Telescope Reviews: Hand held 12v hair dryer for dew

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rmollise
Postmaster

Reged: 07/06/07

Re: Hand held 12v hair dryer for dew new

[Re: Lane]
#5683141 - 02/16/13 10:17 AM

Quote:

Same problem with the C11, after 4 hours or so the center of the corrector would still dew up. Does not seem to affect the views all that much so I just leave it alone. Kind of like having a giant central obstruction. Amazing how much of the center can be covered and still result in good DSO views. I suspect planet viewing would be in the toilet.

Doesn't have to be this way. I use a C11 down here on the Gulf Coast where dew is incredibly heavy, but my corrector stays clear all night. Secret? A temperature controlled dew system like the DewBuster or one of the newer Kendrick controllers...

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DaveJ
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 01/07/05

Loc: NE Ohio

Re: Hand held 12v hair dryer for dew new

[Re: rmollise]
#5683746 - 02/16/13 03:37 PM

Quote:

Quote:

Same problem with the C11, after 4 hours or so the center of the corrector would still dew up. Does not seem to affect the views all that much so I just leave it alone. Kind of like having a giant central obstruction. Amazing how much of the center can be covered and still result in good DSO views. I suspect planet viewing would be in the toilet.

Doesn't have to be this way. I use a C11 down here on the Gulf Coast where dew is incredibly heavy, but my corrector stays clear all night. Secret? A temperature controlled dew system like the DewBuster or one of the newer Kendrick controllers...

Also, as you've mentioned many times in the past, keep the dew heater strap BEHIND the corrector plate rim, not on it.

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Ira
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 08/22/10

Loc: Mitzpe Ramon, Israel

Re: Hand held 12v hair dryer for dew new

[Re: DaveJ]
#5683887 - 02/16/13 05:01 PM

I need four leads. I mount a C8 and 80mm refractor on an iOptron MiniTower Pro, so I have two objectives and two eyepieces I need to de-dew. The eyepieces get wetter than the objectives because they are more exposed. I use a large plastic dew shield on the C8 and the built-in dew shield on the refractor.

/Ira

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DaveJ
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 01/07/05

Loc: NE Ohio

Re: Hand held 12v hair dryer for dew new

[Re: Ira]
#5683902 - 02/16/13 05:15 PM

Quote:

I need four leads. I mount a C8 and 80mm refractor on an iOptron MiniTower Pro, so I have two objectives and two eyepieces I need to de-dew. The eyepieces get wetter than the objectives because they are more exposed. I use a large plastic dew shield on the C8 and the built-in dew shield on the refractor.

No problem. I run 5 dew heater strips all the time. I use a Dewbuster controller which has all the outputs I need. The five cables that run from the heater strips to the controller are bundled to keep them out of the way. I keep these bundled which makes setup & teardown easy. The outside air temperature sensor is bundled with the heater strips. The controller attaches to the mount with Velcro. I plug the bundled heater strips into their proper connectors and plug the temp sensor into the top. There's only one cable leading down from the mount and that's to the 12V supply for the controller. The entire heater controller/temp sensor/heater cables might add as much as two minutes to setup time, but I doubt it. I use this heater setup with multiple mount/scope(s) setups with total success regarding due prevention.

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George N
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 05/19/06

Loc: Binghamton & Indian Lake NY

Re: Hand held 12v hair dryer for dew new

[Re: DaveJ]
#5683966 - 02/16/13 05:55 PM

While I agree that a dew strap is the “ultimate solution”, I have used the following when for some reason I don’t have a dew strap available: rubber-band or duct tape chemical hand warmers on. It works best for eyepieces, bino-viewers, and smaller optics, like DSLR lenses and 80mm binoculars. There’s not enough room in the dew shield for my 5-inch refractor, but I’ve seen a friend duct-tape a hand warmer or two inside the dew-shield of his 6-inch achro and it worked!

BTW…. Dew?? Where I live the problem is just as likely to be frost. On many cold nights I’ve ended up with my Obsession 20 looking pure white – covered in thick frost. With heat on the secondary and eyepieces, there was no problem….. except slipping on the frosted-up ladder.

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Ira
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 08/22/10

Loc: Mitzpe Ramon, Israel

Re: Hand held 12v hair dryer for dew new

[Re: Lane]
#5684210 - 02/16/13 08:47 PM

So, what do you think about the Dew-Not controllers and heater strips?

/Ira

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DaveJ
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 01/07/05

Loc: NE Ohio

Re: Hand held 12v hair dryer for dew new

[Re: Ira]
#5684785 - 02/17/13 09:04 AM

Quote:

So, what do you think about the Dew-Not controllers and heater strips?

I use the Dew-Not heater strips with great success and recommend them highly, but I neither use nor recommend their controller. Please, do yourself a favor and get the Dewbuster, as I mentioned in my earlier post.

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ASTERON
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 11/24/07

Loc: ISRAEL

Re: Hand held 12v hair dryer for dew new

[Re: DaveJ]
#5685354 - 02/17/13 02:40 PM

"I'm using an Astrotech 250 amp power tank as the main power source"

Hi Ira,
a 250Ah power tank ???

( it must weight 60-70 Kg)
My deep cycle 90Ah Marine battery weights 30 Kg and is a real pain in the **BLEEP** to schlepp around.

Where did you get such a monster ?

or is it 25 Ah

P.S. I have a Kendrick Dew heater which works great. I think you should get one (look for a used one on AM or here)
I agree with people here: one ounce of prevention is worth a Ton of harsh medication.

Besides, if you get a hair dryer, your wife may confiscate it for personal use

, while there is a very slim chance that she will succeed using a Kendrick for the same purpose

Edited by ASTERON (02/18/13 05:09 PM)

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Shneor
professor emeritus

Reged: 03/01/05

Loc: Northern California

Re: Hand held 12v hair dryer for dew [Re: Jon Isaacs]
#5685412 - 02/17/13 03:36 PM

Quote:

Quote:

Lastly, why create the headache of having to constantly fritter with dew removal as opposed to having an automated solution?!?

For some of us, dew is relatively uncommon, a hair drier is useful on those rare occasions when there is dew.

I have had a couple of 12volt hair driers for use as dew heaters. The standard 12 volt hair driers are 120 watt, that's 10 amps. It's pretty feeble, a typical 120volt hair drier is about 1500 watts...

Jon

I have a similar experience - I use a 12v hair dryer with a jump start battery on the (thankfully) rare occasions when dew is a problem. It usually just takes less than a minute to dry my secondary. I think it has been at least a couple of years since I last used it.
Clears,

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