Will heat inside my car damage my machine?

[treasurehound]

I was thinking about checking out some parks near where I work on my lunch hour and was wondering if the heat in the car will damage my machine. It was nearly 90 out today and I would imagine higher inside the car. i would probably keep it wrapped in a blanket. Also will the heat damage the batteries? This would give me a little more time to hunt and maybe a little after work as well.

 

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[Ronzie]

I've read you shouldn't leave them inside your vehicle on really hot days.

 

[BuckleBoy]

I wouldn't leave your detectors in your car. Unfortunately, they are also a risk from the standpoint of theft too--and thieves and vandals have come to realize how much they are worth.



Best Wishes,




Buckles

 

[treasurehound]

Thanks. Common sense has always told me no but I thought I would check in case new technology has changed any.

 

[Jaw Jah Danny]

Thanks for bringing it up. Been wondering about that past few days. Already in the 90's here.

Been keeping her in the trunk of the Corolla.


Danny

 

[riverite]

Garrett claims heat will wreck the electrontcs

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I would say yes . . . but . . .

I hunt my lunchbreak and have daily left my detector in my car (six years & two different machines). I take care to lay them as low as possible in the car and under a blanket to keep them out of direct sunlight while in the car. I have placed an electronic thermometer beside them and it can get 110º to 120º even under the blanket on the floor behind the front seats! I'm betting it does the detectors no good at all.

Leaving them home may add to their lives, but I figure it's better to break one in use than keep one in great shape forever in the closet at home.

 

[allen]

heat can cause batteries to explode
can also get hot enough in your car
for any plastic to melt on your detector.

 

[jrsweger]

Here are my 2 cents. After maybe the 2nd or 3rd time you've left your detector in the car the chances of the heat doing any damage (providing you don't let it set in direct sunlight) is probably slim. The components in the detector will age some but the heat shouldn't do any real damage. What kills electronics more are the temperature transitions, hot to cold or cold to hot (with the faster transitions causing more stress). I'd be willing to bet that these detector manufacturers take into consideration the fact that people will put their detectors in the car, in the cold and the heat and design the detector with that in mind. If they didn't, you'd probably see detector failures at a fairly high rate and people would be whining about it all over the place. Now I wouldn't say that the cheaper detectors are designed this way but.

I'm not an Environmental Stress engineer but part of my job is to do thermal testing on electronic assemblies. Many of these are tested in the +80C temperature range. I can run these at this temperature for any time duration without endangering the life of the assembly, with or without power applied. What I have to be careful of is the number of times these assemblies go through temperature transitions with power applied.

My detector is in my car all the time. Am I worried about the heat, no.

That's the end of my 2 cents.

 

[deepskyal]

I always left my DFX in the trunk of my Cavalier...summer thru winter...not a problem. Same with my White's 6000Di Pro. It's been in the trunk for a couple years.....not a problem.
Started carrying my Vision in my trunk but took it out since I've been unable to detect for the last month or so...work is insane for me right now and my trunk is full of dirty, greasy boots hardhat, gloves, harnesses...etc.

These are all White's products....I'd check with your own manufacture for an answer.

Al

 

[extractor]

I dont chance it ,when the tempt gets over 85 degrees I wont leave it in the car.

 

[Shortstack]

This "don't leave them in your car" guidance started years ago when the coils were embedded in a material that would expand and warp when it got too hot. I've seen one have a section puff-up as big as your fist. Coils today are embedded in epoxies. The electronics are another matter. Leaving your machine in the trunk of your car should be OK if you wrap it up in an insulating material. Heat is the enemy of electronic circuits, but the level of heat can be handled sensibly. Get one of those cheap Styrofoam ice chests; cut a slot down one end so your detector's shaft can slide though it as you place the control box portion into the ice chest and put the lid on. The Styrofoam will insulate the control box very well from heat build up. It'll also help in reverse in the winter time.