Condensation

[dicky]

I'm having a big problem with this - the kit is in storage during the week and though perfectly dry it is getting very cold

Once i get into a warm pub where the air naturally is quite 'moist' the kit fills up with condensation - especially the amps as they are big heavy lumps of cold metal, just what you don't want to take into a warm pub really :p

Last week due to condensation my Crown Amp first blew a fuse in the mains lead while in standby after a couple minutes and then once that was replaced it wouldn't boot up out of standby, giving a 'protect' error evertime.

I couldn't get it to work and so ran on one amp, though at the end of the night I did switch the Crown back on and all was OK so no permanent damage done.

Yesterday I was working again so I took the amps and lasers out of storage and kept then at the house overnight beforehand to aclimatise

Thought this was gonna be fine. Loaded the van around 5:30pm yesterday including the stuff from the house - went to the venue at 7:15pm, only to find that condensation was once again a problem. This time the Crown was OK in standby but refused to power up on first boot (protect error) but after a few clicks and clunks on the speakers it powered up OK on the second attempt.

The lasers and lights with metal cases and lenses also looked quite condensed up but at least these seem to work OK

So even leaving the kit in the van for less than two hours (possibly even the time taken while driving to more distant venues) appears to be a problem too :(

Not sure what to do about this if the venue will not let me set up in the afternoon before the gig on local jobs. One thought is to get a 3kW fan heater or even a hair dryer to warm the amps up first while setting up but other than that I'm a bit stuck with this problem

Anyone else having (and getting around) this problem?


Rich

[Excalibur]

Best advice I can give is to case as much kit as possible. Not the perfect solution, but a step in the right direction.

[atlanticdisco]

Had the same issue so now use a dehumidifier which has been great.

[ukpartydj]

Best advice I can give is to case as much kit as possible. Not the perfect solution, but a step in the right direction.


Had the same issue so now use a dehumidifier which has been great.

I'm not sure either of these methods would solve the problem, unless you mean leaving the kit in the case at the gig or running a dehumidifier on the pub!
The cold equipment acts like a dehumidifier once it enters the warm pub.

I don't have this issue but I know of DJs who have brought kit inside their homes for a few hours before taking it out for a gig which heats it up enough.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Although all of my equipment is flightcased I still get paranoid about issues like you've had dicky so once the weather starts getting a bit colder I generally take quite a bit of equipment (amps, speakers and some lights) out of the lock up and store them in the house in the spare room. It looks like a bloody show room and it's a pain in the backside getting it out of the house for every gig but I do feel safer in the knowledge that it's all ok.
My RCF's and Mackies and also flightcase with the Denon controllers and mixer always stay in the house anyway.

[Les Brock]

Case everything up and I chuck a large silica gel bag inside a divers mesh weight bag. (to help stop bag ripping ) i find this helps

like this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-x-Large-100-g-Silica-Gel-Desiccant-Moisture-Absorber-Dehumidifier-Reusable-HM-/400722763180?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d4cf01dac

and this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sea-Pearls-2-lb-Lead-Shot-Weight-Pouch-Maroon-/141488312530?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20f15c50d2

US Sites but you get the jist :p

Regards

Les

[Pe7e]

The obvious solution is to keep all equipment that's vulnerable to failure due to condensation in a heated environment. If that's not an option, keep it flight cased and put several sachets of 'silica gel' (or similar desiccant) into the flight case it will absorb much of the moisture, they can be dried out again by leaving them close to your heating for a couple of hours

[DazzyD]

Case everything up and I chuck a large silica gel bag inside a divers mesh weight bag. (to help stop bag ripping ) i find this helps

like this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-x-Large-100-g-Silica-Gel-Desiccant-Moisture-Absorber-Dehumidifier-Reusable-HM-/400722763180?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d4cf01dac

and this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sea-Pearls-2-lb-Lead-Shot-Weight-Pouch-Maroon-/141488312530?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20f15c50d2

US Sites but you get the jist :p

Regards

Les

Welcome back, Les!! :)

[ukpartydj]

The obvious solution is to keep all equipment that's vulnerable to failure due to condensation in a heated environment. If that's not an option, keep it flight cased and put several sachets of 'silica gel' (or similar desiccant) into the flight case it will absorb much of the moisture, they can be dried out again by leaving them close to your heating for a couple of hours

I'm not sure silica gel will be very effective with regards to the original issue as silica gel is supposed to be inside a sealed case to work well.
The condensation issue only happens once the metal equipment (which will be significantly colder than the venue) being outside in the winter is taken into a humid warm environment.

