Long-term outdoor cover storage : thoughts after 31 months Generic equipment discussions · patrice_so · ... · 24 · 2035 · 18

Hi there!

As I see a lot of questions about long-term outdoor storage with covers, I thought I'd share here my successful experience after 18  35 months of non-stop outdoor storage of my gear under a cover. A disclaimer : except for multiple nights of imaging in a row, I remove the camera and the filter wheel since I use one. All other parts of the setup do not move ever (including corrector, pc, electronic, OAG and guide camera). To date, I have absolutely no evidence of any consequences of outdoor storage on any of my equipment, despite wind, rain, snow, high and low temperatures. I consider this a success that it would be unfair to keep to myself. 

To avoid any unnecessary suspense, here's my current storage solution, from the outside in:
1. Telegizmos 360 for medium newtonian reflectors
2. Geoptik medium-sized cover
3. Dew towel-detector
4. Guidescope covers
5. Rechargeable desiccant
6. Active air duct to the outside
7. Garden protection box for electrical connectors  
8. ISO box for electronics 


1. Telegizmos 360 for medium newtonian reflectors: This is the main protection against almost anything. The fabric is strong, multi-layered and the reflective inside fabric limits heat radiation and therefore dew formation at night. You may notice that my scope is protected from strong wind gust by the building main wall. There is not risk that the scope falls on the side du to wind. 


2. Geoptik medium-sized cover: Under the telegizmos, I'm still using my old cover. It's a very effective three-layer blanket that I used for 8 months as my main cover. Unfortunately, the outer layer started to delaminate and ice built up between the first and second layers in winter.I'm still using it under the Telegizmos because before installing the active ventilation system (see below), I noticed some dew build-up under the Telegizmos. I think the temperature gradient at the top of the cover between inside and outside was too high, which led to dew forming. Using both covers, I've never had this happen.


3. Towel dew detector (and absorber): I use the towel to absorb any arising dew that could arise from humidity accumulating under the covers over several nights. This is how I noticed that dew formed once during the first week of using telegizmos without the geoptik cover and without the active air sucking described below. With both blankets, I never found the towel damp. As a precaution, I continue to use it. It also nicely protects the gears from scratches due to movement of the covers.


4. Guidescope covers: made from cardboard packaging, this layer is designed to prevent the guidescope screws from damaging the covers. It also raises the covers so that there is a generous gap between the covers and the gears. In the event of hail, the solid telegismos and this spacing will ensure that the OTA is not damaged.
EDIT : I removed this as I now use an OAG. 

5. Rechargeable desiccant: It can be regenerated by plugging it into the wall overnight and absorbs up to 250 mm of water.  Initially, I had no active ventilating system and I was restricting the lower part of the cover, so that having this was making much more sense. As it cannot harm, I still us it.
EDIT : this is no longer in use. Now, I put it inside the airtide box in with I store (inside the house)  cameras, filters and my corrector. This is as dry as it can get. 

6. Active air duct to the outside: This is undoubtedly the most important part. To make sure that no moisture builds up under the covers over several nights or weeks, I installed a duct pumping air from the top of the installation, next to the OTA, to the outside of the cover. The outlet is at the back of the blackbox, which is never under the cover. The air flow is generated by an Intel processor fan that I wasn't using. It is active 7/24. This DIY job cost me about 30 euros and it ensures that the air is renewed at a rate that prevents moisture build-up.

Here is a view where you can see the CPU fan down the duct: 


7. Garden protection box for electrical connectors: the green box contains the main connectors and a circuit breaker. The grey box was empty and was removed since then.   

8. ISO Box for computer, 10A 12V industrial power supply, power converters, fuses and 220v remote switch
Since the picture above were taken, I added a box containing all the electronics and electric circuitery. The PC is a beelink S12.



The setup is much cleaner now : 




So I think my equipment is pretty well protected.  The only limits I can see are very strong winds and very strong hail. However, with the external wall that I have all around the roof, the winds have to be extremely strong to affect the stability of the equipment. I've never had a problem, but I did once or twice bring the OTA indoors because an exceptionally strong storm was forecast. 

But I've never seen that where I'm leaving in Switzerland. My location on the Swiss plateau, et 650m elevation, 72% humidity in average with a peak in January at 85%. Stored in this way, my setup can be ready in 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the need to check collimation. In my experience, this is an excellent way of keeping instruments outdoors without having to build a proper observatory. 

I hope this contribution is useful. Clear skies !




EDIT : after now 31 months, everything still running strong without any sign of rust or degraded performance. I had to clear the corrector once exteriors glasses, but who doesn't ? I am not considering cleaning the mirror yet, eventhough I can see that some dust is slowly accumulating. Given that this dust accumulated over 3.5 years, I assume it is a normal rate and that bringing everything inside would not make much of a difference.

