SCT Storage in Cold Weather

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Graeme1858 Great Britain
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SCT Storage in Cold Weather

#1

Post by Graeme1858 »


With the impending cold weather I am concerned for the welfare of my telescope! In the summer I bought one of those garden storage mini shed things to keep the telescope and mount in. It means I only have to move it a few feet to use it and it is no longer vulnerable to damage, stood in the garage when not in use. However, my concern now is that if there is a continued cold spell it might be detrimental to the equipment.

I hope it doesn't get so cold I can't go out and use it but at what temperature should I consider bringing the SCT and the CGX indoors?

Regards

Graeme
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Celestron 9.25 f10 SCT, f6.3FR, CGX mount.
ASI1600MM Pro, ASI294MC Pro, ASI224MC
ZWO EFW, ZWO OAG, ASI220MM Mini.
APM 11x70 ED APO Binoculars.

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notFritzArgelander
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Re: SCT Storage in Cold Weather

#2

Post by notFritzArgelander »


Humidity is the enemy, not temperature itself so much. Stow with desiccant or dehumidifier to avoid condensation and the development of mildew.
Scopes: Refs: Orion ST80, SV 80EDA f7, TS 102ED f11 Newts: AWB 130mm, f5, Z12 f5; Cats: VMC110L, Intes MK66,VMC200L f9.75 EPs: KK Fujiyama Orthoscopics, 2x Vixen NPLs (40-6mm) and BCOs, Baader Mark IV zooms, TV Panoptics, Delos, Plossl 32-8mm. Mixed brand Masuyama/Astroplans Binoculars: Nikon Aculon 10x50, Celestron 15x70, Baader Maxbright. Mounts: Star Seeker IV, Vixen Porta II, Celestron CG5
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JimMinCT United States of America
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Re: SCT Storage in Cold Weather

#3

Post by JimMinCT »


You will fail long before the equipment does! :)
The only issue is with plastic cables and such. In the really cold weather, they turn to the consistency of wire coat hangers and can break easily if bent too far.
The glass and metal components can go well below zero in whichever scale you care to use, (except Kelvin! :) )
your equipment, should be fine. I recommend you stock up on warm beverages...
Cheers
OTA's: Kson 1026-C, 4" Carbon Fiber ED Refractor, Home-built, 6.1", f/2.? APO refractor... (In Progress) 8" Meade LX2 SCT Mounts: CGX Imaging: ZWO ASI 1600MM, Canon 550D (T2i) Software: PixInsight, APT, PHD2, SharpCap, SGP, Stellarium, Registax, Stuff: Astro-Tech 0.8x FR/FF, Hotech SCA FF, ZWO 7nm 31mm LRGB-SHO filter set, ZWO 8 position EFWObsy: "Maybe Spaceship" Observatory
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Re: SCT Storage in Cold Weather

#4

Post by sdbodin »


Mine is outside in its shed all year long, 12 years now no problems, get to 0F here in winter 110F in summer.

Steve
Scopes; Meade 16 LX200, AT80LE, plus bunch just sitting around gathering dust
Cameras; Atik 460ex mono, Zwo ASI1600MC-cool, QHY5L-II color and mono
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Re: SCT Storage in Cold Weather

#5

Post by JimMinCT »


I will postscript my above message with a single caveat.
The hand controller.
The LCD in a modern hand controller will not like temps below about 20°F The unit starts turning into a Solid Crystal (no display)... :)
Some will add a dew heater, some use chem packs like those for your pockets. They work really well if you put the HC in a wool sock or such with one of those.
You can bring this inside with you if your building goes way down for extended periods.
OTA's: Kson 1026-C, 4" Carbon Fiber ED Refractor, Home-built, 6.1", f/2.? APO refractor... (In Progress) 8" Meade LX2 SCT Mounts: CGX Imaging: ZWO ASI 1600MM, Canon 550D (T2i) Software: PixInsight, APT, PHD2, SharpCap, SGP, Stellarium, Registax, Stuff: Astro-Tech 0.8x FR/FF, Hotech SCA FF, ZWO 7nm 31mm LRGB-SHO filter set, ZWO 8 position EFWObsy: "Maybe Spaceship" Observatory
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Re: SCT Storage in Cold Weather

#6

Post by pakarinen »


Not sure if this would work, but how about a small electric space heater? They're not terribly expensive and many have thermostats. Just a thought...
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Graeme1858 Great Britain
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Re: SCT Storage in Cold Weather

#7

Post by Graeme1858 »


notFritzArgelander wrote: Tue Dec 10, 2019 8:27 pm Humidity is the enemy, not temperature itself so much. Stow with desiccant or dehumidifier to avoid condensation and the development of mildew.

Thanks nFA. I did consider installing a small tubular heater on a frost stat. Maybe a bucket of rock salt might do the trick.

JimMinCT wrote: Tue Dec 10, 2019 8:31 pm You will fail long before the equipment does! :)

I usually fail a few degrees above freezing!

sdbodin wrote: Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:51 pm Mine is outside in its shed all year long, 12 years now no problems, get to 0F here in winter 110F in summer.

That's about -18C!!! I'll stop worrying then!

It's been dropping to just on freezing in the mornings lately here and I was worried about the electronics as well as my optics. The pc, which lives in the garage, the length of a usb cable away from the mount position, has died. The hard drive packed up after installing the ASCOM platform. So the cause was suspected to be a combination of temperature and cheap ebay hard drive syndrome. I'm having an SSD fitted to rectify the problem.

Thanks for the responses.

Regards

Graeme
______________________________________________
Celestron 9.25 f10 SCT, f6.3FR, CGX mount.
ASI1600MM Pro, ASI294MC Pro, ASI224MC
ZWO EFW, ZWO OAG, ASI220MM Mini.
APM 11x70 ED APO Binoculars.

https://www.averywayobservatory.co.uk/
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Graeme1858 Great Britain
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Re: SCT Storage in Cold Weather

#8

Post by Graeme1858 »


JimMinCT wrote: Tue Dec 10, 2019 11:58 pm The LCD in a modern hand controller will not like temps below about 20°F The unit starts turning into a Solid Crystal (no display)... :)

Well the hand controller certainly won't be used at that temperature. I think I'll bring it indoors if the outside temperature becomes below freezing for more than a few days.

pakarinen wrote: Wed Dec 11, 2019 2:13 pm Not sure if this would work, but how about a small electric space heater? They're not terribly expensive and many have thermostats. Just a thought...

Cheers for that. I'll try the rock salt first. I'll probably bring the whole lot indoors if we get a proper cold winter.

Regards

Graeme
______________________________________________
Celestron 9.25 f10 SCT, f6.3FR, CGX mount.
ASI1600MM Pro, ASI294MC Pro, ASI224MC
ZWO EFW, ZWO OAG, ASI220MM Mini.
APM 11x70 ED APO Binoculars.

https://www.averywayobservatory.co.uk/
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sdbodin United States of America
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Re: SCT Storage in Cold Weather

#9

Post by sdbodin »


I'll add that my PCs are not stored in the outside shed, but rather carried out for an imaging session. They work OK, but seem to not like the cold very much, however when in operation they seem to generate sufficient heat to stay alive. I did have a hand controller problem, but replaced the original unit a few years back and have not experienced a problem since.

Final thought, I would not recommend a space heater as the optics would need to cool to ambient temperature to function correctly, so why not start out with it cool anyway.
Steve
Scopes; Meade 16 LX200, AT80LE, plus bunch just sitting around gathering dust
Cameras; Atik 460ex mono, Zwo ASI1600MC-cool, QHY5L-II color and mono
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