Gear storage in garage or unheated studio.

[dmccombe7]

I keep a bass rig in the unheated studio we hire. No-one else has accesss to it. Upstairs room and well secured but was wondering if the cold weather during winter months might cause any damage to gear. PA is kept in there too.
There's no sign of any damage but when we go in for a rehearsal we put heaters on for few hrs a week.

Any thoughts or advice. Putting a heater on all week isn't an option.
People keeping gear in a garage probably share same issues.

Dave

[Ceebass]

This is all totally unscientific, but I've stored my cabs and PA subs in the garage with no problems. I tend to keep any digital (or expensive) stuff inside: my TC amp head, PA tops, digital mixer and so on. I was told that temperature fluctuations can affect this kind of gear. Pure science.

[chrisanthony1211]

I keep our PA in the garage, nowhere else for it to go but been OK so far.

[Lozz196]

In my old band all the PA was kept in a garage, never any issues with it at all.

[Phil Starr]

It has to depend upon the garage, the biggest enemies are moisture and rodents. Cold itself will cause no harm but temperature changes will cause condensation which is not good for anything that may corrode or for electronic circuit boards or many loudspeaker cones.

You'd probably be better off running a de-humidifier than heating as such. I picked one up for £100 at Aldi of all places and you can set the humidity at which it cuts in and it all runs automatically, a lot cheaper than heating. You'd need to arrange a pipe to drain the extracted water or expect to empty the tank every few days.

I've had mice inside my speaker cabs. Little buggers got out at a gig! I'd heard scratching as I unloaded them. Plug up any open reflex ports is the solution.

[sk8]

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1491550578' post='3273811']
It has to depend upon the garage, the biggest enemies are moisture and rodents. Cold itself will cause no harm but temperature changes will cause condensation which is not good for anything that may corrode or for electronic circuit boards or many loudspeaker cones.

You'd probably be better off running a de-humidifier than heating as such. I picked one up for £100 at Aldi of all places and you can set the humidity at which it cuts in and it all runs automatically, a lot cheaper than heating. You'd need to arrange a pipe to drain the extracted water or expect to empty the tank every few days.

I've had mice inside my speaker cabs. Little buggers got out at a gig! I'd heard scratching as I unloaded them. Plug up any open reflex ports is the solution.
[/quote]

I run a dehumidifier in the garage too. Store my cans and cables and other stuff their.

Amps stay in the house

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1491550578' post='3273811']
Cold itself will cause no harm but temperature changes will cause condensation which is not good for anything that may corrode or for electronic circuit boards or many loudspeaker cones.

[/quote]

This. ^

I can't be arsed to carry my PA tops from van to studio and back again at every gig, so they live permanently in my old white van parked on the street. I've worked that way for years now, and those PA tops work and sound the same as they ever did (they're McGregor 1x12).

I'm more reluctant to leave electronics in the van, but I often end up doing it (especially after a late gig) and again I've never yet had problems.

I very rarely leave basses in the van, but in truth that's got more to do with their nickability than because I'm worried about them getting cold.

[dmccombe7]

thanks for that. Never gave the mice thing any thought tho.
That's probably more of an issue as its an Orange 115 open ported cab and sits on floor too.

There's no sign of any mice ie droppings or anything that might indicate they are in the room. Better have a decent inspection next week tho.

Dave

[andytoad]

I leave our in the garage, it is an internal one though (i.e. Part of the house with heating)... occasionally I leave stuff in the van, but am not keen on it.

[chris_b]

I always keep my gear in the house. I bought a couple of cabs once that had been kept in an unheated garage over winter and they smelled musty and damp. They worked OK but surely on a long term basis that can't be good for them.

Apparently our cat used to get into my 118 Mesa Boogie cab through the large slot ports at the bottom. I discovered this one night when it appeared in front of me on the pavement after I'd just unloaded outside a local gig! I managed to catch the thing and get it back into the car and back home before I had to start playing.

[andytoad]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1491555207' post='3273875']
I always keep my gear in the house. I bought a couple of cabs once that had been kept in an unheated garage over winter and they smelled musty and damp. They worked OK but surely on a long term basis that can't be good for them.

Apparently our cat used to get into my 118 Mesa Boogie cab through the large slot ports at the bottom. I discovered this one night when it appeared in front of me on the pavement after I'd just unloaded outside a local gig! I managed to catch the thing and get it back into the car and back home before I had to start playing.
[/quote]

Now you come to mention it, I did have a Trace 2x10 monitor cab once that I stupidly kept in a shed, it didn't take long for the diaphragm material to become so damaged it split during a gig.

