Storing a digital TV in the cold

[lakelover]

I have a 32" digital TV that I am storing for now.

My living room is fairly large, and my brother offered me his old 37" TV, so I took it and threw a digital converter on it and the slightly larger screen has made all the difference in eye strain issues from where I sit in my chair. I decided to hang on to the digital one and have been storing it in my unheated shed. The shed is weather tight, no leaks, and the TV is wrapped & tied in a heavy duty clear plastic bag & sits on a furniture dolly in case I need to move it.

Now that the weather is turning colder, it occurred to me that it gets pretty cold in there in the winter. I'd say it routinely gets down to 10-15 degrees F, a few times probably around 0 degrees - maybe the average is 20-40 F.

I'm wondering if the extreme cold will cause any damage to it. In-house storage is really at a premium, but if I thought storing it in the cold would damage it, I'd manage to find a place inside, although it would be pretty inconvenient.

Thoughts?

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

Is it an LCD TV, if not, I don't see where you would have a problem, I used to do a heck of allot of photography during the winter and the only thing I had problems with was the LCD screens freezing up, never stopped the camera from working, but it was a bit frustrating...when they froze up, might do a search on this on google.

 

[Fishing Dude too]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

We havea 37 lcd tv at our summer place on Lake Erie, it starts up every spring. Have talked to people who work at Best Buy warehouse it is unheated. Just need to let things come to heated temp if comes from cold to be used.

 

[lakelover]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

Thanks for the advice. It's a SHARP with a CRT picture tube, one of the very few models I could find when we went digital; reason being we had to go as inexpensive as possible at the time of the switchover. Just happened that we couldn't slap a converter on our previous one because it had just been destroyed by a lightning strike at our house. We had to replace the entire stereo component system too. Luckily, we were insured!

I'd considered unheated warehouses, but zero seems a little extreme. On the other hand, yes, I've known of TV's left in camps all winter too with no reports of problems.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

Last year, we left for 2 months in the winter and unfortunately our furnace went out while we were gone, the only thing that didn't make it was one of our water pipes, but the temp went down to -22 and the TV was fine after we heated the house back up.

 

[lakelover]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

Thanks, nothing to worry about then I guess.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

CRT tv should be fine.

LCD screens can definitely get destroyed in freezing temps.

Ask my uncle about the chartplotter he left in his boat last winter. $700 throwaway.

Haven't heard of any ill effects from moderate freezing temps, but when you get down below 10* F, you are gambling.

 

[KD4UPL]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

The trucks used to haul the TVs from the factory to the warehouse and to the stores aren't heated. I'm pretty sure they drive them around in the winter in northern states. I think you're worrying about nothing.

 

[lakelover]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

I think you're worrying about nothing.

Not worrying, wondering!

 

[dennis461]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

The trucks used to haul the TVs from the factory to the warehouse and to the stores aren't heated. I'm pretty sure they drive them around in the winter in northern states. I think you're worrying about nothing.

Mate, this is a boating forum, you should post;
The ships and sea vans used to haul the TVs from China to the USA aren't heated.

I would wrap in plastic while in a dry environment, indoors, to lessen chances of condensation and spiders.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

Being stored in the cold probably wouldn't hurt anything. What gets them is condensation. I'd bag it in a dry place, and throw in a pack of dessicant. No worries as long as it warms up before you unbag it.

I've had trouble with fishing electronics and cold. I opened everything up and put in a couple of little bags of dessicant like comes with a hard disk, oven dried of course. Re sealed carefully and have had no problems since.

 

[lakelover]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

Mate, this is a boating forum, you should post;
The ships and sea vans used to haul the TVs from China to the USA aren't heated.

I would wrap in plastic while in a dry environment, indoors, to lessen chances of condensation and spiders.

Good point. Must get cold on the high seas. Actually, spiders are one of the main reasons I wrapped it up, I've seen them bugger up too many other things. And in case the roof started to leak.

 

[lakelover]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

Being stored in the cold probably wouldn't hurt anything. What gets them is condensation. I'd bag it in a dry place, and throw in a pack of dessicant. No worries as long as it warms up before you unbag it.

I always save those little bags of dessicant, but I doubt I have enough to make a difference with something that big.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

Rice put in a cloth bag works as a dessicant also.

A CRT TV will handle the freezing temps with no problem.

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

Not sure what to do about the bugs but they can be a problem. I keep a spare battery for the drill in the shop. Went to grab a charged battery yesterday and found that ants had built a nest inside the charger. Couldn't believe how much sawdust they carried in there.

 

[Fishing Dude too]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

Last year, we left for 2 months in the winter and unfortunately our furnace went out while we were gone, the only thing that didn't make it was one of our water pipes, but the temp went down to -22 and the TV was fine after we heated the house back up.

Depending on your house can tell you how to winterize it so this would not be a problem.

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

The only problem I heard about was, the Plazma tv screens braking in extream cold like -40 or colder.

Up in the oil patch there was a bed bug problem last winter so this camp closed down for a couple of weeks to get rid of them. What they did was opean all of the windows and doors to the bunk houses at about -40. All of the bed bugs were taken care of but all of the plazma TV,s in the rooms cracked.

 

[rbh]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

+2-3??? on the condinsation issue, do not wrap in plastic, use a heavy blanket.

Yes, it will breathe which will be better than the plastic holding in the moisture.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Storing a digital TV in the cold

Depending on your house can tell you how to winterize it so this would not be a problem.

Thanks, but we have already taken care of what caused the problem last year, and I have installed a VPN server that I can control just about everything in the house from a remote location, with cameras on specific areas so I can monitor stuff. The furnace is brand new, but it it were to go out again, it sends me an email and I can call the furnace repair company and a friend of mine will let them in to work on it. So we are pretty well covered if we have to leave this year, not that I anticipate leaving, but you never know.

Thanks again.