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    pogo
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Selador in the cold

We use Seladors in a summer music theatre.  The theatre is basically a barn that is not used or heated in the winter and that can get quite cold.  For example, today (Dec 18) it is 24°F or -4°C but it can get down to -20°F or -30°C on occasion. 

Is it OK to leave the Seladors hanging on a pipe in the theatre over winter or should I take them down and store them someplace warmer?

If leaving them is OK should I leave power to them or not?

Thanks

Ron Vogan

Lighting Coordinator

Westben Arts Festival Theatre

Campbellford, ON, Canada

www.westben.ca

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  • 0

    Cold is not a problem. Moisture might be. You might want to run them for a few hours once the temperature drops below freezing to dry them out for the winter. The humidity changes through the February melt and spring thaw won't do the innards any good but if the barn stays dry you should be fine.

    If I had these expensive units, my inclination would be to store them some place a little more climate controlled and secure. Since you're only a couple of hours down the road, how about storing them at my place ;)

  • 0 in reply to sk8rs_dad

    Thanks to those who replied.

    I was hoping that someone from ETC would give some advice.

    I got out the ladder, brought them down and stored them in a heated building.  Thanks sk8rs_dad for your offer of storage space but we don't have to drive that far to find a heated room.  Your theatre looks much fancier than ours.

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  • 0 in reply to pogo

    I apologize for the delay in getting you an official ETC response.  

    The advice you got already is exactly what I would recommend:  Take 'em down.

    The biggest issue with this kind of installation is the temperature swings that can lead to water condensation on the fixtures, including on the inside electronics.  This can happen any time of year, but depending on the location, I suppose winter might be a little more dangerous time for this.  

    Temperature alone is less of a worry.  It's really all about water.  When it's very humid, condensation can happen with even a small drop in temperature, and because of their internal power supplies and control circuitry, these fixtures are more sensitive to moisture than conventional tungsten units.  

    I have seen fixtures that experienced so much contamination from water condensation in a covered, open-air environment, that within only a couple of months after installation, many of the electrical contacts were corroded and completely failed.

    Keep them tucked away safe and dry.  It's worth the effort.

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