EDIT2: I added section 8

Thank @Al Loan. A telegizmos and a bed sheet is indeed a great solution for short term storage. In the longer term, the issue is that the cycle day/night may lead to progressive accumulation of humidity under the cover. This humidity trapped inside may then start condensing at night on the inside of the cover.  That makes the bed sheet a very good first protection. However, in the longer term, I see not other solution than ventilating. As the covers have not holes at the top, there is no alternative to active ventilating.

Thank you @andrea tasselli. I am indeed relieved if you consider it overkill. I've read so many negative articles and comments about cover-based storage that I was reluctant to do it that way in the first place. But I guess it's like mounts: people tend to be overly cautious (most likely for social reasons) and to pretend that you need at least an EQ6 for a 70mm refractor. 

Two comments: 
1) The towel can't stay wet for days. It's only there to have a clear place that will accumulate moisture and let me know instantly if there's a problem. 
2) The air channelling system is very cheap and regulates the atmosphere inside the covers. When it rains, water runs under the tiles of my terrace. This water evaporates vertically. As the covers are wide open at the bottom, because of the tripod legs, moisture can actually start to accumulate in there. In fact, the simple cycle day/night can yield such a result, because the hot air of the day contains more humidity than what the cold air of the night may contain. At night, the excess of humidity will condensate, leaving water firstly on the inside of the cover. Then the whole process starts on the next day. Any such process is killed by the air ducting system. 

At some point, I think the type of measurement you need to take depends on your weather conditions and your direct environment. And of course: a bit of your own psychology (the desiccant is clearly psychological I guess). 

In any case, I feel safe this way and since this system has been in place, I've never seen anything to worry about. That's what suits me.

I have had my setup outside permanently for about 2 years now with no issues. I originally used a trash bag with a canvas grill cover over the top but have since moved towards the Telegizmos 365 cover for small refractors. 

That's a genius idea to use a rechargeable desiccant to keep the humidity under the cover low, I wasn't even aware of such thing as a rechargeable desiccant. 

I have not have any issues as a result of humidity but I'm sure this could be more of a problem for other types of telescopes such as newts or scts. 

We recently had one of the first major thunderstorms of the season which included some hail and I contemplated whether I should leave my optics and camera attached or take them off. I ended up wrapping everything with a beach towel and then putting my Telegizmos 360 back over it, there were no issues with any moisture or damage from hail the following morning. 

Wind has always been a concern, as obviously the tripod cover acts as a giant sail, my solution is I keep my tripod weighed down with a 45-lbs kettle ball underneath the spreader plate, this keeps the center of gravity really low so that even if the wind does blow it off the pavers I have everything set on, it will remain upright. 



Funny thing, my 2 year-old nephew whenever he sees my setup always refers to it as "tree" lol

David Goldstein:
Interesting thread.  Anyone have experience with deep desert environments?  The primary issue where I live is a silty dust that gets into everything that is left outside, along with summer temperatures that can hit 120 Fahrenheit.

For instance, even in our well sealed home, dust collects on everything, (I clean my regular camera gear weekly that sit on the shelves in my office). I haven't seen an effective outdoor solution, but am open to suggestions.

Not in a desert environment, but it does get really hot in south Texas. During the summer I do remove my imaging train at the end of each session before I cover things up. I don't have any idea if high heat hurts the imaging sensors, but it is easy to just take the camera off. I take flats after every imaging session anyway.

Fabian Butkovich:
I have had my setup outside permanently for about 2 years now with no issues. I originally used a trash bag with a canvas grill cover over the top but have since moved towards the Telegizmos 365 cover for small refractors. 

That's a genius idea to use a rechargeable desiccant to keep the humidity under the cover low, I wasn't even aware of such thing as a rechargeable desiccant. 

I have not have any issues as a result of humidity but I'm sure this could be more of a problem for other types of telescopes such as newts or scts. 

We recently had one of the first major thunderstorms of the season which included some hail and I contemplated whether I should leave my optics and camera attached or take them off. I ended up wrapping everything with a beach towel and then putting my Telegizmos 360 back over it, there were no issues with any moisture or damage from hail the following morning. 

Wind has always been a concern, as obviously the tripod cover acts as a giant sail, my solution is I keep my tripod weighed down with a 45-lbs kettle ball underneath the spreader plate, this keeps the center of gravity really low so that even if the wind does blow it off the pavers I have everything set on, it will remain upright. 



Funny thing, my 2 year-old nephew whenever he sees my setup always refers to it as "tree" lol

That is indeed a very nice clothing

I have a question : Doesn't the grass favour the accumulation of moisture under the cover?

patrice_so:

Fabian Butkovich:
I have had my setup outside permanently for about 2 years now with no issues. I originally used a trash bag with a canvas grill cover over the top but have since moved towards the Telegizmos 365 cover for small refractors. 

That's a genius idea to use a rechargeable desiccant to keep the humidity under the cover low, I wasn't even aware of such thing as a rechargeable desiccant. 

I have not have any issues as a result of humidity but I'm sure this could be more of a problem for other types of telescopes such as newts or scts. 

