Karaoke Forums

OK, I have a lot of gigs that are on a daily basis over the Christmas season.

My car is parked securely at night, but obviously it gets cold. Is it ok to keep my speakers/amp and all that in it overnight?

The answer is yes. I researched this when I decided to put one of my gear sets in unheated storage.

The enemy is condensation. If the temperature has gotten to be below -5C (25 F) then you should take care to let your gear warm up a bit before powering it up inside. In other words, load it into the building then set up stands, equipment, 'puter, etc. *Then* turn it on. (This probably isn't too much different than what you do anyway, but you never know.)

_________________
[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Definitely the condensation is the culprit when it comes to impacting equipment. Should be enough to set things up and let it get 'acclimated' for a bit before turning it on. I hate to think of all the condensation we get here in the NW - of course, driving the vehicle with the heater on will aid in getting rid of the condensation as well. I have a heater in my garage where the rest of my equipment is stored (other than the equip that is constantly in use that lives in my van) just in case. Costs too much to replace it!

tually, it's best if you can avoid it altogether.
Even though you are acclimatizing your equipment by letting it sit for awhile, there is STILL moisture gathering up in there beforehand.
If this is happening time and time again, you are getting moisture in there repeatedly, even if you do let it dry before you use it.
Not so good in my opinion.
My BF, who is a sound tech and owns a music store concurs.
Avoid it if you can.

I got the same problem......My gears gonna be cluttering my entrance hall every night!

There are several things to remember about the gears. I don't know where you are based but there is a lower and upper limits on temperature for equipment, a non operating temperature spec. For example, a disk drive in your computer it's -40C to 70C typically. Some of the other electronics are a bit wider in upper and lower boundaries. Check your spec on your equipment.

You should not let the temperature inside the equipment exceed those specs. Each component has a different specs but if you are inside a vehicle, the temperature varies a lot from outside, about 10-15C range. Keep that in mind.

Next is the temperature gradient and condensation. You will note that if you leave your iced water in a room temperature, you get condensation outside on your cup. This is what happens when you bring your equipment from cold to warm environment. However, this can be avoided by using temperature gradient variation.

What that means is that if you bring up the temperature of your equipment slowly, you can avoid the condensation. Typically, if you bring up about 10C per hour, you are in pretty good shape. So, if your equipment was out in 0C (temperature where water freezes) and inside temperature being typically 25C, you will need about 2.5 hours to bring up the temperature to avoid condensation. This is not a hard set rule but a typical rule so if you can find a spec on your equipment, use it instead.

This is not very practical but a good way to ensure your equipment will survive. I hope this helps.

_________________

Seize the day and SING!!!

I tend to leave my main set up in the van all year long. However when the temp drops below freezing I do warm the van for about 15 minutes before I ever leave. and then drive for about 20 to 25 minutes, and set up usually about 30-45 minutes before show time. I have never had a problem yet (knock on wood). The only piece not left out in the cold is the computer and external hard drive they come in the warm and cozy office after each gig usually because I'm update and adding new stuff to them all the time.

One problem to think about cold is the wires. They get very stiff and inflexible if stored in the cold.

I left my gear in my truck overnight when it was cold (about freezing), and all of the wires were very inflexible the next day.

Nothing serious but annoying.

Thanks for all the replies. I spoke to the supplier of my speakers, etc - and he said the following:

Our warehouse isn't climate controlled.

Fair point! I obviously leave the power-on as late as possible, and let the tech warm up as much as possible. My main worry was the condensation - but my car is well insulated, and it's a 30min drive to most venues = so with the heater on - that should help.

Also, the speakers are in thick lined "hoods".

Cheers

Leave you woman in the van.. Just enough to keep the speakers warm..

Or maybe love my woman in the van, so they never cool down...

Im in wisconsin, its as cold here as anywhere at times. -20F is not unheard of and we see -10F about every winter. I don't worry about it, I buy good gear, and expect a lot from it. Good gear is built to be used, and I don't know of a single band who set up that much in advance. cold throws off drum tuning at times, and most guitar and bass players keep them warm. the rest is most often stored in cold trailers, hauled in , set up and turned on..nobody takes the time to let equipment sit around for 3 hours before using it..it might be nice, but not needed.

_________________
the voices arent real, but they have some good ideas