Mold and mildew

Wow! A Fine piece of equipment! I know of some one in the states that a keeps a dehumidifier going 24/7 in his observatory! A bit extra on the old electricity bill but if it does the job, so what!
Matthew C

Matthew --

Yeah, I've got a dehumidifier going 24/7 in my home machinist shop back in the states (to protect my lathe and mill). But I haven't been able to find an industrial-strength one over here -- the ones at B&Q don't have a defrost circuit, so the coil just turns into a block of ice when it's cold. Any idea where I could get a more "professional" version?

Thanks,
-- Jeff.

Could be that it is just condensation. We have a problem in our kitchen at the back of the units and the solution is lots of ventilation or cavity wall insulation. We breathe out so much moisture it has to escape away or there is going to be a problem.

A completely opposite view, a friend has an observatory and had it ventilated but it kept dewing up somethin' shocking when it was closed! so he sealed up the vents completely and now he never has a problem with condensation !!! he is only in the observatory when the lid is off so any moisture goes away into the open air. Probably would be different is he had heating or used the observatory while it was closed. Then it is a case of ventilation and insulation.

Jeff, 1. VINEGAR - :shock:
No jokin', this will kill the mildew, even diluted vinegar - has a ph of 2 (wow- my chemistry education is paying off here!!!!!! )

Put plenty on the affected parts, this will kill it and stop it spreading sooner rather that later, mind you remove any scopes until the fumes have gone.

2.

NEVER put the cover on the front of a dewed up scope, wait until the next morning to let the dew evaporate.

Yep, just to 2nd what Dave has said

3. Why don't you put a 100Watt light bulb down there (if it's practical), the small amount of heat from this will drive away any moisture that could build up, many an observer use lights kept on almost 24hrs/day to stop this!

Good luck!
Keith..

Keith --

Actu

I'm still investigating the dehumidifier route as well. Anyone know of a source for industrial-grade units?

Thanks,
-- Jeff.

I got one in argos (domestic) for the dome here, at the time I didnt realise that they stop working once its gets very cold, they can blow out warmish air. I have it on a timer and it captures only a little amount of moisture at the current temperatures (-1 / +5 degrees).

Just one question, what is your budget for one? I saw ones from england but they were 1000 sterling!! :shock:
although they didnt mention the temperature range they work at! but i saw ones that worked 6 degrees and surely they would be no good on a frosty night of -4 degrees! Ill keep lookin!
Matthew C

Matthew --

In the states, I think I paid between $800 and $900 for one. (It's been running 24/7 for about 8 years now without a hiccup -- the $200 ones would each last about 18 months, and didn't work at all in the cold.)

Given that this type of stuff seems to always be twice as dear over here, 1000 sterling isn't that surprising. Do you have a URL handy?

-- Jeff.