Soundthought Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 Hello all, I recently finished building my garage and have been storing some of my loudspeaker collection out there while I complete a "dedicated listening room" in the basement. But, problem is...it's currently an unheated and uninsulated structure. Well, being the proud audio papa that I am, i'm naturally concerned for their well-being. Don't want them to freeze their little tweeters off, or something. Ha Ha... Seriously though, I have several choice sets sitting out there that I would like to keep intact. They are not the pride and joy of my collection, mind you, but many are irreplaceble to one degree or another. I would hate to see them falter or rot due to my negligence. Eeeeeek. Perish the thought. So what to do? I'm coming up dry for information concerning the cold weather and/or non-climate controlled storage of loudspeakers. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Regards, John. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easylistener Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 I would try and keep them from freezing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 Do you still have the documentation and specs to those speakers? There may be something in there that mentions what tempuratures that the speakers can be safely stored at. At the very least, I would try to keep them in a dry place, where there is not alot of moisture around. I would imagine that they can be stored at very cold temperatures pretty safely. Just make sure to allow time for them to be warmed up to room tempurature before playing anything through them. I mean, I've seen stories on here before where people find a pair of LaScalas or some such that was sitting in a garage for the past 15 or so years (A widow that wanted them out of the house after the husband died, for example), only to convice the owners to sell them off (if a speaker was sitting around that long going unused, why keep them), take them home, and hook them up to find out they operate like the day they rolled off the factory floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 I've stored my pro musical instrument speakers (Hartke) & PA speakers (large horn-loaded Peaveys) in an attached garage for years without anything going wrong. It's probably not the best situation considering the wide variation in temperature & humidity. But it sure is convenient to just back up the Explorer & load up! But keep in mind these are professional systems designed to take a lot of abuse. Not sure how the average 'hi-fi' speaker would hold up. The first thing to go will probably be the surround suspension and/or spider (interior suspension behind the cone). If you haven't stored them in there for years under a wide range of temperatures/humidity you'll probably be OK. Let the things sit for 24 hours or so once you bring them inside your regular living/listening area. especially if you bring them inside after they've been outside when its particularly cold or hot/humid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BackBurner Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 ---------------- On 2/18/2004 6:06:17 PM skonopa wrote: At the very least, I would try to keep them in a dry place, where there is not alot of moisture around. Thats the whole problem with cold or freezing tempatures , as air cools off it loses it's ability to hold moisture ( science 101 ) when the air is cool enough it reachs it's " due " point and deposits it's moisture as water vapour or frost. When the temp warms up the moisture is absorbed once again by the air. This is how thing rot ! Short storage should be no problem though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 I doubt that cold storage will be a problem in general. If it gets really seriously cold ( 0 degrees or colder) where you live it would make sense to allow them to warm up a little before driving them hard. Beyond that and the caution above regarding moisture I wouldn't get too concerned about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipsch Employees Trey Cannon Posted February 19, 2004 Klipsch Employees Share Posted February 19, 2004 Most products can take temps from -30F to 150+ F. As you may know, there are a lot of products that come over the water. They have a good chance to be in the north Pacific. They also travel in planes and by truck. Planes get cold and hot at 35k ft. A truck in South Texas or in Montana can see those type of temps. Just keep them dry and you will be ok. If it gets cold in there, let them warm up a bit before you play them... We play our outdoor speakers in all kind of temps, They work fine most of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BackBurner Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 ---------------- On 2/19/2004 7:45:45 AM trey cannon wrote: We play our outdoor speakers in all kind of temps, They work fine most of the time. ---------------- Ya i thought that was a klipsch R & D team i seen in alaska doing some cold climate testing . Testing to see what tempature beer freezes. more like it .lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundthought Posted February 19, 2004 Author Share Posted February 19, 2004 Thanks for all of the replies. I appreciate it. When I put them out there, I covered them with sheets and old blankets to keep the dust off them. Do you think this will deter moisture or promote rot? Regards, John. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 ---------------- On 2/19/2004 3:45:21 PM Audioreality wrote: Thanks for all of the replies. Do you think this will deter moisture or promote rot? ---------------- I doubt it would promote rot, as long as the speakers can still "breath" and they don't get wet, (i.e., rain somehow get into them). Cover them with blankets to help keep the dust off, but don't friggan seal them up air-tight that they cannot be allowed to "air out". If you sealed them up air-tight, then you do run the risk of condensation forming inside, with no ability for any air to get inside to dry out the condensation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 You need to keep your equipment off the floor.I put my gear in boxes then include a dessicant like "Damp Traps" by Damp Rid IF you can find them at a hardware store to absorb moisture. Don't let the dessicant in the bag touch wood. Close the boxes and put them on skids(shipping pallets) that you can find at the back of a Lowes or Home Depot then make sure all of it is positioned away from walls. Just use your head and check the condition of the boxes after a real cold or wet period. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipsch Employees Trey Cannon Posted February 19, 2004 Klipsch Employees Share Posted February 19, 2004 wow!!! A post by BBB with no jokes....Is this the first time or do I just read the funny ones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 ---------------- On 2/19/2004 9:29:32 PM trey cannon wrote: wow!!! A post by BBB with no jokes....Is this the first time or do I just read the funny ones? ---------------- Dont worry, Trey. Theres a joke in there alright. I didnt bother to mention one of the very strange disadvantages of using a lot of these Damp Traps. He he he he he. Just kidding AR.Maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundthought Posted February 20, 2004 Author Share Posted February 20, 2004 Ha Ha.... That would be...how do you say???....NO GOOD. I'm pretty sure my cats would object wearing little kitty sweaters and sleeping in the cold, dark garage. But hey.....they've gotta earn their keep too, right? Ha Ha Ha. hmmmmm. Anyway.... Keeping them off the floor was my first order of business. I simply lined up a dozen old stereo consoles and stacked speakers up about 3 sets high. Each layer was covered with a sheet and each speaker separated by sheets of newspaper. Then I kinda draped old blankets over the lot. I had thought about boxing them up and using dessicant packs like they have at shoe stores, but I couldn't find a source to sell me just a few. Most places i've seen had minimium orders of like 1000 units. I definately don't need 1000 little dessicant packs lying around I might get the munchies really bad and accidentally eat one. Whoops! Aside from finding dry packs, getting boxes for some of these larger sets, might be a problem. ex. (Marantz Imperial 7, Infinity Kappa 9, EV interface D, Dynaco A-50) Just not economically viable, ya know?. Hopefully though, I will be bringing them in by the middle of next month. Then all will be well, again. I'll just heed the above advise and let them all "dry out" before I even attempt to drive them. Regards, John. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 That's the way ya dooooooooooo it AR. Just make sure everything is dry and *most important* let all your gear come to room temperature and leave it that way for as long as you can before firing it up. Because if it's still cold when you give it the juice the popping you hear will be more than just a loose connection.he he he BOING! Don't forget that ALMOST anything that forms condensate on it's container can freeze....and what can freeze can defrost. Then what do you have. SNOW CONES! Oh boy! RATS! Did I say that right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 I might consider for you a small ceramic heater too.. Not too close to the speakers, but will keep your garage at 40 degrees or so in the worst of cold winters. I would def. put something around them, and let em warm back up inside...maybe even 24 hrs before firing back up later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 I might be a nut about my gear but I would do exactlty what Indy said including the other precautions. A space heater is a smart idea. I don't know about you but this has been one of the coldest winters I can remember where the temperature has remained so low for such a long period of time.I hear timbers creaking in my house that I have never heard creak before. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundthought Posted February 21, 2004 Author Share Posted February 21, 2004 It has been a cold one..... No doubt about it. There have several days that my dogs want right back in after they're let out. That says alot, considering that they are a Husky/Chow mix. My girls usually stay out as long as I let them. Not so this winter. You said it right, BBB, Brrrrrrrrr! Interesting idea, Indy. Maybe i'll give it a try. Don't know how comfortable I feel about leaving a heater on, unattended, for any length of time. I'll have to give it some thought. I'm thinking that my best bet is to get off my a$$ and get this basement project finished. Then I wont have to worry about it, anymore. Regards, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Beeee Posted May 3, 2021 Share Posted May 3, 2021 I know this is a "little" late for adding comments to this post, but I was searching for just the same kind of advice. It would be remiss of me to not offer this other bit of a precaution: plug the holes of any ports with foam, etc. so that mice won't climb in there and then try to chew their way out via the surrounds. I had this happen to some nice Cerwin Vegas and it cost nearly $200 to have them re-coned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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