Keeping optics fungus free

[Dennis]

Hello Group

I am seeking advice on keeping optics free of fungal growth. We are enduring a few humid weeks in Brisbane right now and I was concerned about keeping any nasty growths off my optical surfaces.

My OTAs (refractor & SCT) are each stored in a home made wooden box with a large sachet (3"x3") of silica gel inside each box and a smaller sachet inside the dust cap of each 'scope.

I store my gear downstairs where there is relatively poor air circulation. Any advice, strategies or suggestions on minimising my risks would be gratefully appreciated. I would prefer not to have to haul the gear upstairs, where the air is at least circulating due to open windows and ceiling fans. We don’t have the “luxury” of air conditioning.

Cheers

Dennis

[Robert_T]

Hi Dennis, (Humid is one way of calling it) I'm careful to remove dew before closing down for the night, but apart from that I'm doing less than you are. My scopes are kept under the house too, but setup on their mounts with a plastic cover. Actually you've given me a prompt that I should do more and I'll be taping silica gel packs under the dust caps from now on - ta mate;)

cheers,

[ving]

where is the easiest place to get such gel pac.

[[1ponders]]

Qld, beautiful one day, swampy the next. It is a concern that's for sure. fortunately my downstairs is cooler and drier than the rest of the house. I tend to have a small pedestal fan running most of the time I'm down there so that helps a bit. I like the idea of the silica gel packs under the dust caps.

Robert, re your plastic sheets covering the scopes. You don't find that they trap moist air under them???? I use old sheets as dust covers. Plus I reason they are absorbant to a certain degree and "may" help prevent excess moisture getting to the scope :shrug: Don't know for sure though.:shrug:

[Dennis]

I've just found an Aussie website at http://www.miteyfresh.com.au/11444.html which sells dehumidifiers (see "Dampchasers") for small spaces in the price range $83 to $123 so I'm off to explore...

Cheers

Dennis

[Dennis]

Hi Ving

I had 2 from the packaging that housed a kitchen appliance.

Try this link http://www.miteyfresh.com.au/11443.html

Not quite silica gel but looks interesting.

Cheers

Dennis

[[1ponders]]

They are a bit tricky on that site Dennis. I just had a look too. Its the wardrobe "Dampp Chaser"s that are in the $83 to $123 price range. The room dehumidifier is $1100 :eyepop: Probably still a good idea if you can afford it, but I'd be more likely to go for airconditioning for a bit more.

[Dennis]

Yes - thanks Paul - I spotted this soon after my previous post. I just ordered one of their General Purpose Area Packs at $29.00:

"The General Purpose Area Pack (907g) controls moisture and odour problems when placed in living areas, bathrooms, baby rooms, kitchens, laundries, clothes hampers, wardrobes, cars, boats, storage rooms, your office, restaurant, motel rooms".

I'll let you guys know how it works - hopefully well!

Cheers

Dennis

[togo54]

www.drizair.com (http://www.drizair.com)

This product, should it be available in the land of OZ....will most likely be found at a place that sells boats and/or RV's.

[RAJAH235]

Dennis, you have to keep the air circulating. A small, (10"), fan will do. Just leave it running on low speed, or you could build a speed control unit for it. A light dimmer will suffice here. Just mount it in a 'Jiffy box' from D. Smith's with a 240 volt socket as well.

ving, if you really want a lot of silica gel, goto any shoe store, eg; K-mart prob. best & ask them. You'll end up with literally 'a shoe box full'. :P :D L.
ps. & IMHO, there's nothing wrong with a plastic cover to keep the dust out. Cloth just doesn't do it. (lets dust thru!). Just air/dry your t'scope before placing the plastic cover on.
pps. I 'hook' a 1/4 lb bag of silica gel inside the tube every time I pack up.

[matt]

I've just found half a dozen of those little Desiccant silica gel bags in a few old shoe boxes under the stairs!

These are a couple of years old. Do they keep working or do they lose their absorption qualities after a while???

Cheers

[Striker]

My wife works for Kmart in footwear so I can get hundreds..make that thousands for nothing.

I will bring a box full down to Lostock at the end of this month if anyone wants some.

[RAJAH235]

To reactivate the crystals, simply place in a 'just hot', (150 deg)?, oven overnight. This should be enough to dry them out. :D L.
ps. DO NOT MICROWAVE.

[matt]

won't the paper-like material they're contained in burn?

[Dennis]

Paul, Tom & Rajah

Thanks for the advice, links and great ideas. I'll stop building the hermetically sealed, climatically controlled, thermally insulated, fungi isolated, cryogenic, inert gas filled chamber immediately and go visit a shoe shop instead.

Cheers

Dennis

PS – make sure any silica gel sachets are not made from perforated plastic, which may soften or melt at 150 deg C?

[Dennis]

In terms of regenerating, the EcoFresh, General Purpose Area Pack at $29.50 which I have ordered from http://www.miteyfresh.com.au/11443.html states the following:

“The zeolites are active for many years and can be easily regenerated in the sun”.

Cheers

Dennis

[RAJAH235]

Matt, Sorry. I am of the 'old' school. Always think in Imperial terms. (eg; degs F). Paper burns @ 451 degrees F.... 150degs F wont hurt it/them. I think it's a synthetic fibre of some kind....:shrug:
ps. There was a picture made,quite a few years ago called, 'Farenheit 451'. The 'firemen' went around burning books. Strange show!

