Question for those in non-tropical climates

[myntik1]

I should know this, but I don't. Can I store games in my non-heated New England garage? 

[Jeff AMN]

I kept a Donkey Kong in my garage throughout the winter in Utah (we drop below freezing a lot) and I didn't have any issues. However, isn't it pretty humid where you're at? Would condensation be an issue in a garage during the winter? Utah has a very dry climate, so the cold is a dry cold.

[javeryh]

I wouldn't.  I'm in NJ and I would never leave a cabinet in my garage over the winter. 

[fatfingers]

Nah.  You'd have to dress way too warmly to play in there.   

[Apollo]

I just wear a hat

[JustMichael]

I just wear a hat

    I sure hope he just left out the rest that he wears to play in the garage.

[_) (V) (-)]

Storing them should be fine, powering them up in sub zero temps might be another issue.

I'm in Wisconsin, we dip under freezing and stay there for weeks (sometimes months) at a time.

[ChadTower]

Storing them should be fine, powering them up in sub zero temps might be another issue.

That's the right answer.  Storing them, so long as they don't get wet, will not harm them.  Powering them up in a subzero state will cause problems with the monitor as the tube heats up and expands far faster than the seals in the anode.  Won't kill it immediately but over the long term it will kill your tube way faster than normal.  Same thermal expansion concept applies to the PCBs and all heavy current circuits.

[FrizzleFried]

Insulate your garage...problem solved!!

[Jeff AMN]

Insulate your garage...problem solved!!

...or get a bunch of fatties to jog in place for an hour before you fire anything up. Sure, it won't smell so great in there, but it will feel like a nice June afternoon.

[ChadTower]

Insulate your garage...problem solved!!

Probably won't help in New England.  All that does it make it take longer for the garage to reach freezing.  Without a heat source inside it will still happen, especially if he actually uses the garage by opening the door.

[Green Giant]

Sucks to be you guys.  I think we hit the upper 30's once or twice in Jan. or Feb. this year.  On the other side, running a cab in a garage in the summer would probably kill my computer as it probably hits 120-130F in there with 80-90% humidity, good old Houston heat.

[myntik1]

Over the winter I'm looking to finish my basement (after I'm sure it's water tight) and I'm kind of pressed for space.  I was thinking about storing them in my garage until after the holidays and then moving them to the basement.  I would let the games warm up for a few days before firing them up.

[ChadTower]

That should be fine.  It's the rapid temperature change that is the enemy here.  It's not even at its coldest here until February anyway so that timeline is reasonable.  If it helps I store cabs in my noninsulated shed year round.  I never play them there, though.

[javeryh]

Hmmm... I was thinking more along the lines of cracking paint and overall damage to the cab itself due to expansion and contraction (not the internal components).  I just wouldn't want something I spent hundreds of hours on to warp, break, crack or otherwise just by leaving it in the garage.

[ChadTower]

The temperatures on that stuff won't change fast enough so long as it never gets wet.  It's when you turn the game on from a frozen state that the operating heat causes issues.  The thing you want to avoid is rapid temperature change.

[Jeff AMN]

The temperatures on that stuff won't change fast enough so long as it never gets wet.  It's when you turn the game on from a frozen state that the operating heat causes issues.  The thing you want to avoid is rapid temperature change.

Yeah, if you're going to play in a cold garage, it's a good idea to put a space heater in there to get the room temp up a bit and well-maintained for a while before flipping any switches. It's not only a bit more comfortable for you, but way safer for your games.

[ChadTower]

Don't do that for anything with silkscreening on glass.  You'll delaminate it.  Probably also dangerous for silkscreening on plexi but less so.

[Jeff AMN]

Don't do that for anything with silkscreening on glass.  You'll delaminate it.  Probably also dangerous for silkscreening on plexi but less so.

Are you talking about the space heater? It would be fine if you didn't set it near any cabinets and it just heated up the room enough to take the bite out of the air. It would be much like heating it up any other way as long as you don't set the heater to where it's directly heating the surface of any machines.