DEW / condensation

[ad602000 (Pete)]

Hi all ,
I have a mount on a steel pier the mount is covered by a waterproof "bag" usually used for an all weather cover for an outside gas heater, the open end gathered by a stretchy rope and locked into place by a little plastic thingy.


It has been very successful in keeping everything dry in downpours, but this morning I took it off the mount and found the mount covered in a very fine layer of condensation.


would wrapping the mount in a towel be a workable solution to keep it dry or is there a better way. There is no breather vent in the waterproof cover.


Many thanks
Pete

[Vapour38 (Lachlan)]

Hi Pete,

I recently dealt with a bad bout of dew as well, and you would be right in thinking that keeping it in a towel should keep the condensation out. I always found that it gets drenched in the morning/night though, and with no vents you would have to be careful with humidity as that can wreak your optics (from experience).

In terms of drying it off, I would just leave it outside to dry - wiping it down often leaves water stains on your shiny equipment!

[ad602000 (Pete)]

thanks Lachlan,
time for a rethink
cheers
Pete

[Startrek (Martin)]

In Sydney I’ve left my EQ6-R and 8” carbon Newt outside on the paved area for years just with an Orion scope cloak over it
No issues at all , replaced the crappy plated cover screws with stainless 316 screws , use silicon spray every month or so and she still look like new ( no rust )
It even went through that rain bomb in 2022 plus the recent one a few weeks ago
A bit of dew and condensation won’t both your mount on that pier

My cloak is tied off with Velcro on the tripod legs about 150mm from ground level , so allows some ventilation

Orion scope cloaks are excellent ( I’ve replaced mine twice in 4 years as the sun does deteriorate them )

Cheers
Martin