Dry Cabinet

[preeti]

Hi Folks,

I am thinking about keeping my bino in a dry cabinet to protect it from fungus. Do you think binos need that protection? If yes, what type of dry cabinet should I go for ? Any brand you would recommend? and where can I get it from at a reasonable price?

thanks
Preeti

[Gary]

Yes you should. Plan ahead. if you foresee getting more astro gear or camera and accessories in near future, do buy a bigger one. Maybe wait for some promo during CNY period.

[enewmen]

I have a 8" SCT.
That may require a REALLY HUGE Dry Cabinet!
Should I find one that big - and for all my camera stuff also?

[Clifford60]

Get a 120l or 160l will allow you to keep all the stuffs, not sure what is the pricing now. Digicabi, you can call them and they will send it to your house.

[Airconvent]

My dry cabinet finally failed recently. It was producing 99% humidity when the door was closed, essentially becoming a humidifier!
I bought a Digicabi but I think an Akarui is not too shabby too. If you want to see the actual cabinets, drop by Challenger in Funan centre or Cathay Photo. If you want to keep an 8" OTA, something bigger than 100l would be required. Else for smaller scopes, an 80l is sufficient. best is to project what you want to buy and get the size that meets that future need. cheers!

[Clifford60]

Hi Richard,

Buy the module and replace it, one of mine spoiled too, I replaced it (Digicabi), can't recall the price but it should be less than $100.

[Gary]

Hi Richard. Just curious. How long did yours lasted?

[kochu]

I keep my 12 inch Lx 90 ACH OTA, SW 120 ED refractor and many other small scopes , all in a wooden cupboard , size about 1.6 m H x 0.7 m W x 0.6 mm D. I have lined the doors with sponge beading to make it air tight. One portable (Oleo make, I think ) de humidifier ( S$ 100/-) with a timer set to run about 6 hrs /day can keep the interior at < 50 % RH.

Kochu/3-1-12
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[Gary]

Hi Kochu. Your solution sounds interesting. Do you mind uploading some photos to show how it looks like? Especially the spong beading part. Thanks.

[Clifford60]

Frankly speaking, fungus grows in dark and humid environment at around 20~30 degC, so if you can create a condition to avoid the any of the 3 conditions (dark not too sure) you will be able to avoid fungus grow. In term of power consumption, dehumidifier is the cheapest solution to get the environment dry. However, if you need a big space volume, then dehumidifier may not be a good solution as it is more difficult to achieve unless you air-con the place. Lower temperature and dry out air by the aircon or lower %RH.

I've a friend who uses a heating element with a controller to keep the wardrobe at a temperature between 35~40 degC to have a fungus free environment. He don't even bother to air tight seal the wardrobe. Once temperature increases, with the same amount of air and moisture in the wardrobe, the %RH will drop. Haha, but make sure you don't catch fire with this setting.