what can i store in my shed

[charmedkelly]

hey i manage to find a 7x5 shed its ordered and will be delivered soon, i just wanted to know what astronomy equipment i can store in the shed and what stuff i shudnt,

kelly

[The Warthog]

ou can store just about anything you would take outside with you, as long as the shed is dry. I leave my scope in the shed in all weather, and sometimes my ep kit too. The electronics of my drive motors nor my optics have suffered any harm, the mount still works perfectly and looks fine. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Chris-Martino]

I would be frightend to put any of my equipment in as it may rust :/

[Terry]

As a Neighbourhood Watch Co ordinator I would suggest you make sure you have good security on your shed as breakins to garden sheds has risen dramatically. The perps are usually looking for lawn mowers etc that end up in car boot sales, but we have had instances where some expensive fishing gear has gone. I'm sure the low lifes would clap their hands finding some expensive astro equipment.

Terry

[blinky]

You think they would know what it is? I leave all my astro gear in the hut with a good padlock. I called the insurance company and everything is insured as if it were in the house.

[Terry]

They wouldn't care what it was as long as they could get a few quid for it

[DaveS]

I need to get a new shed, even for ordinary gardening stuff. I hadn't thought of putting astro stuff in there as well.

As I'm also looking for a small 'scope I may well keep it in there, but would be worried about weather sealing, I may look into putting a rubber strip around the door.

I'm not too worried (Well a bit, will put a good lock on it) about scumbags breaking in, as it's also pretty near inaccessible from the street.

Dave

[haitch]

I can just imagine them trying to get my 14" dob over a ten ft hedge (there is no access to my garden other than through the house).

Don't seal the shed up too well you want air to circulate or it'll get damp.

Make sure the only spider in it is supporting the secondary - i.e. cap the ends if it's a newt and plug the Ep holder.

[Doc]

I was going to say the same thing.

If they can lift my 16" LB over the locked gate they could have it

[The Warthog]

If they can break into my shed without my dog barking, they would be the quietest thieves ever. Is is important that the shed be dry, in casse there are any parts that are subject to rust. One advantage of having the scope in a shed is that, especially in cold weather, the shed is very nearlty the temperature of the outside air when you go to take your scope out.

I do recommend a dog as a burglar alarm system (not to attack the culprits, for which you could be liable) as the sound will often cause a thief to think twice, and will get you up to phone the police if necessary. And a dog is such a lovely companion.

[brianb]

I do recommend a dog as a burglar alarm system (not to attack the culprits, for which you could be liable)

A slightly cheaper option which is likely to be at least as much of a deterrent is an electronic dog - these can be programmed to bark at random & sound like an exceptionally large and very hungry rottweiler - plus a notice on the gate reading "Beware of the Wolf - Trespassers will be eaten".

[barkis]

A neon sign declaring

Very High Voltage Within.

[Talitha]

Hi Kelly, my shed's got everything in it.. eyepieces, OTAs, tripods, mounts, atlasses, a steel file cabinet, etc. There's no rust on the file cabinet, no mildew on the atlasses, and all of the motors are working fine. I think proper ventilation's important when you store things outside the house.

[beamish]

Ah, but Carol, you've got bears in your back garden

[Talitha]

Yep, they're my security guards, Karlo.

[charmedkelly]

yea we gave two rottweillers so i dont think they will be breaking into my house anytime soon there the softest dogs u'll ever meat but as soon as it gets dark there on guard and there good at there job

kelly

[charmedkelly]

so does anyone recooment stroing books in the shed i know there get damp but i mihgt be able to put them in something so they wont get damp and ideas oh and talitha what do u store in ur filinf cabinet

[haitch]

Dogs are a great deterrent - thoroughly recommended, they sense things that people miss. Unfortunately I lost my 15 yr old border collie x last December and I couldn't think about having another dog yet.

This is her having fun with my daughter a few years ago in her prime...much more than just a security system. RIP Tessa

[The Warthog]

It's a bad idea to store books in a shed if you don't live in a desert. Same for basements. I lost some very valuable books through storing them in a basement.

[Talitha]

All of the paperwork in the shed's just fine, including my three volume, hardcover Millennium Star Atlas set ($250). I load up the shed as soon as the ground's all thawed (April or May) and close it down when the snowpack makes it inaccessible (mid-late November). So everything's out there during the humid half of the year, but i've never seen or smelled a hint of mildew or had anything get rusty.

The floor has a vapor barrier, the roof is ventilated, and i drilled a few 4" holes in the west wall towards the floor to improve the circulation. The holes are covered with metal screening so bugs and little critters can't get in, and i put a hooded dryer vent on the outside so the rain doesn't fall/blow in. We're not as humid as Florida, but it's not dry by any means.

The file cabinet is my "tidier-upper" and holds assorted things like flashlights, sketching supplies, spare batteries, paperwork, charts, scope covers, eyepiece holder, power cables, etc.

It can drop down to about 4C or 5C here in the summer, so there's also a large plastic footlocker under the table which holds insulated pants, gloves, boots, coats, vest, hat, etc.

[charmedkelly]

talitha i would love to see a photo of ur shed or anyones shed, that they use for astronoomy and then i will send a photo whern i get mine sorted out , and sorry to hear about ur dog Hiatch RIP

[Roy]

If you only want to use the shed to store your gear in it'll be fine and you should be able to fit plenty in there.

I use a 7' x 5' shed to keep my kit in and set up permanently.

There's not a huge amount of space to move around but it's ok for my needs but then I only use a couple of small refractors.

[haitch]

sorry to hear about ur dog Hiatch RIP

Cheers, was feeling a bit emotional last night when I saw Terry's avatar and having consumed a bottle of red.

[Macavity]

Interesting... I must admit I'm at the planning stage, and thinking about whether to have a solid or paved base - re. the ingress of FAUNA etc. I might just go for a "StarPad" (Grin) at first, since the precise location has yet to be defined! I'm still doing a CASUAL study of the neighbours' "nocturnal activities". LOL Well, at least the ones that involve triggering or switching on those darned "security" lights etc.

[Talitha]

Hi Kelly, here's a few pics. There's a lot more in there right now, but this is just to give you an uncluttered idea of what it looks like. I'm 5'4" and there's plenty of headroom for me at the taller wall.