Storage in unheated garage

[Slimpickins]

I read that cold temperatures have a negative effect on detectors performance so as silly as it may sound, I wrapped a bunch of towels and secured with some clothesline around the control pod of my Nox 800. My wife has taken over every square foot of closet space and I don’t want to create any problems. Happy wife happy life, so the only place left is inside the garage on MY workbench. It never freezes in the garage because no plastic water bottles in there ever froze. Am I overreacting or does this make sense?
Thanks
Tom

 

[UnderMiner]

I have the same detector and it's in the trunk of my car all year, just used it today in fact, worked just fine. I use to bring it inside but then realized it's fine in the trunk in the cold since the temperature is stable and slow to change in there. Bringing it from the cold into the warm of the house every time I use it would probably be worse for it than just leaving it at a constant cold temperature - mind you the temperature in the trunk rarely goes below freezing. I don't think it's good to freeze solid, but then again, who really knows.

 

[Sand Swinger]

I read that cold temperatures have a negative effect on detectors performance so as silly as it may sound, I wrapped a bunch of towels and secured with some clothesline around the control pod of my Nox 800. My wife has taken over every square foot of closet space and I don’t want to create any problems. Happy wife happy life, so the only place left is inside the garage on MY workbench. It never freezes in the garage because no plastic water bottles in there ever froze. Am I overreacting or does this make sense?
Thanks
Tom

I don't have a NOX 800, but I took a look at the Instruction Manual and on page 61, it covers temperature.

Under General Detector and Accessories Care

• Do not leave in excessive heat/cold for longer than necessary (e.g. in a car or outside overnight).

Under Equinox Detector Care

• Do not expose the detector to extreme temperature conditions. The storage temperature range is from -20°C to +50°C (-4°F to +122°F).
• Do not leave the detector in excessive cold or heat longer than necessary. Covering it when not in use will help protect it. Avoid leaving it in a hot vehicle.

Looks like you'll be OK storing in your garage, especially since you wrap it in towels. The main problem, IMO, with storing in cold temperatures is reduced battery life. Batteries tend to lose a certain amount of charge in cold temperatures. Don't know how much you'd lose, but it's a well-known fact that batteries tend not to last as long in cold weather. That's why cars & other vehicles tend to need jump starts much more frequently during the winter, as cold weather takes its toll on the battery.

When I lived in Alaska, we had an electrically heated battery blanket covering our battery, an engine block heater to keep the engine from freezing and an interior heater to keep your seats and dashboard from becoming covered in ice. Everything was connected to an A/C plug and everywhere we went, there were sawhorses set up in the parking lots with A/C receptacles so that everyone could plug their cars in.

 

[cudamark]

There's a difference between battery efficiency and battery life with an acid type battery. Cold weather reduces the battery power you have at hand, but, it's not hard on the battery itself. It's hot weather that kills battery life, even though the battery is more efficient.

 

[pepperj]

I read that cold temperatures have a negative effect on detectors performance so as silly as it may sound, I wrapped a bunch of towels and secured with some clothesline around the control pod of my Nox 800. My wife has taken over every square foot of closet space and I don’t want to create any problems. Happy wife happy life, so the only place left is inside the garage on MY workbench. It never freezes in the garage because no plastic water bottles in there ever froze. Am I overreacting or does this make sense?
Thanks
Tom

Ok I hear you loud and clear on the Happy Wife-Long Life part.
Point out what your Nox 800 replacement costs. (gently)
Cold weather could hurt it's life.

You could also say....
Well I guess it's not the end of the world throw some heat into the garage to keep it from freezing.

(I put all our paints, etc in the garage-now I got a propane heater)
There's always under "YOUR" side of the bed (Unless your on the couch already from suggesting the heat in the garage)

DIY project. Put another shelf in the closet (If there's space)
Build/buy a shoe organizer for all the extra footwear. ( seems that age equates to how many pairs they own)
Last suggestion: Just put it beside the toilet and hang a towel on it.

Best of luck

 

[ArfieBoy]

Interestiing conversation and lots of good advice. Thanks all.

 

[OBN]

Only machine I would be worried about would be the Minelab excalibur, the cables on those machine are famous for having issues and the dry of winter may speed up cable issues. Never heard of any other machine having issues with cold storage. I would check battery voltage the next trip out hunting if its been setting for awhile in any conditions.

And add the Sovereign to that list since both machine can use the same coils.

 

[Slimpickins]

Thanks everybody. I’m sure it will do fine atop the workbench covered with my furry bomber hat and tied with a piece of clothesline. Here on Cape Cod the temperature doesn’t get as low as other places in MA