Not looking for a pitty party here or anything, but my home AC unit has bit the big one. It died its first death last week and I was advised that the central unit is 20 years old. Bit the bullet - ordered the new system. For temporary measures, they replaced a capacitor and charged the unit with freon and advised that the compressor was on its last legs. Last night the unit starting making more noise than two skeletons gettin' it on on a tin roof before it just gave up again. Obviously, July in the tropics means a backlog of ordering AC systems and work for the techs. It's going to be another 10 days until my system can be installed.
Heat down here gets up into the high 90s-low 100s. Indoor air becomes stagnant. With windows open, ceiling and oscillating fans blowing ... and if you only move to breathe you can make it.
I'm concerned about my guitars. How hot is too hot to store a guitar? I've heard the warnings about leaving a guitar in a car trunk - stuff like that. Does anybody know how hot is too hot for guitar storage?
All my guitars are in tight-sealing cases (the bass is in a gig-bag) will this help? I plan to move them over to my aunt's hose ASAP - if deemed necessary.
Thanks for any advice!
Went a week and a half with no ac after a hurricane in '04. August in the south is soooo much fun! 😛
Certainly getting them in a "dry" climate controlled environment would be best, but laying them flat on the floor where the air is coolest could help until then.
Guess you'll be spending a lot of time @ the library for the next 10 days? 😉
After cooling house down after new unit is in, I would let guitars cool down in cases, don't open up right away, allow a gradual thermal change. Beyond that, if worried about some rare or fragile wood ones, I would move them to a friends house until fixed.
from what I read temperature humidity have a bigger impact then constant hot temps.
This is especially true for acoustics
http://www.collingsguitars.com/care.html
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Guitar/Guitar_Maintenance_and_Storage
Thanks for all the great advice! I've moved my most prized axes over to auntie's house - a couple of blocks away. I'll probably move the rest later today . I'm thinking about opening my house as a sauna club. Some folks actually pay to sweat like this!
Thanks for all the great advice! I've moved my most prized axes over to auntie's house - a couple of blocks away. I'll probably move the rest later today . I'm thinking about opening my house as a sauna club. Some folks actually pay to sweat like this!
We hit 97 a couple days ago, and my father in law enjoyed his usual afternoon walk very much.
And as long as it doesn't dip below 80, he'll even go for the walk without his sweatshirt on! 😛
Without a sweatshirt! Before my mom died at 81 she could never get warm - even in August! I get up at 5:00 to do my daily five miles. It's cooler but still warm and humid. Fortunately, as a life long southerner this stuff is in my blood and I can handle it.
keep them in the cases..
or put them in your cars and keep them running..haha
or, just keep playing them
or, just keep playing them
Might be time to do the solo "air conditioned pub" tour the next few days, Rusty.
Tell 'em you'll gig for the ac, and a room in the back for you and your guitars. 😛
Go to K Mart, get a room unit for about $100, (5,000 BTU's and I know it ain't big enough for the average bedroom, but it will still cool it down somewhat), put it in the smallest room you got, get an air mattress to sleep on and take your guitars in that room. Sometimes a man's gotta do, what a man's gotta do!
If that's not an option, go to a self storage facility that has climate control and a free month of storage for about $1. Pay the one time fee (something like $20) and let those guitars rest in coolness. As for you, try to visit some friends who will let you catnap for a few hrs. in their a/c or go to a no-tell motel with day rates and crank up that a/c for four hours.
[Edited on 7/14/2015 by gina]
[Edited on 7/14/2015 by gina]
Great advice all around!
I went ahead and hauled all the geetars over t my aunt's house. The AC guys finally came out and re-re-patched the system (replaced a couple more minor parts - still holding the freon) and it's blowing cold again. For a while? Anyway, 9 days until the new unit can be installed - leaving the gits at auntie's until then.
Gina, I had considered picking up a cheap window unit. I haven't shopped for one, but I wouldn't be surprised if those things are out of stock regionally. If the unit dies again, I'll at least try t go that route.