[dmccombe7]

The studio doesn't have any obvious dampness issues. I can see a garage being damp as there are gaps around the door area where rain can get thru plus concrete floors are not good for storing anything on. (always use an old carpet or even pallets to keep off the floor) My bikes (motorbikes and cycles are all kept either on mats or wall hangers)
The studio is in an upstairs room carpeted etc. Building is an old heavy sandstone brick building recently fully renovated by the builder that owns it.
There is never any dampness or musty smells when we go in.

Dave

[Japhet]

My stuff stays out in my workshop and haven't had any problems in years. I does all have decent covers or cases though.

[JPJ]

Our PA lives in my garage. The key is that it is well ventilated, so no problems with damp. I keep everything off the floor on rubber mats, I don't know whether this helps but it makes me feel better Been doing this for four years now without a problem. The bins have no covers but the amps have been fine, the tops have canvas covers and have been ok too.

[Tonteee]

Our PA goes into a garage and has never had a problem. However, everything is either flightcased or lives in a trunk. I'm sure this limits the level of exposure.

Also, I'd throw in that there's good value in keeping any storage space ventilated. Condensation is caused by temperature variation certainly, but ventilation reduces the buildup of water vapour which then leads to condensation. As has been said, there's probably more value in having a dehumidifier than having heating.

[barneyg42]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1491555207' post='3273875']
I always keep my gear in the house. I bought a couple of cabs once that had been kept in an unheated garage over winter and they smelled musty and damp. They worked OK but surely on a long term basis that can't be good for them.

Apparently our cat used to get into my 118 Mesa Boogie cab through the large slot ports at the bottom. I discovered this one night when it appeared in front of me on the pavement after I'd just unloaded outside a local gig! I managed to catch the thing and get it back into the car and back home before I had to start playing.
[/quote]

Our keys player keeps the PA tops in his garage. He noticed a local (hairy) cat had been in and noticed said hair on one of the cab covers. When we plugged in at a gig later that day and the singer switched this cab on there was a big flash and loud bang. On further nasal inspection it seems the cat had pissed in the top flap onto the amp section of the cab!! Beware the hairy pussy!!

[Kevin Dean]

Srew fix do a good rehumidifier for £99 , it works better than the previuose one that was £600 .

[dmccombe7]

[quote name='barneyg42' timestamp='1491562989' post='3273968']
Our keys player keeps the PA tops in his garage. He noticed a local (hairy) cat had been in and noticed said hair on one of the cab covers. When we plugged in at a gig later that day and the singer switched this cab on there was a big flash and loud bang. On further nasal inspection it seems the cat had pissed in the top flap onto the amp section of the cab!! Beware the hairy pussy!!
[/quote]

The hairy pussy that pee's

[28mistertee]

Keep our PA in an unheated building no problem.

Edited April 14, 2017 by 28mistertee

[Huge Hands]

[quote name='barneyg42' timestamp='1491562989' post='3273968']
Beware the hairy pussy!!
[/quote]

A life lesson for us all......

[Chienmortbb]

My PA has been kept in my garage for 12 years, no problem. If it has been very cold or damp, I run a low power signal through the speakers for a few minutes to get the voice coil warm and moving before going into my car. As for electronics, keep covers on Mixers and amps and you should be fine.

[bassace]

My garage is quite well insulated and I've also built a large cupboard in OSB. It's big enough to take all the amps on shelves plus the ply DB. They all stay ok right through the year. The 'wood' double basses live in the house, upstairs.

[dmccombe7]

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1491596472' post='3274262']
My garage is quite well insulated and I've also built a large cupboard in OSB. It's big enough to take all the amps on shelves plus the ply DB. They all stay ok right through the year. The 'wood' double basses live in the house, upstairs.
[/quote]

Excuse my ignorance but what is OSB

Dave

[Shambo]

If you want a dehumidifier and live in any major conurbation, eBay is the best place to buy second hand and collection only. People buy them for specific tasks, like drying a newly plastered rooms, then barely look at them until they decide to get rid. Like guitars they're awkward to post, so collection only bargains can be found. My last one retailed for £120 but cost me a fiver and had barely been used. I run it once a year in all rooms before winter and it's amazing how much moisture it can pull out of walls, floors and soft furnishings. I've convinced myself this makes my home warmer and saves on heating.

All my gear has always stayed in the house though, because I've never owned a garage... *sniff*

[bassace]

Sorry, it's oriented strand board. It's the random looking 8x4 boards that you see timber panels made up of in house construction. Mainly the type that self builders use in Grand Designs and the plethora of other house construction programmes.