storing TV in the winter

snowball · 12-02-2007, 03:41 PM

My daughter will be abroad spring semester and will be storing some of her stuff in a storage unit at school. This is not a climate controlled unit; it is more like a garage unit.

I would like to leave her TV as it will take a good bit of room in the car coming home. The problem I see is she is in New York where the temperature could stay below freezing for several months. I am concerned the TV might not be able to withstand the cold. Could the screen or tubes break in the cold? I was also going to have her leave her printer so I have concerns for that as well.

All her items will stay in storage from mid December to mid August, so we will also be dealing with the heat. I am not worried about the summer with the electronics as many kids leave things in storage during the summer without a problem.

We have decided not to leave any clothing or bedding. What she will leave mostly is a shelving unit, TV, desk chair, printer, books, school supplies, etc.
Everything we store will either be in rubbermaid containers or overwrapped in plastic. If we decide to bring the TV home, we will most likely have to ship a box or 2 home as her car is not that big.

So, will this TV survive the cold?

Marian · 12-02-2007, 03:44 PM

Doesn't she have a friend who could "store" the TV by borrowing it and using it during the spring semester? The same goes for the printer.

UriA702 · 12-02-2007, 04:27 PM

I wouldn't store in the cold, ice could condense causing serious damage to electrical boards and components. Especially if temperatures drop below zero as they can sometimes in NYC.

teriwtt · 12-02-2007, 04:35 PM

we live in the Chicago area, and used to keep one of our old TVs (small black and white, over 20 years old!) in the garage for when my husband would be out there working. It stayed out there year 'round, and we never had a problem, but then it was an old TV and we didn't worry if something happened to it. It's now in our basement where he does his work.

snowball · 12-02-2007, 05:08 PM

No friends to borrow; the ones that watch TV already have one. The TV doesn't owe us much, my husband says to leave it and see what happens. I on the other hand know if the TV is toast, we will want to upgrade if we buy a new one!

teriwtt- I think the older electronics were hardier than the newer models!