"Winterizing" Arcade Machines

K3V

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I know nobody wants to think about this in August, but does anyone have tips for storing arcade games during the winter? My games are in my garage, which isn't heated, and we get some pretty nasty winters here in Western NY.

What are the best practices for preserving games during the colder months? And is there anything I should buy to get ready?
 
And is there anything I should buy to get ready?

a shitload of insulation and some electric heaters. or a house with more square footage.

no, seriously, i don't think there's much you need to or should do for the games. the main thing i would do, that i've done with my games in the garage, is let the garage warm up a bit once i pull the car in when i get home, and once it's not freezing cold in there i'll play the games. i believe the main issue you'll face is possible condensation on the monitor from the heating/cooling in there. if you don't park a car in there, just throw in a space heater and let it heat it up a little.
 
Condensation would definitely be a concern as cleverlyj said. I had my 6 player X-men in our all seasons room for a while and in the winter I could go out there in the morning and fire up a few space heaters and you'd notice condensation setting in on it. Thankfully it was moved into the basement (don't ask how) so it's not an issue anymore. The other concern I would have might be with glass artwork flaking...I thought I read about that being a possible cold storage problem, but I could be wrong.
 
I'm likely not going to be playing them much in the winter months, so I'll probably just put them up on pallets, wrap them and let them hibernate. The plan is to eventually build on to the house and have a dedicated game room, but for now they have to hang out in the garage.

Thanks for the input! Open to more suggestions as well.
 
When the winter strikes this year, I dont plan on playing any games until the weather reaches 50º. Therefore, to keep my glass artwork safe from bubbling, I will be pulling all my printed glass marquees and bezels and packing them away inside until Spring.
 
Put wheels on your games instead of levelers. They'll be about an inch off the ground, so you don't have to worry about flooding, and you will be able to move them around much easier when you want to get access to them/store them away.
 
Aside from possible delamination of screened art on glass, I think the only concern is humidity. I'm in AL and it seems more humid in summer than anything.
 
Yeah,in Texas the humidity here is brutal.Was 105 today and it should continue to be this way for most of the week.I'm jealous of anyone residing in an area where the temperature is under 80 degrees.
 
Get a spray bottle and spray anitfreeze on all the electronics.......really don't do that
 
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