texasam
member
Reged: 02/11/09
Posts: 20
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Post deleted by texasam
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pstarr
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/17/04
Posts: 1280
Loc: NE Ohio
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I get allot of snow in NE Ohio. It does not effect the opening of my 12'x 12' roll off roof observatory. You must get the correct wheels for the roof to roll on. You need the type that has a v grove in the center. The track is a angle iron installed with the v pointing up. This set up is self cleaning when snow is on the track. I made my roof with the snow in mind and the extra weight has little effect on it. This is the type of wheel
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Paul
10" Home built F-6 Eq Newt. w/Zambuto mirror, built for lunar and planetary viewing.
12'x12' roll-off roof observatory
6" Home built f-6 Newt. w/Dick Wessling mirror on CG-5 Eq. mount, built for high resolution work.
4.5" Orion Starblast on Eq. mount
TV Radians 4,5,6,8,10,12,
Pentax XL 10.5mm
Pentax XW 14mm
Baader Hyperion 17mm
4&5mm UO Abbe Orthos.
3.2mm TMB planetary
TV 2.5x barlow, TV 1.8x barlow
My equipment philosophy... If it ain't broke, fix it anyway.
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Starman27
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/29/06
Posts: 573
Loc: Illinois, Iowa
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I have a ROR observatory in Northern Illinois and use the angle iron and V grooved wheel, so snow and ice do not impact the opening or closing. The roof was built to house standards and has the same snow bearing capability as my house. The roof rolls off in two directions and is sloped to allow melt off and prevent some blow over. For a remote operation I would be concerned with wind blowing the snow from the roof on to the telescope. I will not use my scope if there is a significant build up of snow or it has reached a state where it could blow in the observatory without warning.
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Enjoy the dark,
Herman
Meade
14 LX200 GPS SMT
12 LX200 GPS
7 LX200 Maksutov
ETX 125
TAK FS128 NSV
Sky 90II
Lunt LS60ThaDS BF1200
Canon 5D Mark II
Illinois
Iowa
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starquester
sage
Reged: 09/03/04
Posts: 465
Loc: Three Rivers, MI U.S.A>
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Hi texasam,
The only problem I can see would be that when opening
the roof snow might fall into the observatory,
Plus if the tracks ore covered in snow then the wheels might get stuck, also you might have ice on the track.
Just my thoughts,
Alan
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Alan D. Otterson
Windy Ridge Observatory
41-58.966N
85-43.069W
Alan Otterson
Founder&Owner
A Yahoo Observatory Group
Flip Top & Clamshell & Rubbermaid Observatories
http://tinyurl.com/yz9ckk
The Nikon D40 Astrophotography Group
http://tinyurl.com/5j8qw2
A Yahoo Astrophotography Group
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Starman27
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/29/06
Posts: 573
Loc: Illinois, Iowa
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The roof open.
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Enjoy the dark,
Herman
Meade
14 LX200 GPS SMT
12 LX200 GPS
7 LX200 Maksutov
ETX 125
TAK FS128 NSV
Sky 90II
Lunt LS60ThaDS BF1200
Canon 5D Mark II
Illinois
Iowa
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Joel
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/08/04
Posts: 2584
Loc: Merrimack, NH
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I've opened and closed mine with snow on it albeit not more than a couple of inches. I have noticed it take a few seconds to get going when it closed at the end of the night due to ice on the rails. I assume the wheels were spinning on the ice until it got traction.
I wouldn't open or close my roof unless I was there in person.
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Joel
10" LX200GPS UHTC-SMT
Vixen 80EDsf
Canon unmodded 350D
QHY8
Turkey Hill Observatory
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csa/montana
Wild Spirit
Reged: 05/14/05
Posts: 40155
Loc: montana
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Quote:
The only problem I can see would be that when opening
the roof snow might fall into the observatory,
That would be my concern, also.
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Carol
AstroTech 16" Dob (Thanks ASTRONOMICS!)
Vixen 80MF/AstroTech Voyager
Masuyama's 7.5, 15, 25W, 35mm,
Pentaxes; 5XW, 7XL, 10XW.
14mm Meade 4000 UWA
TV Panoptics; 22, 35
DreamCatcher Dobservatory, #2
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HunterofPhotons
sage
Reged: 04/26/08
Posts: 265
Loc: Rhode Island, USA
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Quote:
....The only problem I can see would be that when opening
the roof snow might fall into the observatory,
Plus if the tracks ore covered in snow then the wheels might get stuck, also you might have ice on the track.
The V tracks are mostly self cleaning. Snow tends to slide off and once exposed the sun, the metal tracks heat up quite nicely even on a cold day and dry off.
Most roll off roofs are a gentle 4-6/12 pitch and snow can collect on those roofs and blow into the observatory when open. Anything that you can do to remove the snow will help the roof to warm in the sun and shed snow. I made up a long-handled broom to remove most of the snow from my roof. The roof is then usually clean by nightfall on a sunny or windy day.