Its a very tricky one to answer, if the pub is so humid that anything colder than the pub causes condensation then you're going to have to put all of your equipment in a sealed container and adjust all the volume levels before filling it with rice. It's the only way! ;)

[Excalibur]

One factor in this is the van. If it's unlined, then condensation forms on the roof, and you're back to square one as soon as you put the kit in it. Looking at the simplest solutions, throw some blankets over the gear when it's in the van. You can get them for pennies at the charity shop. Very little outlay at risk there. :D

[dicky]

Thanks for the suggestions guys

As the condensation is forming when i take cold kit into a warm moist pub I am going to try taking a fan heater with me and warming the vulnerable kit up for 5-10 mins before powering up. Or as mentioned previously borrow the missus hair dryer

Rich

[yourdj]

Why not warm it up on the way to a gig, by heating the car or back of the van etc.
Insulate the amps and stuff during storage would also be a good option.

not sure using a hair drying in a pub is very professional.
Its bad enough for me in the morning with my wife using one. They are so noisy. :)

[funkymook]

Thanks for the suggestions guys

As the condensation is forming when i take cold kit into a warm moist pub I am going to try taking a fan heater with me and warming the vulnerable kit up for 5-10 mins before powering up. Or as mentioned previously borrow the missus hair dryer

Rich

I’d be wary about storing the amps in that environment at all, it can’t be good for them in the long run - can’t you just keep them at home during the winter months?

[dicky]

Yes I could .. and Yes I could

Problem is last week I brought the 19" rack cab down to the house the day before the gig to allow it to reach room temperature and loaded the van two hours before arriving at the venue and still had the same problem (albeit the crown amp which is the one giving me the problem booted up OK on the second attempt)

I was kinda thinking of putting a seat infront of the amps with a fan heater (or yes using the hairdryer) on it and leaving it there while i set everything else up

Doubt anyone really would notice :o so I am gonna try this and let you know how I go on

Rich

[Pe7e]

Put it into the van at the last minuet and wrap it in an old duvet or blanket, job done. Where was your gig, Manchester?

[DazzyD]

As Martin has said, I'd have to favour not leaving kit in an environment prone to condensation. It's ok to say that you can dry it out with a hairdryer but the problem with that is, whilst it will dry up the water, it does nothing to remove the minerals that are in the water which then build on on electrical/electronic circuitry and can then cause short-outs. This is the reason that a certain "dry in the bag" emergency mobile phone kit contains a chemical in that dissolves the minerals that would be left behind when the water has dried.

As they so often say, the prevention is better than the cure! ;)

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Load in earlier but don't turn the kit on until it's had time to come up to room temperature?

[Sapphire Disco]

Maybe this could help ?

http://boingboing.net/2014/12/02/prevent-car-windows-from-steam.html

[dicky]

As Martin has said, I'd have to favour not leaving kit in an environment prone to condensation.

I know what you are saying but that is not the problem. The environment the kit is stored in is perfectly dry - an indoor storage unit in one of those big self storage places - the condensation does not form until I take the cold dry kit into a warm humid pub. That's the problem, pubs are warm and humid.

Tomorrow I do have a gig however i can set up in the day so I will take the kit down around lunchtime which should alleviate any problems by the evening. I will take my little fan heater with me though just to try this out.

Rich

[yourdj]

I know what you are saying but that is not the problem. The environment the kit is stored in is perfectly dry - an indoor storage unit in one of those big self storage places - the condensation does not form until I take the cold dry kit into a warm humid pub. That's the problem, pubs are warm and humid.

Tomorrow I do have a gig however i can set up in the day so I will take the kit down around lunchtime which should alleviate any problems by the evening. I will take my little fan heater with me though just to try this out.

Rich

Ditch the amps and get a digital actives - sorted. :p

[Daryll]

All of my gear is either left in the van , or in the garage, loads of silica boxes everywhere , never a problem yet............... garage is dry , and everything important is flight cased..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-PCS-Blue-Color-Silica-Gel-Desiccant-Moisture-for-Absorb-Box-Reusable-/331083653143?pt=UK_Packaging_Materials&hash=item4d161fa017

I have about 50 of these

Daryll

[yourdj]

How many in the garage?

I have one in my car and it fills up pretty quickly.

[Daryll]

10 in the van , the rest scattered around the garage (when I can find them...lol)

Daryll

[dicky]

Problem sorted today - took the gear out of storage, straight down to the venue. Sat a fan heater in front of the 19" rack cabinet for 10 mins while setting up the booth - not too close to it mind you! - turned the cab around and did five mins the other side. It had all warmed up nicely by then so I turned the heater off

All was fine and dandy when I plugged everthing in and I switched it on about 30 mins later ;)

[Daryll]

I spoke too soon..............

Last night, I set up , turned everything on , er................no sound from the tops.
the amp that drives the tops (W-audio horizon 1300 ) was clicking on and off every few seconds, both clip lights flashed on even with no input.
Solution............

Out from VMS4 , straight in to the sub amp ( Behringer EPQ 2000),bypassing the crossover, unplugged the speakons from the horizon and plugged them in the through socket out of the subs, I worked out that it was 8 ohm total
Now this means that all speakers are getting full range, sounded OK, but the volume needed to be down.
10 minutes later , the horizon was fine , power light and the blue ready lights, so I connected it back , lead by lead , out from VMS4 to crossover , crossover to horizon and EPQ, speakers connected to their amps.
No problems , all working as normal, as it did all night.
No was this the start of a amp fault , or damp/cold.
I will bring the amps in doors tonight and fire them up .

Cheers

Daryll

[alphawave]

Yes i have same problem also i couldn't play any cds for a while because the second i took one out the case they just mist up lol

[HeartandSoul]

I find when its really cold, go to the venue a little early, let the gear warm up before hooking it up.
Silica gel in the flight case / bags doesn't help with the temperature change, but the warmer environment 30 minutes before connecting up works for me.