[CDKPhil]

I did another test this morning just to confirm what I had observed yesterday was repeatable.

I opened the shutter before sunrise again. It was -5C inside the dome at 7.30 am and warmed to a toasty 1 degree by 9am
No condensation formend on the mount or the OTA.

So my next experiment will be to have the shutter closed and exhaust the air from sunrise to about 10am and see what happens.

Originally Posted by gregbradley

Metal roofs need sarking/insulation to prevent condensation forming on the underside of the sheets. Metal is often colder than ambient. Add to that humid air and the temp dropping below the dew point and you get condensation.

Put some sarking/insulation under the dome sheets to reduce it at source.


Greg.

I do have a barrier on the under side of the shutter. It is a product called Form Shield. It is a 10mm polyurethane foam with a foil surface on one side . I had to use contact adhesive to stick it to the zinc. I put this on to stop condensation dripping onto the Scope. It works quite well.

I had the thought of using this product on the wall of the dome. This product has to be stuck on with contact adhesive, which is no problem but it will make it very difficult for me to disassemble and unbolt the panels of the dome if and when I want to relocate. ( Not insulating the wall I think is the main cause of my problems.)

So I want to do the experiment above to see if it will work, if it does it will save me quite a lot of extra work and future disassembly problems.

Originally Posted by Terry B

Dont look at it a dawn and it won't worry you.

I think that would have been the easiest option.

I would prefer to keep my gear dry if possible. I don't like the idea of water sitting around on the equipment.

Being inside a dome I do not get any condensation or dew forming while I am using the telescope it is very sheltered. It is only getting wet after the sun comes up.

Thanks Greg and Terry for you input, much appreciated.

Cheers