Obviously, if you have designed your roof so that the ridge beam is parallel to the direction of travel, anything falling off of the roof when it's open will fall to the ground and not into your observatory.
dan
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quantumac
sage
Reged: 12/17/07
Posts: 385
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Wish I had thought of a V track when I built mine. My tracks are made of a shallow "U" channel, with six flat wheels riding in the track that hold up the roof. I had to drill holes in the side of the channels to let water out, otherwise I'd occasionally get leaks in the building where water would top the sides.
So I would say the "V" tracks have value even where it doesn't snow very much (like here in Central Texas).
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Scope: Meade 10" LX200R
Guide/Planetary Camera: Imaging Source DBK41AF02.AS
DSO Camera: QHY8
Guide Hardware: Celestron OAG, Shoestring Astronomy GPUSB
Software: Mac OS X, Starry Night Pro, Nebulosity, PHD Guiding, PixInsight, Astro IIDC. No Windows anything.
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Galaxyhunter
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/02/06
Posts: 1251
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Quote:
Obviously, if you have designed your roof so that the ridge beam is parallel to the direction of travel, anything falling off of the roof when it's open will fall to the ground and not into your observatory.
Something like this ROOF
I have had up 6" of snow on my roof & it opens right up. Any snow that might fall, falls outside. I also have 2' overhangs for the roof.
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Carl
My lousy skies at Hawkeye Observatory
Edited by Galaxyhunter (02/20/09 01:37 PM)
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Starman27
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/29/06
Posts: 573
Loc: Illinois, Iowa
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Actually, snow may still blow off the roof during the observing session if it is still there when you open it up. It is not necessarily the action of opening the roof but wind after it is open. Of course, if the roof is not impacted by the prevailing wind, then you may not have a problem.
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Enjoy the dark,
Herman
Meade
14 LX200 GPS SMT
12 LX200 GPS
7 LX200 Maksutov
ETX 125
TAK FS128 NSV
Sky 90II
Lunt LS60ThaDS BF1200
Canon 5D Mark II
Illinois
Iowa
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John Fitzgerald
In Focus
Reged: 01/04/04
Posts: 1836
Loc: AR
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Quote:
[Obviously, if you have designed your roof so that the ridge beam is parallel to the direction of travel, anything falling off of the roof when it's open will fall to the ground and not into your observatory.
In my opinion it would be dumb to design it any other way, especially in a snowy area, or if there are trees nearby that will shed leaves that will fall onto the roof and into the obs when disturbed by opening. Also, dew will drip inside if the roof is not completely rolled off. Sometimes I leave mine partly on for added dew protection. Of course the ridge is parallel to the direction of roll. It's worth it to sacrifice a little sky under the pole for the added convenience and safety.
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andyschlei
sage
Reged: 03/05/06
Posts: 374
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
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Quote:
In my opinion it would be dumb to design it any other way, especially in a snowy area, or if there are trees nearby that will shed leaves that will fall onto the roof and into the obs when disturbed by opening. Also, dew will drip inside if the roof is not completely rolled off. Sometimes I leave mine partly on for added dew protection. Of course the ridge is parallel to the direction of roll. It's worth it to sacrifice a little sky under the pole for the added convenience and safety.
Count me on the dumb side. 
My roll-off rolls perpendicular to the ridge. While snow nor leaves are a problem, dew is. I've got the parts and a plan (but no action yet) to put a half PVC gutter downspout along the roof edge to catch the dew. And there can be a lot of it.
--Andy
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Observatorio de la Ballona
Mar Vista
Lake Riverside Estates
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starquester
sage
Reged: 09/03/04
Posts: 465
Loc: Three Rivers, MI U.S.A>
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If you looked at my photos you would see
that my roof is aligned with the rails.
Alan
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Alan D. Otterson
Windy Ridge Observatory
41-58.966N
85-43.069W
Alan Otterson
Founder&Owner
A Yahoo Observatory Group
Flip Top & Clamshell & Rubbermaid Observatories
http://tinyurl.com/yz9ckk
The Nikon D40 Astrophotography Group
http://tinyurl.com/5j8qw2
A Yahoo Astrophotography Group
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DrBuck
sage
Reged: 12/10/08
Posts: 269
Loc: Susanville, No. Calif.
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If the roof has v tracks and rolls off in the same direction as the peak, up to about 6 or 7 inches should not be a problem. Anything over that requires removal before opening. Make a metal scraper about 2 feet wide by 4-6 inches high and attach it to a long pole. You can stand on the ground and drag the snow off the roof before opening. The extra piers on the outside are for star parties.
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DrBuck
Roll off Roof Observatory,
CGE on concrete and steel pier
Takahashi FS 152 Fluorite apo refractor
Televue 85MM Apochromatic refractor
12 inch LX 200 gps smt uhtc
Nikon D-90 with 18-200mm AF VR lens
Canon 15x50 IS Binoculars
http://www.flickr.com/photos/697650grr/?saved=1
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Mike Clemens
Post Laureate
Reged: 11/26/05
Posts: 4255
Loc: Wasilla, Alaska 61N
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I've opened and closed mine with > 1000 pounds of snow on it. And its HARDDD HARD HARD to do.
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