Coldest Storage Temperature

[Rick Inman]

(Note:Skip down to question at bottom to avoid tedious story)

Well, my son, daughter-in-law and two precious grandchildren finally moved out of the basement and into their own place. Darn... :banana: However, now I get the guest bathroom back where I used to clean and hang all my scuba gear. Except for one thing. While they we here, I built some nice racks and moved everything into the garage. I've also bought some more stuff. So now it all really won't fit in the bathroom anymore, and for some odd reason, my wife wants to be able to get to the washer and dryer in the bathroom. So I'm thinking of keeping it in the garage during the winter. Now, it gets kinda cold in these parts - often below freezing - in the winter, and I'm thinking of insulating and heating the garage to protect the gear (I don't want to rinse off my dry suit, hang it up and have it turn into a giant Popsicle!).

The Question: What is the coldest temperature it is safe to store scuba gear at? I realize that it would be different for different pieces of equipment, but in general, for the whole bunch of stuff, how much do I really need to heat the garage. I'm trying to do it as inexpensive as possible (I'm not cheep, just broke )

 

[Lead_carrier]

Store it anyplace that it is clean. Temperature doesn't really matter. Just let it warm up before you put on that wet suit. If not you will definitely find out what "shrinkage" is all about. :11:

 

[Rick Inman]

Store it anyplace that it is clean. Temperature doesn't really matter. Just let it warm up before you put on that wet suit. If not you will definitely find out what "shrinkage" is all about. :11:

By the time I drive to the dive site, all will be defrosted.

So, you're saying that it doesn't hurt to freeze/defrost/freeze/defrost your gear all winter. No problem for the rubber? Or the dry suit material or the latex seals?

 

[Don Burke]

I would keep it above freezing since a bit of water in the wrong place could do some ugly things if it froze.

 

[emtdan]

... and woulnt tanks go crazy if they are not warmed at the right rate? wouldnt it also contribute to corrution? i would keep as much as you can indoors...

 

[Charlie99]

Sometimes I leave a complete set of dive gear, except for reg set, all winter long in an unheated summer home in Massachussetts. No apparent damage after 3 or 4 winters.

Various odds and ends of cheap plastic items in the house seem to age and get brittle faster than stuff kept in a heated house, but it doesn't seem to bother the better types of plastic common in dive gear.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

Yes, some plastic things will become very brittle at colder temps, mainly plastic and cheaper alloys. I see that you're in Washington, so I imagine it's going to get quite cold up there this winter. As long as the basement doesn't get seriously cold it should be fine.

As for the tanks, only shock cooling will cause condensation inside, heating up isn't really a problem.

 

[Don Burke]

... and woulnt tanks go crazy if they are not warmed at the right rate? wouldnt it also contribute to corrution? i would keep as much as you can indoors...

The warming rate would not be a big deal as long as you did not get carried away with it. If your body can take it, the tanks can.

Corrosion would be slower at lower temperatures.

I would be more concerned about a regulator with some water in a critical place.

 

[pt40fathoms]

As long as the stuff is dry, it will not harm your scuba gear if it freezes. Heck it freezes up pretty darn good when we go Ice Diving, thawing out only when we get wet durring descent.

I would however keep any dive computers and lights in a warmer place, the freeze thaw cycle may damage displays and cause batteries to leak.

If you it makes you feel better, than just keep your garage at or just above freezing temps. This should not use too much energy and keep costs down.

 

[Gary D.]

You know where we store ours 24-7-365.

I'm more concerned about heat than cold.

Gary D.