Shed obs

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Does it need to be so high then ?
Or can you outrigger it a bit further away from the wall ? Longer horizontal pipe.
Lean it away at 45* maybe?
Or you could even set it up so it swivels down out of the way when required ... pinned to hold position when vertical.

We're full of ideas !!

( I like the swivel idea actually )

[baileys2611 (Simon Bailey)]

Yes, many ideas!

It doesn't need to be so high - but the idea is that it creates a vacuum with the hot air rising, I wanted as much vacuum as possible so straight up seemed the best option. The solar extractor was an afterthought to assist...

Yes, it could definitely lean, that wouldn't change the air flow much I suspect but would likely have the same effect of limiting views at that point. It's 90mm wide (might look wider) which equates to about 10 arc degrees at the point where the scope is mounted. I've been observing on that spot for about two years now and notice I'm pointed up or to the South or West mostly. I figured 10 arc degrees to the North would be ok.

Swivelling is a good idea! BUT, one of the other concerns was making sure that no moisture came in via the hole in the wall on the other side. Any break would lower the vacuum but also be a potential point for water to enter...one day when I sell the gear and upgrade I wanted to make sure it was stored in something that was safe for the optics, a little moisture is ok but too much and I would risk the humidity going up too much inside. I had to put a filter of activated carbon stuffed inside a stocking and wadded with some fish tank filter foam to make sure that I removed the moisture from the air intake.

It's a compromise for me. If I had my druthers I'd be buying that nice home dome Rob has on sale here, or better yet buying a larger one for double the price! Budget reality check though

[ZeroID (Brent)]

My Ob leaks air in all over the place, roof edge\seal, wall bottoms, corners, door 'seals'. As long as water doesn't leak in it allows the gear to stay dry. Guess I'm lucky in that we don't have too many nasties to cause other issues But I don't think I'd be worrying about drying the air with activated carbon etc. I'd be going for volume of air through to shift any residual dew etc from the previous night. The carbon won't dry air, it's for filtering fine particles out. Dessicant is the drying agent but no good for large volumes of air flow at all. You'd need a dehumidifier to fix that.
Pull the air from down low, fine mesh filter to keep the nasties out, ditto for the top vent, get some serious airflow going. Your carbon won't do anything except block the air flow.
Use a vertical slip joint on the vent, just drops down onto the elbow and can be removed when necessary.

[baileys2611 (Simon Bailey)]

Hmm...very good advice. Yes - I think I'll follow it...I'll remove the carbon and go with air flow instead. Must do some research on the vertical slip you mention and see how that works. I've got a small 12 volt fan I was planning on placing over the air intake (which is down low) which would be powered from the solar cell and battery to assist air intake - but when I'm viewing I don't need the chimney.

It's secured with some bolts that go all the way through to the inside as we get pretty high winds - how would it be secured when I'm not using the obs do you think?

[ZeroID (Brent)]

You will probably find that the vertical pipe slips down over the upward facing opening of the elbow, instant slip joint, no leaks. Pretty stable.
If you going to get plenty of heat I doubt you'll need the fan. The airflow could probably run a generator in fact !
Keep it simple, you can always make improvements later if required. The 'Critter mesh' is probably your most important fix.

[baileys2611 (Simon Bailey)]

Thanks to Logan for some good advice and for those that helped me with a wise decision. I've put up some pictures of my new mount and the set up I have inside my obs.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Geez, it's a home away from home !! Makes mine look like a .... tin shed !
I like the red 'decorations', particularly the one in the middle of the room.
Have you tested to see how well the shed floor is isolated from the pier ?
You will now find you'll start to get your moneys worth from the setup now.
How does your roof system work ?

[baileys2611 (Simon Bailey)]

Thanks, I had some fun with the decorations

I have tested, the pier is mounted on a raised slab which does not come in contact with the floating floor, so as long as I don't jump up and down with excitement then there's no vibration at all. The whole thing is on my in ground water tank though, so if I jump up and down anywhere on the tank then the vibration comes through - however just being 'normal' and moving around does nothing. I can move in and out of the obs and around the tank without a problem.

The roof is just a set of shower screen rollers screwed into the side of the shed roof, which rolls on and off some aluminium t frame that I out on top of the walls as a guide track. Manual on and off but it leaves room for automation some time later on Got to have room for improvement somewhere

I've got some shots of my equipment actually on the mount now, they're on the twitter page - or will be soon when twitter decides to come back!