Storing Amp in a Garage

[SuperSeagull]

I'm considering storing my MB combo in my garage to save lugging it up and down stairs for rehearsals / gigs - I've an Ashdown I can use in my music room for practice. Just a bit concerned about temperatures though. The garage is detached, a sealed concrete floor and has previously had rockwall insulation behind plasterboard and an insulated ceiling fitted. It is dry but it does get cold. Is that likely to be an issue for amp or speaker?

[itu]

Cold and dry is OK, damp is kill.

[Jack]

No, but let it warm up before you turn it on. Condensation go boom. 

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

The problem lies when you take it from the cold into the warm and that results in condensation inside. That can cause component failure. If what you call cold is still above freezing it probably won't matter. What I call cold is well below freezing and I don't leave gear where that occurs. That said I'm headed out for my daily walk, where it's a balmy -7C.

Edited February 15, 2022 by Bill Fitzmaurice

[fleabag]

Personally, i would leave nothing outside regarding electronics. Dry or not

[SuperSeagull]

1 hour ago, Bill Fitzmaurice said:

The problem lies when you take it from the cold into the warm and that results in condensation inside. That can cause component failure. If what you call cold is still above freezing it probably won't matter. What I call cold is well below freezing and I don't leave gear where that occurs. That said I'm headed out for my daily walk, where it's a balmy -7C.

Not that cold! And above freezing. 

[Dood]

17 hours ago, fleabag said:

Personally, i would leave nothing outside regarding electronics. Dry or not

 

Absolutely! All of my music gear, including random cases and stands always live indoors.

[fleabag]

Ditto, but the downside of living 2 floors up is that my spare room is wall to wall  music gear and all the other non-descript junk that gets stored.  There's so much stuff i have a one way system for walking in and out.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

30 years in my unheated workshop hasn't bothered the stereo rig I have there. But it doesn't go from cold to warm in short order.

[franzbassist]

21 hours ago, Bill Fitzmaurice said:

That said I'm headed out for my daily walk, where it's a balmy -7C.

I spent a year on exchange at the University of Wisconsin and remember thinking it was really warm outside when it barely got back up to zero during the spring thaw!

 

Oh, and to stay on topic I keep speaker cabs in my garage but nothing more than that.

Edited February 16, 2022 by franzbassist

[SuperSeagull]

Starting to think it might be fine during warmer months but best to keep it indoors during the colder ones. Thanks for thoughts. 

[JPJ]

Our PA is stored in my garage. Yes everything is either flightcased or lives under fitted covers and its been this way for the last ten years without problems. That said, my bass amps all live in the house as they are older and more likely to be temperamental.

[ossyrocks]

I’ve had a couple of amps stored in my detached garage over winter. It’s dry, but cold. Admittedly these are little Fender handwired guitar amps, but the first one I switched on in order to test it before selling did make a lot of noise. It’s probably down the the fibreboard circuit absorbing moisture. I left the amp switched on in the house for a day and it settled right down. Personally, I’m not going to keep amps out there going forward.

[Downunderwonder]

A crate or cupboard can be heated with a 40w bulb.

[BassmanPaul]

In my mind the biggie is to let the speaker cabinets warm up to room temperature before you try to use them. I left my two 2x10 Acme cabinets overnight at sub zero temperatures in my van. The next evening I set them up and without thinking dropped a Low B into them. This cracked a surround on one driver in each cabinet. let me tell you THAT was a long, long night.

 

I have stored a lot of my stuff in my unheated garage for many years with out a problem.  They are off the floor on dollies and mostly enclosed by covers.