybe a fleece jumper and a T'shirt - then once they're wet they will stay wet. Goretex etc aren't a magic covering that suck water out of your clothes - they allow perspiration you generate through body heat to 'flow' to the outer layer.  This comes from at least 40 years of experience wandering around Scottish mountains in winter. I've had several breathable waterproofs in that tie and whilst they do the job of letting perspiration escape, once you're wet underneath your clothes will stay wet. A wicking base layer is much more useful.   

In the case of your scope and mount, if they've been out all night gathering frost or moisture, they're going to be so cold the breathable membrane just won't work.  Here's an experiment - next time it's frosty overnight,  do some observing then put your cover back on when you're finished. I can guarantee that at  e.g. 4pm the next day if you take the cover off the scope and mount will still be damp.

Graeme

[newbie alert]

1 hour ago, jacko61 said:

No. That's the main failing of breathable membranes - at least for waterproofs.  If your clothes are dripping wet - and we'll imagine maybe a fleece jumper and a T'shirt - then once they're wet they will stay wet. Goretex etc aren't a magic covering that suck water out of your clothes - they allow perspiration you generate through body heat to 'flow' to the outer layer.  This comes from at least 40 years of experience wandering around Scottish mountains in winter. I've had several breathable waterproofs in that tie and whilst they do the job of letting perspiration escape, once you're wet underneath your clothes will stay wet. A wicking base layer is much more useful.   

In the case of your scope and mount, if they've been out all night gathering frost or moisture, they're going to be so cold the breathable membrane just won't work.  Here's an experiment - next time it's frosty overnight,  do some observing then put your cover back on when you're finished. I can guarantee that at  e.g. 4pm the next day if you take the cover off the scope and mount will still be damp.

 

Personally I don't need to cover anything up as I built a mini obsey

But my experience with what I used to what others used was totally different.. they used tarpaulin and it was always wet... There was a guy on here that covered his scope up for about a month and found his mount had locked up .. not so sure what the outcome was in the end .. but damp dark conditions are great for fungal growth.. not so good on optics

[jacko61]

Always worth checking under any kind of cover weekly to make sure there's no build up of moisture.  Before I built my Obs I kept the mount under the aforementioned Ducksback cover but I checked it regularly. if the scope was covered up when still frosted I'd uncover it at the earliest opportunity next day to wipe it down and give it a chance to dry off before covering it over again. 

Graeme

[pete_l]

2 hours ago, jacko61 said:

That's the main failing of breathable membranes

Completely agree. The goal of a scope cover is to keep moisture off the scope, mount and electronics. That is irrespective whether the cover is made of fabric or is an observatory dome.

The other key function of amy sort of cover is to stop the contents from cooling to below the dew point. Since a night sky is very, very, cold, metal especially cools quickly due to radiative cooling just as an exposed windshield attracts dew and frost before one that is under a shelter.

[scotty38]

I have one of those pet pad heater things that I stick on if I think there's a danger of dampness etc or if it is a bit damp when i cover it over. Seems to work just fine but I would wipe off anything excessive before covering regardless.

[Catanonia]

The scope is always removed after every session and stored in a nice dry garage in it own box to prevent fungus etc etc

The mount is then dried down and the cover is opened up every 2 or so days to allow it to breath, so far no issues experienced.

The cover has air that circulates around the bottom as it is not completely air tight, but I will keep an eye on it.

Not sure what will happen in summer with hot temperatures.

[Padraic M]

For short-term protection I have a clean 1-ton sand bag that gets put over the mount if I think the weather will hold for a few days. Beats polar aligning every night. I have 4 concrete blocks with expansion bolts and carabiners attached and I hook the loops (handles?) of the bag through carabiner clips. You might think this is overkill, but the wind blows up the valley straight from the Atlantic Ocean so if there's wind or rain expected, everything needs to be packed up and brought in. A proper wind there sounds like a train passing through the station - it's one of the reasons why I might hesitate to build an observatory. I would be afraid that a glass fibre dome would end up on the other side of the mountain fairly quickly!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tonne-Builders-Garden-Waste-Storage/dp/B01BYIORYQ/ref=asc_df_B01BYIORYQ/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309801358079&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13703509327759893315&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007850&hvtargid=pla-685044320831&psc=1

I would never have to worry about the mount over-heating 🙂 

[rnobleeddy]

I've had an EQ6 outside for 1.5 years now with a similarly priced cover from Amazon. I serviced it to add a belt mod recently and there was no sign of any damage from water or heat.

From what I've seen, the mount ends up just as wet from dew on an overnight imaging session as it does on the rainiest/dampest of days under cover.

I may think twice before putting a £3K mount outside permanently, but from what I've seen, most concerns (and expensive covers) seem unnecessary.