Observatory has no roof!!!

[Mike]

What's the status report this morning Mark?

Hope the water hasn't damaged any of your kit.

[mickw]

Clocked 79.1 mph at 1:47 

[Rocket Pooch]

My over engineered observatory survived 80mph winds!  The trampoline did not though, well lets just say it needs a repair.

I guess Mark is out there now with a happer to pull it apart before Friday's even worse storm.

Oh and Tony, this explains why a shallow roof like that one flies.



http://www.science-projects.com/HurricaneHouse/HurriHouse.htm

[Fay]

i did not think the forecast looked as bad for friday.

[MarkS]

Power came back on at 3pm this afternoon, so here's an update.

Lat night I lashed the roof to the main observatory framwork as best I could with rope.  I was awake all night until the winds died at 4am, checking it every so often.  The structure broke apart quite significantly.  This morning I dismantled it and put a tarpaulin over the roofless shed.  Mopped up all the water inside.

Equipment is all drying out and I'm hoping no permanent damage.  Scopes were OK - just a little water inside the C11.  Haven't switched the mounts or laptops on until completely dry.

Here's a couple of pics from this morning:




I'm still amazed that the wind managed to lift it and break it free of the runners.  Next time I have a roof, I will securely clamp the roof trusses themselves to the shed structure.

The overhang of the roof had embedded itself 6 inches into the ground.  I bet the wind catching the overhang was part of the reason for "lift off".

Mark

[Carole]

What a disaster Mark, water in the C11, and who knows what else might be affected - fingers crossed it will all be OK. 

But what a mess it has made of your roof, and all that wonderful work.  Plus all the effort involved last night in that dreadful weather having to bring the kit inside and then lash down the roof.

Can you imagine if you had not been there to check it?

Carole

[mickw]

Bloody hell 

Nature certainly did a serious job on that roof

[Ian]

wonder if it's worth putting some anchor points in the ground and get some long ratchet straps to throw right over the top should the weather threaten again? Obviously when you've got another roof...

Fingers crossed you can get it patched up...

[Rick]

Ouch! Sorry to see that disaster! Hope you managed to salvage the equipment before it suffered damage!

[MarkS]

Anchored ratchet straps.  Great idea Ian!!

[Les R]

Good grief... That's terrible Mark.

And here s me feeling sorry for myself having found the flat roof to the front of the house leaking with water coming down the walls of my computer room and through the light fittings in the ceiling and in the kitchen too. 6 Fence panels down and my 1.1m motorised satellite dish which is mounted on a pole raised above my house facing over the pitched roof but now out of alignment!

Wrong time of the year for this to happen!

Hopefully it's only the roof that's out of commission.

Just Mae sure you get something sorted for the winds coming back on Friday. I've put tarps on my flat roof held down with lots of heavy weights. Got no idea how water as got in... Nothing obvious and water has just found its own low point. Not down the electrics any favour either!

[Ian]

nearly lost my satellite dish, the wind ripped two of the four anchor bolts out of the wall. Luckily the other two held because I'd been too lazy to take the old bracket off. No idea where that would have ended up if it'd come free. Also lost about four square metres of pebbledash off the kitches too, although that's actually helpful. That wall's going to become internal when my extension's done. Right now, it's a replica of the Somme.

I had something similar with my flat roof too Les. Water flows quite happily up a vertical surface if it's windy enough, and I've got the watermarks in the plaster to prove it.

[Delphine]

We lost our Satellite dish  It landed right next to our neibours sports car!  Big relief when we could check in daylight that it didnt hit it on the way down!    The engineer is coming on sunday to attach the dish again.  In the meantime we are watching telly via the laptop!! 

Delphine

[doug]

So sorry to hear ... and see the photo`s of ... the disaster of your observatory roof, Mark. And the damage to your kit. We hope that the astro equipment will dry out without too much damage and the roof can be repaired successfully.

After all your hard work ..... bloody nora!!!  No doubt you will be up and running in the near future and for that Rose and I wish you all the best with the work you will have to do. Ian suggested straps over the roof; and I was going to suggest storm straps, like we use on a large tent, but
it`s a bit late for that now.

Anyway, have a Happy Christmas and a good New Year to you, Dee and your family.

Cheers for now, Rose and Doug.

[Les R]

We lost our Satellite dish  It landed right next to our neibours sports car!  Big relief when we could check in daylight that it didnt hit it on the way down!    The engineer is coming on sunday to attach the dish again.  In the meantime we are watching telly via the laptop!! 

Delphine

nearly lost my satellite dish, the wind ripped two of the four anchor bolts out of the wall. Luckily the other two held because I'd been too lazy to take the old bracket off. No idea where that would have ended up if it'd come free. Also lost about four square metres of pebbledash off the kitches too, although that's actually helpful. That wall's going to become internal when my extension's done. Right now, it's a replica of the Somme.

I had something similar with my flat roof too Les. Water flows quite happily up a vertical surface if it's windy enough, and I've got the watermarks in the plaster to prove it.

The anchor bolts Ive used on mine are huge. I think the wall would give way before the anchor did.... which really was a huge concern! Dishes are designed to collect.... and with no escape, they are good at catching wind!

Delphine... sky are not charging for the dish to be refixed are they? Obviously their "engineer" didnt do a good job in fitting in the first place! (I do laugh when I hear their installers called engineers!..... 1/2 day training is all their "engineers" get"! lol)

Well my flat roof (with tarp above) survived the extra rain yesterday, so hopefully I can just get it sorted and no further ingress.

Mark.... if you need a hand with anything to get you water tight... please shout... only to happy to help out.