On the subject of Dew

[michaellxv (Michael)]

Dew sheilds.
Dew heaters.
Dew hutch.

All to keep the dreaded dew away from our equipment. But, is there a significant difference between different materials and how quickly they dew up

I have been using an aluminium folding table which seems to be a dew magnet. I have recently been trying a card table but the vinyl top seems to like dew also. Should I rip the vinyl off and just have the bare board underneath

Is there a preferred material for dew hutches and storage boxes or the main requirement that it be water proof?

[floyd_2 (Dean)]

On the subject of dew, I have been battling dew on the primary of my 14" dob of late. Not when I'm observing, but in the wee hours of the morning when it's stored in my observatory. The dew has been making quite a mess of my primary (now cleaned). I recently put a couple of cork tiles in the bottom of my rocker box, and put a reptile heating mat on them to radiate just a bit of warmth into the lower tube assembly. Problem solved. I leave it on a timer so that it keeps my primary just a tad warm in the late evening through to the next morning at 11am. If I'm observing, I set up before the timer kicks in anyway - so no cooling down problems.

Dean

[erick (Eric)]

Originally Posted by michaellxv

Is there a preferred material for dew hutches and storage boxes or the main requirement that it be water proof?

I ended up with this big hutch which Scott made:-

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-446-0-0-1-0.html

I've since sprayed to outside surfaces black.

The fluted plastic material absolutely resists dew/rain! Still going strong after three years.

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

Originally Posted by erick

The fluted plastic material absolutely resists dew/rain! Still going strong after three years.

This stuff also goes by the trade name of "Coreflute". Many signs today are made of this stuff as it is light weight and easy to work with. There is a mob here in Sydney that sells full sheets (1200mm X 2400mm) for something like $25 for the 3mm thick one. Or, around election time, many posters/signs sprooking candidates use this stuff too. I collected a few of these the day after the NSW state election a little while ago & made a dew hutch for a little table.

One point with the design of a dew hutch for a table, look to make its "roof" tilt back to the rear of the hutch so that you don't have the condensate fall to the front and splash on your gear.

I'd be sticking with what ever tables are lightest to carry, be they aluminium, timber, what ever. If you make a hutch, you can make it with a floor of coreflute too. Clever designing too will give you a dew hutch that folds neatly and sits on the folded-down table top.