Keeping optics fungus free

[Astroman (Andrew Wall)]

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!

[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/mo...l_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.

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/s...e=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.

Cheers

Dennis

[gaa_ian (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 (Jeanette)]

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 (Ian)]

Here is another option for a dehumidifier
At only $120 they seem like a good solution.
http://www.dampsolutions.com.au/cata...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]

Originally Posted by Dennis

Hi Ian
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

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 (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] (Paul)]

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) 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.