storing gear in the cold ?

[just-some-guy]

hello, guys. i have a question.

i am moving soon, to a temporary location, mother-in-laws house.
i am not going to be setting up there, just living there for a lil while.
until i find and move into a house. may be weeks, may be months.

my gear. i have secure storage in a garage. i would like to store my gear in my summer truck, in this garage.

it can get pretty cold here, sometimes. would it be ok to leave the gear in the truck for the winter ?

thanx a ton. and i can't wait to get into my new place and start watching movies again. and build some big subs.

 

[sawzalot]

I can not fully answer your question but I feel that all of our gear has spent its fair share of time in the coldest of cold weather either through shipping and or storage facilities. I would venture to say that as long as the storage area is dry with low to no humidity the gear should be fine. I am sure others will chime in with their thoughts.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I can only agree with that. Shipping containers from Japan, China, etc. are not typically conditioned, and just have the requirement of staying dry. So, in the heat of summer and the cold of winter, they still come here and almost everything works when it shows up. I think that's pretty much proof enough that electronics when off are really durable when it comes to temperature.

 

[agarwalro]

Beware of condensation accumulating on the cold circuits when you bring the stuff back inside. Just like prescription glasses or sunglasses fog up when coming in from the cold, same will happen to the outside and more importantly to the insides of the gear. I would recommend that the devices be reacclimatize to indoor conditions before connecting power to them. Not long, maybe just overnight.

Not a big concern for summer time, but for sure in the winter,

 

[sawzalot]

Beware of condensation accumulating on the cold circuits when you bring the stuff back inside. Just like prescription glasses or sunglasses fog up when coming in from the cold, same will happen to the outside and more importantly to the insides of the gear. I would recommend that the devices be reacclimatize to indoor conditions before connecting power to them. Not long, maybe just overnight.

Not a big concern for summer time, but for sure in the winter,

I agree with the re-acclimate to the new environment/room temps, let the unit sit a while before powering up to be safe, I know my new units always sit for days due to the fact that I am a lazy HT'er and never feel like moving everything around to hook stuff up .
I usually have to dust before powering up

 

[highfigh]

When most electronics are shipped, they're in a plastic bag, often with a packet of silica gel. If you have the original boxes, use them, taped shut and packed like it's new.

 

[timoteo]

Yes box them up & order silca gel packs online. Throw a couple packets 2-4 in each box. You can never be too safe! This would be good for your piece of mind & keep any moisture from building up inside the sealed up boxes. The temp (unless freezing) will be fine!

 

[just-some-guy]

thanx, guys. that is exactly what i was thinking. except i do not have the original boxs, except for the pj. and i probably will not be setting up for a few weeks after moving in.

as far as condensation, gel packs and below freezing temps. i have a receiver in my garage now. it is not uncommon for me to go out there in the dead of winter, fire up my heater, and start jamming out. and the receiver works just fine. so, saying that, i probably just answered my own question.