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Winterizing Speakers


Matt S

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the best way is to not store them in that environment... but if you have to do it & dont have the original boxes, wrap them in a heavy movers type blanket so the fabric will absorb most of the moisture but still be able to breathe & place them on a pallet to get them off the ground or at least put a piece of plastic sheet under them to stop most the moisture from the ground. 

 

if its just for a few months of winter they should be ok, but i would suggest doing anything you can to keep them indoors... maybe store at a friend or relatives house or just make space for them in your house/apt.  

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I used four Speakerlab SKHorns in a mobile DJ business in the 70s.  As I was forced to store them in an unheated garage in Michigan in the winter, I called Speakerlab to ask if below freezing temperatures would harm them.   They replied that they thought not, but, since it doesn’t get cold in Seattle, they couldn’t be certain.

 

The plywood speakers suffered no known harm from the very cold storage.

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I’ve wondered the same thing. My main listening area is in a garage. It is wood heated most of the time, but there are periods of a couple days at a time where temps might get into the low 30’s. I haven’t ever had any trouble, but don’t want to expose them to any damage from the weather. I would expect extreme heat in the summer would have more of a negative impact on them. My garage is foam insulated so the temperature doesn’t fluctuate drastically. 

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I would be worried about moisture if they are a nice veneer since moisture can separate wood layers. 

 

It depends on condition and value. I say this because I have had some Heresy's out in a covered yard tiki bar, hung from the ceiling. The were not in great shape cosmetically so I painted them with black exterior house paint and hung them up, this was 6+ years ago and there as good as when when they were put out there. Were an hour North of New Orleans, so it's hot and humid in the summer, and sometimes lows in the low 20's and occasionally the teens in the winter. Foggy misty and everything else being out in the garden, no problems. 

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20 hours ago, nickyboy6100 said:

I’ve wondered the same thing. My main listening area is in a garage. It is wood heated most of the time, but there are periods of a couple days at a time where temps might get into the low 30’s. I haven’t ever had any trouble, but don’t want to expose them to any damage from the weather. I would expect extreme heat in the summer would have more of a negative impact on them. My garage is foam insulated so the temperature doesn’t fluctuate drastically. 

 

lows in the 30's & somewhat insulated is nothing to be too concerned about... i thought you mean "real" winter & real storage, like single digits or 0*f & below with highs fluctuating into the 30's with rain/snow causing condensation & high humidity & prolonged storage with no use.  if they are in a insulated garage & get used frequently they should be fine.    

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5 hours ago, EpicKlipschFan said:

 

lows in the 30's & somewhat insulated is nothing to be too concerned about... i thought you mean "real" winter & real storage, like single digits or 0*f & below with highs fluctuating into the 30's with rain/snow causing condensation & high humidity & prolonged storage with no use.  if they are in a insulated garage & get used frequently they should be fine.    

That is good to know. I figured they would be fine. Thanks for the reply. 

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5 hours ago, EpicKlipschFan said:

 

lows in the 30's & somewhat insulated is nothing to be too concerned about... i thought you mean "real" winter & real storage, like single digits or 0*f & below with highs fluctuating into the 30's with rain/snow causing condensation & high humidity & prolonged storage with no use.  if they are in a insulated garage & get used frequently they should be fine.    

I get that a lot when I say it's "cold" today from my friends in the Midwest.  We have Summer, 6 weeks of Fall, a couple of ice storms (real ones) 1 week, 2 if we are lucky, of Spring, followed by 6 months of "Summer" here in Austin. You have to go to Lubbock and North for a Winter. One Texas Summer can do way, way more damage on speakers than several winters.

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On 12/11/2020 at 7:56 PM, Matt S said:

I am just wondering what is the best way to store my Klipsch speakers in a non climate controlled storage unit for winter conditions as well as protecting them from condensation.

what is your location  ?    what type of klipsch  speakers are we talking about ?  --

 

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4 hours ago, dwilawyer said:

I get that a lot when I say it's "cold" today from my friends in the Midwest.  We have Summer, 6 weeks of Fall, a couple of ice storms (real ones) 1 week, 2 if we are lucky, of Spring, followed by 6 months of "Summer" here in Austin. You have to go to Lubbock and North for a Winter. One Texas Summer can do way, way more damage on speakers than several winters.

 

When my late brother lived in Maine, he always said they had 11 months of snow and 4 weeks of bad sledding. He was, of course, joking, but they can have long winters. When he first went off to college (Michigan Tech in the U.P.), they had 110 inches of snow over the winter, most of which stays on the ground a long time. He shoveled two feet of snow off the tennis court in early May so he could play. 😬

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10 hours ago, EpicKlipschFan said:

 

lows in the 30's & somewhat insulated is nothing to be too concerned about... i thought you mean "real" winter & real storage, like single digits or 0*f & below with highs fluctuating into the 30's with rain/snow causing condensation & high humidity & prolonged storage with no use.  if they are in a insulated garage & get used frequently they should be fine.    

Where I live 85% of the winter it rains and then there's snow they've been sitting in a non-climate controlled storage unit since at least June now where there was the heat in the summer now there's rain and snow now for winter so yeah I'm wondering how to store them.

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1 hour ago, Matt S said:

Where I live 85% of the winter it rains and then there's snow they've been sitting in a non-climate controlled storage unit since at least June now where there was the heat in the summer now there's rain and snow now for winter so yeah I'm wondering how to store them.

 

What speakers are they?  Why do you need to store them?

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 I would buy a couple of these desiccant cans to throw in storage with the speakers. I use one like this in my safe and was amazed at how much moisture it absorbs. 

.

 https://www.amazon.com/Lockdown-Silica-Gel-750-grams/dp/B004QUIWAA/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?ie=UTF8&aaxitk=.-SZMaUTudKY1x57IhsgGw&hsa_cr_id=2988231290201&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_0

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I expect the way klipsch packed them would be good. Put the speakers in a plastic bag then boxes and keep them off the floor.

I have kp301s and MWMs in an unheated garage where winter temps can drop below 0 F.

They are clamped to the ceiling and I normally don't fire them up if its really cold.

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18 minutes ago, capo72 said:

 I would buy a couple of these desiccant cans to throw in storage with the speakers. I use one like this in my safe and was amazed at how much moisture it absorbs. 

.

 https://www.amazon.com/Lockdown-Silica-Gel-750-grams/dp/B004QUIWAA/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?ie=UTF8&aaxitk=.-SZMaUTudKY1x57IhsgGw&hsa_cr_id=2988231290201&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_0

excellent answer --------desiccant

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20 minutes ago, Skelt said:

I expect the way klipsch packed them would be good. Put the speakers in a plastic bag then boxes and keep them off the floor.

I have kp301s and MWMs in an unheated garage where winter temps can drop below 0 F.

They are clamped to the ceiling and I normally don't fire them up if its really cold.

If it's a cold moist climate, I think I would eliminate the plastic bag, maybe a tarp over all of it.

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