Cold damp garage

[marshall]

Ive learnt the hard way that leaving an arcade machine in a cold garage does them no good after it damaged my monitor, but what if I have no choice (the wife says so).

What can I do to preserve my arcade machine over winter in the damp garage?

Ive just purchased a Terminator 2 machine and dont want it to die like my Operation Thunderbolt!

Sorry if this has been asked elsewhere but I couldnt find anything.

[Comtek]

buy a dehumidifier or stop listening to your wife 
a dehumidifier will dry the air around the arcade  so as long as it's not standing in water
not sure if i recomend the second results vary alot with that one

[marshall]

She MUST be obeyed! 

I thought about fitting some lights inside the cabinet, so the heat from them kept things warm, or wouldnt that work.

A dehumidifier is a good idea, think ill invest.

[DJ_Izumi]

Actually I heard that pilots of small aircraft will keep an incandescent light going near their instrument panel to generate enough heat to present moisture and condensation from forming in their instruments between flights.  It could work.  But a cab is a lot bigger and wood is a lot more absorbant than humid air seeping into a guage.

I'd go with the dehumidifier.  If you can afford it, a storage unit would be good too.

[marshall]

Would leaving the machine switched on be a good idea? The heat from everything running should keep it dry.

[CheffoJeffo]

How did being in the garage damage your monitor ?

How cold and how damp are we talking ? I would be more worried about cold if you are turning on the machine but more worried about humidity if it is just sitting (but if it is actually cold, then not such an issue).

[RayB]

She MUST be obeyed! 

Compromise is one thing, but strict obedience? No.
Find something of hers that's not being used, and taking up space and put it in the garage too.

[garnerb350]

I have a Space Invaders 2 cocktail in my shelter...I took a blanket and wrapped it ....I hope nothing happens to it come springtime...

[marshall]

How did being in the garage damage your monitor ?

How cold and how damp are we talking ? I would be more worried about cold if you are turning on the machine but more worried about humidity if it is just sitting (but if it is actually cold, then not such an issue).

Its been around -6c here recently, and foolishly I switched the machine on for the monitor to start fizzing and it hasnt displayed properly since, so its been replaced and I dont want this one to suffer the same fate.

If it got that cold, Ive learnt my lesson so wont power it on again, would it be ok to wait for better weather so its all nice and dry before trying it again, would the cold and damp not be a problem as long as its dried properly before trying again?

[CheffoJeffo]

I wouldn't expect any problems so long as you don't turn it on.

[SavannahLion]

How did being in the garage damage your monitor ?

How cold and how damp are we talking ? I would be more worried about cold if you are turning on the machine but more worried about humidity if it is just sitting (but if it is actually cold, then not such an issue).

Its been around -6c here recently, and foolishly I switched the machine on for the monitor to start fizzing and it hasnt displayed properly since, so its been replaced and I dont want this one to suffer the same fate.

If it got that cold, Ive learnt my lesson so wont power it on again, would it be ok to wait for better weather so its all nice and dry before trying it again, would the cold and damp not be a problem as long as its dried properly before trying again?

Oh, I see. OK, you almost made me run out and starting bringing in all the electronics from the shed.

None of it is powered, so rust is my only concern... oh well. 

[DJ_Izumi]

I have a Space Invaders 2 cocktail in my shelter...I took a blanket and wrapped it ....I hope nothing happens to it come springtime...

I really don't think that a blanket would be a good idea.  That absorbs moisture.  If it gets wet it's soak it up, wick through it and be in constant contact with the cab. o_o

[marshall]

How did being in the garage damage your monitor ?

How cold and how damp are we talking ? I would be more worried about cold if you are turning on the machine but more worried about humidity if it is just sitting (but if it is actually cold, then not such an issue).

Its been around -6c here recently, and foolishly I switched the machine on for the monitor to start fizzing and it hasnt displayed properly since, so its been replaced and I dont want this one to suffer the same fate.

If it got that cold, Ive learnt my lesson so wont power it on again, would it be ok to wait for better weather so its all nice and dry before trying it again, would the cold and damp not be a problem as long as its dried properly before trying again?

S

Oh, I see. OK, you almost made me run out and starting bringing in all the electronics from the shed.

None of it is powered, so rust is my only concern... oh well. 

