Cooling advice sought

[iamjulian]

My drafty garage is starting to come into its own. It manages to stay just a couple of degrees above the outside temperature and as my scope lives in there, it means there is very little cooling time needed when I drag it out to the back garden.

But, is it wise to keep the scope at a constantly cool temperature? Are there any downsides?

[acey]

I also keep my scope in my cold garage, for the same reason.

I've heard it said that commercially made dobs kept in cold damp places can have their chipboard bases damaged through damp getting in and splitting them. But I kept my last dob in the garage for about nine years and it never came to harm, and my dobs often get pretty wet with dew so I'm not concerned about that. We've also had mice in the garage from time to time but they don't have a taste for dob base.

I drive to my observing site so the advantage of the garage is slightly nullified for me, but I still consider it an ideal place for all my astro gear and everything else I don't want the rest of the household interfering with!

[roundycat]

just think about all those permanent installations, of which mine is one. All my gear, scopes, mount, cameras etc is outside all year round. All through the winter in a cold drafty shed. The only concession I make is to swith on a dehumidifier when it gets really damp. Don't do anything about the drafts in your garage.

Dennis

[albedo0.39]

I would agree - a dry, clean and low dust (as far as practical) garage is the best place for a scope IMHO. It saves massively on cool down time (my garage is external so unheated) and so I'm ready to observe in moments.

[Taff]

Hi' I keep my scope in a shed.But before i do go out observing i do fetch it out ready about 3 hours before so it is the same temp.Mark

[brianb]

We've also had mice in the garage from time to time but they don't have a taste for dob base.

Mice won't touch anything like wood so long as there is plenty of mains wiring to chew. They love electronics, especially stuff which is left powered on, as it gives a nice comfortable warmth. However, even if they fail to incinerate themselves by chewing through the power cables, the corrosive effect of their lack of toilet training means that electronics are unlikely to remain functioning for long.

As for condensation & swelling of wooden components: Just keep wooden / chipboard structures off the ground (on a couple of battens if not on a plinth of some sort) so that there's no danger of absorbing moisture from pools of condensation on the ground.

[acey]

Whenever we've had mice we've found their main preference is for little bits of chopped up Mars bar left in strategic places. Which is apt to have unfortunate consequences for them...