Storing my Equipment Outside

Hey Djs
Heres my situation we will be moving into a new home in a few months and storage for my equipment is an issue.. What are your thoughts on storing self powered subs outside.. I am thinking that I could store them in a small plastic shed that is inside of a barn. It is not a temperature or climate controlled environment. SO am I crazy what are the risks moisture ect.. Any advice would be greatly appreciated what would you do..

The house is large but their isn’t many first floor storage options no garage.. I was also considering getting a enclosed trailer and keeping the big equipment in it.. Security isent an issue… Thanks Dj Kingla www.rockthepartydj.com

DJKingLa said:

Hey Djs
Heres my situation we will be moving into a new home in a few months and storage for my equipment is an issue.. What are your thoughts on storing self powered subs outside.. I am thinking that I could store them in a small plastic shed that is inside of a barn. It is not a temperature or climate controlled environment. SO am I crazy what are the risks moisture ect.. Any advice would be greatly appreciated what would you do..

The house is large but their isn’t many first floor storage options no garage.. I was also considering getting a enclosed trailer and keeping the big equipment in it.. Security isent an issue… Thanks Dj Kingla

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Well, if you are going to get a trailer, then that would be fine. But if you will be putting them into an outside storage building, then if they are inside of a road case you should be fine. If you don't have them inside of a road case, then I wouldn't put them outside.

Do you think it might help us if we knew what part of the country you live in? Do you live where it gets 25 degrees below zero. Do you live in the desert? Please add your location to your profile.

Mr.Martin said:

Do you think it might help us if we knew what part of the country you live in? Do you live where it gets 25 degrees below zero. Do you live in the desert? Please add your location to your profile.

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Yup . . . that was the first thought that went through my mind too!

I live in Reno where it gets quite cold in the winter. My Mackie powered subs are in the garage and kept in their cloth vinyl bag and they are fine - NEVER a problem. Most evenings from October through April are consistantly below freezing, with highs ranging from 30 to 55 during that time of year.

For my climate - I doubt this would be any more dangerous in a trailer or a barn.

Unless if that shed is completely sealed when closed, I'd also be concerned about critters such as rodents entering the speaker ports to nest in the dampening material or insects building egg sacs in the electronics. Animals can also gnaw at the wood, or worse, at the speaker cone. I'd at least keep the speakers closed up in extra large heavy duty garbage bags and sitting on bricks to provide minimal protection from this. A sealed bag will also protect your speakers cones and electronic components from morning dew that might condensate every now and then after a cold night. Checking periodically to see if there's any tears in the plastic will also alert you that you have a problem. If you want to go the "extra mile", get some desiccant (silica gel) packets to absorb the moisture and to keep mold and mildew from growing in the bag. It seems that sporting goods stores have them for campers. Cheap insurance:

http://www.campingsurvival.com/hysigelde40g.html

"Family photos, documents, guns, optical equipment, electronics, jewelry, medicines, pharmaceutics, food, seeds, bulbs, horse tack, leather, batteries, camera, telescope, video equipment, coin and stamp collections and other collectibles, computers, tools, and other treasured items can all be destroyed by condensation and moisture in the air. Most moisture damage to stored valuables and supplies is caused by humidity trapped in a storage area which turns into almost imperceptible condensation that causes irreparable damage."

"Silica gel has been the desiccant (drying agent) of choice by government and industry since WWII. By surface adsorption, silica gel drinks up excess humidity from the air. It prevents condensation within enclosed areas which cause irreparable damage: rust, corrosion, tarnish, oxidation, mildew, fungus, mold, odor, spoilage, spotting, toning, stains on stamps & documents, fogging of lenses, deterioration of seeds, bulbs, foods, and medicines."

Great tips!!
Im located in Baltimore Maryland..

Take part, or all, of a garage stahl (if you multiple garages)... build in internal room that is climate controlled for your equipment. Leave it at around 50 degrees year round.

Or, do the trailer thing and store it in a secure storage, or climate controlled storage shed. After dropping the kind of coine we did, I wouldn't want any equipment exposed to cold temps, then inside to warm ballrooms, then outside to cold when done and stored. Yet I know people that do it with no problems.

The area of the country you are in is the most important factor in this decision.

I live in a hot and humid climate and since 1997, I have stored my gear outside in my cargo trailer where the temperature exceeds 110 degrees. Knock on wood.... I have yet to have a problem.

GaryBonaducci said:

Unless if that shed is completely sealed when closed, I'd also be concerned about critters such as rodents entering the speaker ports to nest in the dampening material or insects building egg sacs in the electronics.

