Cold Garage

Mr Do

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Does keeping games in a cold garage damage components?
Can they be turned on at any temperature?
Thanks
 
cold temp is very bad for games if you turn em on... too much stress on those old components...


worst yet is when the temp goes up and down, the y get really sweaty and thats bad for electrics as well as the wood cabs themselves...


Last year i plasticed off the rental houses garage and had 2 electric heaters in there... wasnt 90 degrees or snything, but kept it warm and consistant enough to not harm the games...



If you must store them in a unheated space uts on your best interest to wrap them in a tarp and leave them alone untill it warms up outside..
 
does anybody search the forums - this has been discussed like 100 times

100 times every winter.

Unless it gets below freezing in your garage, just storing them is no problem. Turning them on is another story. Anywhere above freezing is considered ok but it certainly is not "harmless". Solder joints, traces and even chips can crack if you turn on your game and let them warm up in the cold.
 
100 times every winter.

Unless it gets below freezing in your garage, just storing them is no problem. Turning them on is another story. Anywhere above freezing is considered ok but it certainly is not "harmless". Solder joints, traces and even chips can crack if you turn on your game and let them warm up in the cold.

We have had lows in the negatives this week, and all my games and pinball is in the garage. None of it has been turned on in the past 2 months though. Can I be doing damage?
 
We have had lows in the negatives this week, and all my games and pinball is in the garage. None of it has been turned on in the past 2 months though. Can I be doing damage?

Probably not (unless you have a leaky garage), but anything's possible below freezing. If they have already been exposed I would avoid moving them around until it warms up, and then would check all components and what not before power up.
 
Sheesh... it hasn't gotten above 20 degrees here in a week... and as low as -6... all my games are in the garage (insulated I admit)... guess what. I've at least one or two a day and none have had any issues. I'd estimate the garage stays in the upper 40's / lower 50's or so....

If it's below freezing, I'd avoid turning them on... above freezing and I've not had a problem.
 
Also don't forget to remove any tempered glass with printing on it. Take any glass marquees, bezels, or pin backglass off the machines or it might start to flake down the road. The paint won't "flex" or expand and contract with the glass from the temperature changes.
 
Some of mine stay out in the garage and get played sometimes below freezing temps. In the last two years I have not had any problems with my games in the cold. ????????
 
Don't worry about it.

Just don't move a game from out in the cold into the warmth and immediately turn them on...the condensation from the cold will cause problems once the game gets powered up.

Turn them on at your own risk. I would do it, and have, without any problems whatsoever.

I've had games develop problems by just moving them from one spot in a warm game room (in the summer months) to another, so why would I worry about having one out in the cold?

If they were warm blooded, it really would be a good idea to give them a blanket and get them heat...but just games...forget it!

-Tim
 
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I use an electric oil filled heater. bought it a couple weeks ago. I leave it on all the time on the medium setting. keeps the garage pretty warm so I can go out there with the kids and play on the arcade machine. also helps to keep the bedroom above the garage warm.
 
I have mine in a inslulated pole barn. I turn the heater on and wait for the room to warm up to the upper 50s. I read some where not to run games below 41.
my 2 cents
Bill
 
does anybody search the forums - this has been discussed like 100 times
Yeah it's popped up alot, I agree, but every time that it does some additional good info always seems to come out of it. One of the last times that it came up was a time when Friz insulated his garage, and provided info on what he was doing. That post prompted me to do the same with mine, and I'm happy to say that even with the blizzard we're having here in MD today, my garage hasn't dropped below 50 thanks to Friz's suggestion. And that's where my games are so, things have worked out well with this.

I agree it helps when people do searches first, but I'm hyper and rarely ever search prior to posting myself too, so I guess I get lumped in with the other guilty folk. :(
 
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