Is it ok to keep tools in unheated rooms
As spring nears here in Minnesota and back at an addition project. Is it ok to keep tools in an unheated room with damaging the equipment? I am always concerned about what kind of damage can happen to tools (especially SCMS)when subjected to temps in the 20s. I know that cordless tools should be kept warm because of the batteries but what about corded power tools. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Bill
Replies
go for it...
no poblem at double didget sub-zero....
that is if ya got quality tools... like Milwaukee and Bosch....
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Keep air tools away from radical temperature swings; it causes condensation which is Not A Good Thing....
Other than that, keep the batteries for the battery-powered toys in a warm place; everything else should be able to take it.
You're in the 20s in Minnesota now? Must be in Southern Minnesota...like say Baton Rouge?? ;-)
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
Believe it or not yesterday and today we set highs in the low 50's! Our snowfall has been so mild I only had to plow once this year.
Sadly, I can believe it. It was probably +10C here today, which means all the snow on the mountain corned out and will now undoubtedly re-freeze into what we genteely refer to as Frozen Elephant Snot....
Unless Mama Nature decides to favour us with a nice dump of her best powder, things'r gonna be real urgly up there.Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
I think we are over the hump here now. Our local mountain got 18 cm yesterday and that on top of another 20 last week. Now the icy base is a fair way below the surface and it should be powder from here til April. (Fingers crossed). Looks like another system gonna hit us with plenty moisture day after tomorrow. Maybe I will have to apply the 20c cm rule and play hooky...
Wally
Lignum est bonum.
That's right, dude...rub it in. Karma'll getcha fer that!
Raining here again. Starting to wonder what I ever did to Mother Nature to pi$$ her off this much. Or maybe she's off on vacation and Murphy's in charge, dammit!
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
As I understand it more danger of corrosion at higher temperatures, above freezing or slightly below, because at higher temperatures the air holds more moisture.
I know one guy that seals his tools in boxes, their cases or, especially if they are to be stored for long, plastic bags. In these he places a cotton ball lightly moistened with turpentine. Sometimes this he placed within a stainless-steel tea ball. He claimed it was wise to keep the absorbent cotton away from plastics. idea was that the turpentine tended to vaporize in warmer air and to condense on the cool metal keeping them protected.
I'm not sure how long this worked out for him but his tools were so well organized it was scary and everything I saw was shaving sharp and free of rust. An obvious sign of a sick mind. Might be worth a small experiment to try it.
know anyone with a small mind to experiment on?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Keep things dry. Cold won't hurt them (not even rechargeable stuff) but condensation will.
If stuff has been in the cold and you bring it in to a warm area, either first encase it tightly in a plastic bag (before bringing it in) or be prepared to wipe away any condensation that may occur.
I agree with Dan that your enemy is not the temperature but moisture. So if you use the tool in the cold, you should be OK; if, however you bring it to a warm place, you'll get moisture condensation. However, I have to disagree with the part of "wipe off any moisture". Moisture accumulates inside the tool's case, so the only way to "wipe off" the moisture would be to totally dismantle the tool.
While I don't have too much expertise in tools, I did work with large industrial motors before and I know that moisture kills them; it's such a concern that the more important ones have heaters inside their casing to dry off any moisture that may have accumulated, before the initial start-up. If you want an advice from a novice, when you first use the tools after bringing them in from the cold, spin them at low speed first, i.e. don't ram them in the hardest job from the onset. This will dry them inside with the heat generated in the motor, while not running at the full amperage.
The standard advice for computer equipment is to keep it tightly enclosed in plastic until it warms up to room temp. That's really the best approach. The "wipe off" approach is really only good for hand tools.
Cold will shorten the life of batteries. It is always in the frigid weather that we have ours die off. The instructions that come with say not to recharge at less than fifty or fifty five degrees F. But that is nort possible so we sacrifice a few every winter.The only serious problem I had with another tool item in cold was once when i brought my jigsaw in from minus 22° to the room at about fourty five and plunged right in to start cutting a tough cut. Broke a bearing out on the roller guide behind the blade.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
The only time I've ever had a battery go flat out dead was in hot weather.
Certainly cold affects the amount of power a battery can put out, and as temps get colder and battery drain gets higher there's likely to be a point where hot spots in the battery can cause damage. Storing the typical nicad or NiMH in the cold won't damage it (lead-acids can be damaged if discharged), but they should be brought up above 20-30F before use or else used in only brief bursts so that internal heat can equalize.
And everyone knows that mechanical stuff can be a bear in sub-zero temps. Plastic especially gets brittle, but even metal can get brittle, plus lubes seize up, tolerances change, etc.
and seals can go bad, as NASA found out
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Just wanted to thank everyone for all the help. I did email Bosch with the same question and here is there response.
"The temperature itself won't hurt them while in storage, but what will affect them is the freezing and thawing affect which can lead to corrosion on metal parts and electrical contacts."