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Excellent point!

The temperature for storage doesn't matter much. What does matter would be swings in temperature and humidity/condensation. If your gear constantly gets condensation building up on it from bringing it in from the cold to the warm to use it, that will shorten its life.

However, it may not be worth a HUGE investment for a heated garage as the difference isn't THAT great. A heated garage is going to cost you money every month as well as the garage itself. The cost of that will end up exceeding the replacement cost of gear that may end up failing prematurely.

My friend has an enclosed two-car garage with a separate room in the back, sort of like the storage setup some of you are describing. He uses the room as a workshop where he does his own auto repairs.

One day he dropped a tool and it fell below his workbench. He instinctively reached down underneath to retrieve the tool, and instead he grabbed a small field mouse!!

Great info in this thread thanks to everyone who posted.
I believe I can keep the weather related moisture issue under control. Their has been many occasions when my equipment has been in my truck heat off waiting to set up. I have found that bringing cold equipment into a heated room has not caused me any problems so far.
Jason AKA. Dj King La

www.rockthepartydj.com

If you are CD based...don't leave them in the cold...they have much worse condensation...

Leaving gear in the trailer outside has never been a problem for me. Always open all racks and put a fan on it for a few hours (I always allow time for this in the cold months).

Small mice and bugs can fit into the tiniest of holes almost anywhere (keep home or storage area treated for such pest).

Although I have kept my gear in the trailer which is outside, I do keep my gear in my climate controlled studio (not because of the climate but for security).

Good luck!

Pest control is an often overlooked issue when storing DJ equipment outside a climate controlled environment. When I lived in the boogie down Bronx pest control could be all out warfare. What I personally found that works best for all pests from Roaches to Rodents is this device. Admittedly it's little pricey, but so is replacing your gear. Read below to see how it works. And yes, it really works!


The unit has a 3 step approach to repelling pests. The 1st is Electro-Vibrawave® technology which uses the electrical wiring already in the walls of your home to transport a virbrating electro-magnetic pulse that is highly irritating to the central nervous system of pests. The second weapon is a high pressure transducer that emits an ultrasonic sound unmatched by other repellers. The sound can not be tolerated by insects or rodents and causes them to flee. It bounces off walls to fill the room, so there is no safe place for pests. The Our third added feature is the revolutionary Ultra-Ionic™ technology that is designed to serve as an additional reinforcement against pests all the while purifying the surrounding air in the room. Included in this unit is a pass-through plug for your home electronics and automatic night light for your convenience. All the above features are safe for humans and their non-rodent pets.
For more info or to order: http://www.pestrepellerultimate.com/pest_repeller_ultimate_at.htm

I had a post on this a while ago....
same situatiom, just wondering how, and where dj's store their gear. Got a ton of mixed reviews...
I personally have a garage built just for my gear and it's not heated or cooled and never had a problem ( 12+years storing it this way )....I live in the northeast...climate changes from 0' to 100.....just use your head before firing it up.....

ninodj said:

I live in the northeast...climate changes from 0' to 100.....just use your head before firing it up.....

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Good point. While I was in Cancun last year on vaycay I took my Laptop from my air-conditioned room to the non-air-conditioned poolside bar. The temp/humidity swing had to be from 65F/40% to 90F/90%. In no time my laptop was so wet it was as if it had just been taken out of the pool, no b.s. Inpatient @$$ thatI am, I observe this and think to myself, "it can't be good to use this right away", but I can't delay my need for immeidate gratification. I hit the power button and WHAMO! A quick 1/2 start up to nothing. Same results until I got home 5 days later. By all rights the laptop should've never worked again, but thank goodness it did.

It bears repeating

ninodj said:

just use your head before firing it up.....

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I'm not far away in VA and kept my gear sored inside a trailer within a garage not climate controlled. The key for me was to allow ample time for the gear normalize to the venue room temparture prior to powering up. At times there would be minor condensation going from a "cold" trailer into a heated room or hot trailer in the summer into airconditioning. Never experienced issues.

DJSTEVEZ said:

...What I personally found that works best for all pests from Roaches to Rodents is this device. Admittedly it's little pricey, but so is replacing your gear. Read below to see how it works. And yes, it really works!

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Ha! I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier, but I also use a similar device from Black & Decker to repel insects in the garage:
http://www.blackanddeckerappliances.com/product-229.html

So far it seems to be doing a good job.

They make anything like that for wives??