Leaving cab in the car in freezing weather

[ReeV0]

Could I be causing any damage by doing this?

Weather is getting down to -2 degrees and my cab has been sitting in my car for a few nights...

[Frank Blank]

The manual should tell you the temperature parameters that are safe for the cab.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Cold won't bother it, but thermal shock can. Let it get as warm as possible before using it.

[ReeV0]

I don't have the manual unfortunately. But I will let it warm up gently when I eventually bring it inside. Cheers for the advice

[Frank Blank]

Just now, jjl5590 said:

I don't have the manual unfortunately. But I will let it warm up gently when I eventually bring it inside. Cheers for the advice

What make/ model is it?

[ezbass]

I would have thought that the potential for condensation was the biggest issue. I always bring mine in in the winter, just in case.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Condensation is more of a concern with amps. I've never run into a condensation problem with speakers, in temperatures that you never experience in the UK. 

[Phil Starr]

I think people are right to concentrate on moisture. Some cars seem to be worse than others in this respect, everything ends up damp in my old Fiat, not so much in our Golf or Astra. If your car screen is running with condensation then you can reckon there will be some condensation on the metal parts of the speaker. That's not going to happen overnight, if you've used the speaker in a gig it is likely to get quite hot and keep a bit of residual warmth, even if it does cool right down a little condensation isn't going to spell much trouble but prolonged exposure could lead to some corrosion of the metal parts and really long term damp could affect the cone and possibly the adhesives on older speakers. I'd move it somewhere dry but temperature per se isn't an issue. Coming home after a gig and leaving it one night wouldn't worry me but personally I'd put it somewhere dry the next day., but I do live in a part of the country that get's nearly a metre of rain a year

[warwickhunt]

I'd be more concerned about security; assuming your car isn't garaged... which nobody's ever is.  

The number of times I read on social media about musicians having their gear stolen from their cars/vans is frankly worrying.  I'd like to bet that within a 10 mile radius of me I hear of at least 2 or 3 thefts per year (from cars not property).  Even if it is a minor risk, I'd not want the inconvenience and cost of replacing locks and windows.  

Here endeth the sermon.    

[ezbass]

1 hour ago, warwickhunt said:

I'd be more concerned about security; assuming your car isn't garaged... which nobody's ever is.  

Our house is the first we’ve had with a garage, I always put the car away (I know we are an exception to the usual), my smugness on a frosty morning when others are scraping away and having their fans on full blast, is off the scale. In warmer months, if I have a gig or rehearsal following one of the same, I’ll leave the rig in the boot. Still not the most secure storage, but a real PITA for any scallies as getting the boot open without moving the car is impossible (it’s a tight fit). Basses always come in.

Edited January 21, 2020 by ezbass

[Mudpup]

Well I think you should be ashamed of yourself if he has to climb in the car to stay warm! Even though he has a fur coat. Honestly, some people don't deserve to have a pet if they can't look after it properly........ 

Oh sorry, I didn't have my glasses on. I thought you said 'cat' 

 

 

Edited January 21, 2020 by Mudpup

[Marc S]

Yes, I'd have thought condensation could play some part in causing damage to either the electronics or speaker cone of a bass cab....
Perhaps even corrosion of contact surfaces such as Jack or Speakon sockets?
It's not something that I've done, or would advise. I've perhaps kept amp gear in a car boot (out of sight of potential thieves) for a night, during warmer weather.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

My outside thermometer currently reads 2F/-17C. What's just as significant is that my indoor humidity meter reads 26%. I have a large humidifier running all the time, using on average two liters of water a day, otherwise it would be closer to 10%, a by-product of heating the house. Where the potential for moisture damage is concerned that's far more likely if you live in the tropics or near the ocean than if you live in a temperate climate.

[Beer of the Bass]

I must admit, I often get lazy and leave a cab in my car boot between gigs, tucked out of sight under the shelf. It hasn't caused me any problems yet, though my cabs are home built with drivers it wouldn't be too difficult or expensive to replace if I did kill one.

[Quilly]

A bit unrelated but when a guitarist buddy of mine moved out of home his father put his 1965 fender bandmaster amp out onto a garden shed and left it there for years. I tried to rescue it but virtuously everything  inside it was destroyed with dampness 😥

[Dan Dare]

As ours is a maritime climate (nowhere in the UK is more than 60 miles from the sea), damp can be more of a problem than may realise, especially when those moisture-laden westerlies blow in from the Atlantic. Does it have to stay in the car all the time? I'd certainly bring it indoors in damp/wet weather.