Equipment outside

tonefight · Post by **tonefight** » Saturday Oct 04, 2003

I've always left speaker and cord bags in the van and carried in mixers, guitars and electronics. One thing i didn't consider buying self powered speakers is ....... the power amp is in there. So what I'm asking is, Does anyone leave power amps, mixers etc in the van, out in the cold and such? I know the heat is worse than the cold but........ Has anyone had problems or has anyone repeatedly left this kind of stuff in the van with no problem?

facingwest · Post by **facingwest** » Saturday Oct 04, 2003

It's not good for it, however, if you have to leave it in a vehicle, I would wait a while (at least an hour) before turning anything on. Basically, let the equipment somewhat have a chance to be brought to room temperature. Whenever you bring something cold into somewhere warm, it causes moisture to build on something and there could be a possible chance of frying a piece of gear.

onetooloud · Post by **onetooloud** » Tuesday Oct 07, 2003

I'd love to have my gear inside a climate controlled area at all times! The amount of time to move it as well as the effort involved tells me, no way thats going to happen.
The only things I feel I can blame on environmental conditions is blown par can bulbs (cold shock in the winter), but that might be a long shot.
I think most gear probably gets punished more moving it around.
I wouldn't sweat it to much, plenty of people leave it in the van or truck with few problems if any.

Post by **Ron** » Tuesday Oct 07, 2003

I've left electronic equipment in vans and unheated garages many, many times with no adverse effects.
Electronics aren't hurt by even extreme cold, but do be cautious with condensation like FW said. Also watch handling things made out of composites and plastics since they can get surprisingly brittle when cold.

I've always been more nervous about theft than the cold when leaving equipment in vehicles.

HurricaneBob · Post by **HurricaneBob** » Tuesday Oct 07, 2003

We all love loading and unloading 4 times a day though!

songsmith · Post by **songsmith** » Tuesday Oct 07, 2003

I've read, also, that anything with an LCD screen or readout shouldn't go below 15 degrees. Some effects units have those, as well as LCD projectors like I use in my day job. My fear, as mentioned, is that somebody will yoink something out of the van, not so much that something will freeze. A lot of gear is surprisingly tough. I used a Tapco mixer for awhile that spent a few days under water in a flooded basement. We opened it up, HOSED IT OUT with a garden hose, let it sun-dry for a few hours, buttoned it up, and it worked flawlessly for a long time after. I also found an old EV "hammerhead" microphone (like they use on the TV news interviews) in a freaking bucket of junk that had sat out in the weather for MONTHS. I plugged it in after drying, just to see how horrible it would sound... and wound up using it for almost 5 years!---->JMS

tonefight · Post by **tonefight** » Tuesday Oct 07, 2003

Thanks guys I'll sleep easier, like I said I always did bring guitars and mixers and such in. The only real electronics that will be in the cold will be the power amps in my speakers. As far as theft, Noone will get these speakers out of the van without waking up my German Shepard so I'm not really worried there.

Post by **Ron** » Wednesday Oct 08, 2003

So THAT's where that EV mic went!

tom · Post by **tom** » Friday Oct 10, 2003

We leave everything in our truck all year round, and the only thing we have ever had problems with is lights. We have never had any problems with speakers, electronics, or any other equipment.