So you are saying that no matter how cold or damp it gets in there, as long as its allowed to dry out propely before throwing the switch, it should be ok?

[bkenobi]

No, he's saying that if the garage is damp then using anything absorptive on the cab will make things worse.  The moisture could damage the wood as well, so I wouldn't get it too damp for too long if at all possible.

[marshall]

I wouldnt have wrapped it up like that personally.

I used to work at a polythene factory where they extruded polythene onto rolls which were about 1.5 meters wide, so when unravelled it was a tube, what I would give to be able to get a couple of lenghts of that now, it would seal it up nicely!

[Blanka]

Isolate the garage, and put your wife behind it.

[Blanka]

I wouldn't expect any problems so long as you don't turn it on.

In my shed, cold and moist is not bad for electronics (you have to let them get back to room temperature for a day at least), but on chipboard/MDF the place is totally rude. Every non-solid wooden thing in there starts to stink like rotten paper with mold.

[RayB]

I'll repeat my experience from leaving Galaga in a garage that had enough of a gap at the bottom of the door to let snow melt in... It didn't damage the machine so much as cause rust to appear on lots of the metal parts.

I wouldn't recommend it.

[Paul Olson]

I am finally glad that I live in a desert; no moisture in the air here. Once temps get into the mid 30s it is game on...until I get cold, then it is game on on the MAME cab inside.

[BobA]

I live in Edmonton  Canada and it gets down to -35 C quite often during the winter.   The most important thing in storing a cab in a garage or shed is to let it come up to normal temp before trying to turn it on.   It will gather frost and ice during its storage in an unheated area.   If you bring it to normal temp in a heated area or wait till spring you should still check for areas where the frost ice may have puddled and may still be damp.  HV components in the monitor are the most likely to be damaged with dampness.   Give it a day to come up to room temp and use a fan to dry out any damp spots.  Mice also build little damp nests so make sure your visual inspection clears out all other debris from areas you least likely expect.

[Dannymh]

mine sits in a very hot space and humid space, but that is because I live in a fairly tropical place

We do get some humidity. We have these things here called "Camels" they are just a plastic tub with a little shelf in it, which holds these beads.

They draw all the moisture out of the air and the water collects in the bottom of them. They are pretty cheap. I keep a few around in various places especially closets. You could try one of those to help draw out as much moisture as possible....or seal and insulate the garage properly

[DeLuSioNal29]

I live in Edmonton  Canada and it gets down to -35 C quite often during the winter.   The most important thing in storing a cab in a garage or shed is to let it come up to normal temp before trying to turn it on.   It will gather frost and ice during its storage in an unheated area.   If you bring it to normal temp in a heated area or wait till spring you should still check for areas where the frost ice may have puddled and may still be damp.  HV components in the monitor are the most likely to be damaged with dampness.   Give it a day to come up to room temp and use a fan to dry out any damp spots.  Mice also build little damp nests so make sure your visual inspection clears out all other debris from areas you least likely expect.

+1 on this one.

I live in upstate, NY and it can get pretty cold up here in my uninsulated garage.  As long as you don't turn it on during the cold you should be all set.  If I MUST turn it on before the nice weather comes around, I make sure I put a few heaters in the garage to get the temperature up for a few hours before I turn it on.

D

[ItzMR2u]

Wow this is a topic I've never had to give a thought about
It's not perfect but +1 for living in So Cal where on a 50 degree day everyone is FREEZING...everyone but the mame cab that is!

[BobA]

Just a note:   Beads or a dehumidifier do not work at below freezing at 32 deg F or 0 Deg C.   A dehumidifier is only good if water can be extracted from the air with cooling coils.   There is no water to condense when you go below freezing.   The dehumidifier packs have the same problem.  Below freezing there is no water to absorb only ice.

[bkenobi]

But if the air is below freezing and results in no humidity, then you don't need to worry about it.  The cab won't absorb any water out of the air if there isn't any.   

People who have gun cabinets/safes often use dehumidifiers (either electric or the passive pellet style) to keep their investments from rusting.  This will only work effectively in a near sealed space though.  Moisture in the air will diffuse to areas that have a lower concentration eventually, so if you put one next to your cabinet in the middle of a garage, you won't get the same results as if it were inside the cabinet.  Of course, inside doesn't help with the wood absorbing moisture since that will happen from the outside too.