[fringe_dweller]

mould on optics? - never heard of it!?? srry to hear of that Dennis - hehe love living in SA :) 40% humidity one day - 15% the next!

[Dennis]

Hi Kearn

I have a Pentax 9x63 binocular with one of the prisms plastered with a black fungal growth..... :sad: .....SA and dry air here I come.

Cheers

Dennis

[asimov]

Well, I've noticed over the years SA getting slowly but surely more humid. I predict in 20-30 years time (if it keeps going like it is) mould on optics. :scared:

My mum lives in Bagara & tells me all these horror stories about mold growing on just about everything! YUK!

[Astroman]

That will mean more storms too, woohoo best of both worlds, fungaloptics and storms, hmmm fungaloptics sounds like a good business name.

[fringe_dweller]

Gday Dennis,
Good to hear a QLDlander coming to their senses and realising what their missing out on ;) good luck with it all mate.
Thats why we have the oldest car fleet in oz - they just dont rust (unless you live by the sea or frequent the beach or salt pans - then its the same) much to the authorities and car makers disgust hehe

fungaloptics! ewww! :P :)

[Dennis]

Hi

Well, my EcoFresh "General Purpose Area Pack" arrived in the post today, as can be seen here http://www.miteyfresh.com.au/page/moistureodour_control_product.html

The bad news - the pack contains "zeolites" which are pea sized boulders that are contained in a coarse mesh plastic pocket, which releases a lot of zeolite dust when shaken. :sad:

The good news - as an interim measure, I have placed the almost 1kg pack in a pillow case, carefully, inside my wooden box that houses the OTA. This is probably okay whilst in storage, but I would remove it during transportation to avoid dust particles being dispersed over the OTA due to vibration / mechanical shock.

I’ve seen a range of humidifiers on the Retravision website http://www.retravision.com.au/apps/shop/productSearch.asp?op=106&searchPhrase=dehumidifier from $283 to over $1000. The Delonghi Dehumidifier looks interesting at a RRP $549, which will probably be cheaper in the shops.

Not yet sure what I’ll do. :confuse3:

Cheers

Dennis

[gaa_ian]

Here in 95% humidity Gove (Build up & Wet season) I keep the scope on my verandah in a room with a fan running 24/7 seems to do the trick.
But the bino's & eyepieces stay inside in the A/C.

[jjjnettie]

There's a product called "Camel" in the supermarkets. The ad campaign jingle was "There's a Camel in the Closet" etc etc
It absorbs moisture from the air, and stops mould growing on your clothes. I guess it would work just as well with a scope.
"There's a Camel, in my Telescope"

[Dennis]

Hello,

Just thought I’d provide an update on how I have approached the problem of trying to minimize the risk of fungal growth on my ‘scopes. In the end I purchased a DeLonghi dehumidifier with a 12 litre water tank from Retravision.

Last night, we had a big storm come through and overnight, the dehumidifier pumped approx 4 litres of moisture out of the air space in our study (door closed). I am hoping that this counter-measure will minimize the risk of fungal growth.

The DeLonghi website is here:
http://www.delonghi.com.au/default.asp
although they appear to no longer list the model I purchased in February.

Cheers

Dennis

[gaa_ian]

Here is another option for a dehumidifier
At only $120 they seem like a good solution.
http://www.dampsolutions.com.au/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/1/products_id/29
I have a larger room dehumidifier, really sucks the moisture from the air, but does warm the room a little, so not so good for personel comfort in the tropics.
I still think they are a good solution & am planning to install one in our club equipment cupboard.
The smaller models do not appear to have a condensate drain (just a tank) however with a bit of modification I am sure a hose can be fitted, to drain outside.
I could really do with one here in Gove right now (it has been raining for over a week solid & anything not in the A/C is getting quite musty !

[Dennis]

Hi Ian

Hmm, seems like your hot, damp, high humidity environment is a breeding ground for fungus – I feel for you guys in the tropics. My Vixen VC200L and Pentax 9x63 binos succumbed to fungal attacks a couple of years ago, hence the dehumidifier strategy.

I have also moved my cameras into the same room to minimise the risk of fungal nasties and yes, the room does warm up; slightly more than the manufacturers spec sheet which states "1 or 2 degrees". Feels more like 2 to 4 deg to me.

Cheers

Dennis

[Dennis]

My mistake - I measured the temperature difference between the hallway and the study. The delta was 1.5 degrees, which is within the limits specified in the manufacturer's specs.

Cheers

Dennis

[gaa_ian]

Probably OK for a store room in the tropics or when you are away.
1.5 to 2 deg hotter when it is already 30deg plus is 2 deg too much.

[[1ponders]]

I had a chat to Don Whiteman at Bintel yesterday and this is his take on how to keep the fungus away. Seal the OTA completely.

They use a filter called the Meade #1A Skylight Filter/Dust seal, (See page three of the filters page - Can't seem to link directly to the page (https://www.bintelshop.com.au/welcome.htm)) that fits on the Visual Back thread and a star diagonal attaches to the filter. This seals the scope completely preventing humid air moving in and out. His take on using silica gel is to be very careful with "outgassing" as very fine particles can end up coating your mirror and corrector plate.

Here's a picture of the filter anyway.