15.02.2020 Stormproofing! [Again!]

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Saturday 15th: 41F. Overcast all day.  Another storm is due to hit us tomorrow [Sunday.] I shan't bother to fit the telescopes until afterwards. Meanwhile I can be checking the exact balance points of the telescopes to save fiddling later. It is often a real struggle pushing a heavy refractor up through the rings to find the exact balance point. Particularly when you can't reach the upper rings by several feet. Climbing a stepladder with over 7' of 40lbs of telescope under one arm is an extreme sport IMO. A bit like Highland Games, caber tossing, but practiced indoors in a rather confined space!

I have "storm-proofed" the dome with four ratchet straps from the zenith board down to the pier. All the electronics have gone into hiding and the mounting covered in a small tarpaulin. The shutters are facing SSW. Last week the weather forecasters said storm Ciara would blow from SW but it blew only from the south. So, this time, I am aiming for  halfway between South and Southwest.

Sunday 16th: 51F! Spring temperatures! Gales from the south with very strong gusts and showers. The trees behind the dome are rocking as the wind roars outside my rain-spattered, north facing, dormer window. I haven't been over to check the observatory. Because I don't want to frighten myself! 🙄 It can get a bit noisy in there in a gale. Besides, I don't want the wind blowing though the south facing door and inflating the dome! The worst gusts should be over this afternoon but will return again tomorrow.

Another storm survived. The wind was already dying down when I went over to check for rainwater in the sandwich, collection boxes on the base ring.  I really ought to attend to the shutters. I made them slightly too wide. Which means there is a ventilation slot of about half an inch, on either side, from top to bottom when closed. Which is fine for adding to the dom'es ventilation to avoid overheating.

Facing the shutters into the weather is causing more rain ingress than is desirable. I suppose I could try self-adhesive, foam strip. The alternative is to cut away a strip from top to bottom of the plywood, shutter covering. I'd gain an inch of shutter opening that way.

Or, arcs of plywood could be glued to the insides of the shutter rib to close the gaps. That would also help to stiffen them. Possibly making the closing of the shutters slightly easier. Holding the arcs in place while the glue dries would take some ingenuity. Though the arcs could be made wider to allow easier access to fixing screws. I'm trying to think of an easily removal sealing strip. To allow ventilation when there isn't a storm blowing!

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