Is cold damp weather bad?

[Samop]

'morning all,

With the awful weather we're having in uk at the mo, it's just occured to me that, I keep my reflector 'scope in the unheated and un-weather proofed garage.

Is this a bad idea? We haven't really got anywhere indoors to keep but if the cold is likely to damage it I can  temporarily put it in the hall.

[Anthonyexmouth]

18 minutes ago, Samop said:

'morning all,

With the awful weather we're having in uk at the mo, it's just occured to me that, I keep my reflector 'scope in the unheated and un-weather proofed garage.

Is this a bad idea? We haven't really got anywhere indoors to keep but if the cold is likely to damage it I can  temporarily put it in the hall.

If the roof doesn't leak you'll be fine. 

[Samop]

Thanks. I worried it may cause mirror problems.

I guess I should check for leaks.  Actually I keep it  right near the up-and-over door where rain and rubbish can easily blow in, so I should rearrange everything so it's nearer the middle

[Nik271]

As long as the garage has some sort of ventilation you'll be fine. It's mould that you should be watching for, and condensation while in storage.

[CraigT82]

As Nik says, ventilation is key in the garage to prevent condensation developing on cold surfaces. Has your garage got any vents? (Air bricks, roof vents etc…) 

[Carbon Brush]

Cold and dry. No problem
Cold and condensation - to be avoided long term. Short term not so bad.
Warm and dry. No problem.
Warm and condensation. -eek! Best recipe for mould growth on glass.

Thinking about your unheated store.
After use, if your scope has condensation on bright screws, or glass, give it a quick waft over with a hairdryer to remove the moisture.
It should then stay dry.

If you store the scope indoors, you give yourself more work.
The warm and moist house air is chilled by the scope and you get lots of condensation.
Out with the hair dryer again. But this time for much longer.
You need to bring everything back up to (or near) house temperature to discourage condensation when you walk away.

I leave scopes in my unheated observatory shed long term without problem.

HTH, David.