We recently had one of the first major thunderstorms of the season which included some hail and I contemplated whether I should leave my optics and camera attached or take them off. I ended up wrapping everything with a beach towel and then putting my Telegizmos 360 back over it, there were no issues with any moisture or damage from hail the following morning. 

Wind has always been a concern, as obviously the tripod cover acts as a giant sail, my solution is I keep my tripod weighed down with a 45-lbs kettle ball underneath the spreader plate, this keeps the center of gravity really low so that even if the wind does blow it off the pavers I have everything set on, it will remain upright. 



Funny thing, my 2 year-old nephew whenever he sees my setup always refers to it as "tree" lol

That is indeed a very nice clothing

I have a question : Doesn't the grass favour the accumulation of moisture under the cover?

Actually I haven't had any grass grow underneath the cover and it's actually all dirt currently. I do weed eat the grass that grows around the perimeter but since there's no sunlight under the bottom cover nothing grows. 

I've long wanted to lay down some weed barrier and landscape edging in a ~12ft diameter circle and create a large graveled in area, with pavers still, the gravel and possibly sand underneath would help with water distribution and leveling. 

The alternative would be to just do as most people do and pour a concrete vertical pier, however that also poses the challenge of how do I mount my iOptron head onto any studs on the pier.

patrice_so:
fter now 25 months, everything still running strong without any sign of rust or degrading performance.

Very useful - thanks for this post! Tim

Forced ventilation is irrelevant, same as dessicants, as long as you have natural ventilation. If you image the whole night in anything like what the weather throws at you here (UK) the whole set-up will be covered in, some times running, water yet you wouldn't stop and drag everything inside because is condensing (hint: this is 100% humidity) is it? And this maybe for 8 hours a night and if you are really lucky, night after night. So what? I had my gear, the whole of it excluding the pc, for 10 years stright under various tarps and similar implements and nothing adverse ever happened (except maybe me getting electric shocks form time to time, hey ho there is no free lunch) and some time even rained on it. I had heating installed initially but that didn't make much of a difference anyway so in the end I did away with it althogether.

Thinking on this, but our climate in the Scottish Highlands is quite challenging. For one, it is absolutely certain that even a HEQ5 on its steel tripod loaded with counterweightS but no telescope (to reduce windage) would topple over in the 60+kts winds we get in Winter. Low built Todmorden pier will likely be my friend and a 200L plastic drum, weighed down (besides being quite solid, being round it is fairly aerodynamic). Heat is a non-issue here even in Summer, if it was, I'd just cover the whole thing with some reflective material.

The bottlneck is humidity: the best course of action would be to properly seal the valuable bits and put large desiccant bags inside. However, I don't know how often these need replacement, obviously depends on the precision of sealing.

I've had my local backyard rig (Edge 14, CEM120, ASI6200MM, etc.) mounted onto a concrete base / pier at the corner of our backyard deck for about 18 mouths now, all protected with a custom made oversized Telegizmo cover ( I also have a back up cover in case this one is damaged). Here's a pic from February after a small bit of snow (about 50cm) and a pic from the summer all ready to go . With the exception of the metalic dew shield I've never removed anything and the condition of everything is still all A1.  I can remove one deck rail panel to allow full sky access and otherwise I can have the scope ready in less than five minutes and recovered / shut down in about the same (I use a small step ladder in each case). This is good when I might only have a two hour window late at night as the process is not a hassle. My only complaint is our 90 percent cloud cover year round!

I can chime in as well here, I don't have any issues with dew/moisture underneath the cover at all either.   In fact, it's quite the opposite.   Worth noting though is my scopes generally speaking stay plugged in all the time, save for when I mow-I put the cords away for a few minutes.   I think that little bit of heat generated by the miniPC's is enough to keep things dry.    Also, unless it's blowing 50mph, I don't tie the covers down.   For what it's worth the T365 drawstring is worse than those old hoodies we used to wear lol.   Useless.    Generally speaking, it's rather warm under my T365 covers at all times.   During the summer I actually make sure to pull the covers off before sunset just to give the scope extra time to cool down as the covers will retain heat extremely well.   Been doing this for two years now.   The knobs on my EQ6's are starting to accumulate surface rust, but that's more due to the generally humid environment that I experience here in the southeastern US.   By morning (after imaging), anything that didn't emit any heat will often be dew soaked.

patrice_so:
desiccant

patrice_so:
Hi @AstroRBA

Excellent. These covers are incredible. I understand that you don't experience accumulation of moisture as a result of the temperature day/nicht cycle and that you let the camera always under the cover. May I ask if you had to change the desiccant in the camera ?

This setup looks amazing !

CS

Patrice

Hi Patrice - I've never had any humidity issues related to the cover. I'm more concerned about really humid imaging sessions when the scope is uncovered and dew is dripping off of the rig BUT even that has had no negative impact (and worth noting is that the even with one of those two dew straps powered up on the dew shield I've *never* had a spot of dew on the corrector plate no matter how humid it is - I have a Celestron dew ring in place too but it does not do the job). I think these Telegizmo covers are great - I've got several others for my smaller rigs too.