Pixel Storage

[c7williams]

Hey All, 

With my show getting bigger and bigger every year I am running out of room to store all my lights, props, controllers and cables. I was thinking of renting a storage unit, my only reservation is the intensified heat in the unit during the summer time. We get about 80-95 degree Fahrenheit summers and I don't want any of the pixels or controllers to go bad in the extreme heat as the inside of the storage unit will be even hotter. 

 

Has anyone had any issues with heat while storing their props?

 

Thanks in advance

[TheDucks]

non-operating range on the controllers is 140

Hotter inside? Tin roof? No air flow (at all)?

[k6ccc]

A lot of my show stuff gets stored in my attic.  I fairly regularly see 130-140 degrees in the summer.  Highest I have measured up there was 151.

 

[Orville]

12 hours ago, c7williams said:

Hey All, 

With my show getting bigger and bigger every year I am running out of room to store all my lights, props, controllers and cables. I was thinking of renting a storage unit, my only reservation is the intensified heat in the unit during the summer time. We get about 80-95 degree Fahrenheit summers and I don't want any of the pixels or controllers to go bad in the extreme heat as the inside of the storage unit will be even hotter. 

 

Has anyone had any issues with heat while storing their props?

 

Thanks in advance

When I could drive and had a storage unit, I rented a unit in one of the climate controlled buildings, the building is air-conditioned in those units.  Still gets fairly warm in them, but not as hot as the ones that weren't climate controlled.  I think it may have cost me about $20.00 more a month at the time, but to me, it was with the extra cost, especially with how hot it can get inside buildings in Florida where I live.     So you may want to consider one of those climate controlled buildings if they offer them in your area at the storage facility, not all storage facilities have the climate controlled buildings.

When I get a storage shed, I'm having either a small AC unit{like maybe one of those portable types} or an exhaust fan installed to keep things cool in there.  Still debating on what I'm going to do to keep it cool in there, especially since I'll also be using it as a workroom where I'll do my sequencing, so I don't drive my wife nuts playing the same tune over and over again in the house.  I try to use headphones, but I can't take them for very long {they tend to give me bad migraines}, and so it's back to the speakers for me after about 20 minutes of trying to use headphones.

[Orville]

8 hours ago, k6ccc said:

A lot of my show stuff gets stored in my attic.  I fairly regularly see 130-140 degrees in the summer.  Highest I have measured up there was 151.

 

I wish my house had an attic, but it doesn't.   So currently my 2 spare bedrooms and my living room are my storage areas for my decorations, lights, controllers, G-scale trains and other miscellaneous stuff piled to the ceiling in the 2 bedrooms, not in the living room, but the living room is still over-crowded.  Nope no, basement either, not in Florida anyway.   Hopefully I'll be getting a shed soon and all this stuff will go out in it and I can get my living space back!  Currently it's pretty much an obstacle course. LOL

[TheDucks]

Consider long term Humidity and how metal behaves. (Yes Florida, I am pointing fingers. 😛 . Raised in NJ, Stationed in VA  and FL still topped those). You might not need Temp control, but some dehumidification.

[Vince4xmas]

I left all my pixcon16s and dumb rgb controllers outside in a shaded area all last year (location was hometown gazebo). They ran flawlessly this year! In Illinois and very hot and humid summers and bitterly cold winters.

[Orville]

21 hours ago, Vince4xmas said:

I left all my pixcon16s and dumb rgb controllers outside in a shaded area all last year (location was hometown gazebo). They ran flawlessly this year! In Illinois and very hot and humid summers and bitterly cold winters.

I usually just leave all my controllers mounted year round outside where they are.  But this year in January 2023 I will be taking all of them down, mainly because I will be, if luck holds, removing all the 5V CCB100D controllers and 5V C9 bulbs, and just using the CTB16PC {older V1, version 2 PCB for the blow molds} and Pixie16DV4, which is 12V, so will be purchasing around 14 C9 12V RGB strands to replace the 5V ones.  Once I know the funds are available, that's the plan for my 2023 displays.  And another reason is, need to make some repairs on the handicap ramp they're mounted too, as well as do the once a year pressure washing required of the house, sidewalks, driveway and the ramp.  

So everything is coming down this year {already removing a few things} and hopefully new lights and perhaps some other new RGB items for 2023 will be forthcoming.  We're just waiting on my wife's inheritance check to clear the bank.  She has already given the green light to get the lights and a few other things, so currently updating all my sequences to reflect the major changes for 2023.

Will be back to creating new Halloween shows for 2023, after not doing them for a few years.  Church I attended gave me grief over doing them, but after a few years, no longer attend there, and I'm going to bring back all new Halloween shows if all works out as I plan for the upcoming 2023 Holiday displays.  I really missed doing Halloween, one of my two favorite times of year, Halloween and Christmas.

 

[Vince4xmas]

Why did church give you a hard time about Halloween lights?

[ItsMeBobO]

My wife and I are 'this close' to getting a storage unit about 3 miles away. The pixels on their mounts do take up a lot of space.     Looks like none have shelves and I dont want to put controllers on the floor.   Even 10x10 seems like a small space.   I had not been considering an inside/temp controlled unit to keep costs down, but now...

[k6ccc]

You can get the freestanding shelving units from your favorite home improvement store quite easily.

 

[dgrant]

Storage for my controllers are via hooks on the garage walls. Gets them off the floor and out of the way, yet protected too. Lights, pixels and etc, for the most part are in the garage's attic but yes, it gets hot up there. The pixel rails(as I call them) are stored in the garage all hanging on a pair of re-enforced hooks. Each is 5M long so it works out. Yes, some things in the attic space don't fair so well and learned my lesson on a few that warped(props).

 

[ItsMeBobO]

Today I moved my controller collection to a "Public Storage" unit.   Lots of mounted pixels and some still in the boxes.     This opens to outdoors but shares walls with indoor storage.   We will see but I am thinking its not going to get super hot or cold in there.  

[Glenside Lights]

I used to have a deep crawlspace at my last house. Plenty of space that didn’t get any extreme temperatures. We moved recently and there’s only attic space that gets extreme heat and cold. I considered insulating and building a room up there with ventilation into the house. Then I went to price building materials. Everything is currently in the sheds taking up space. The wife told me to bury a 40’ Sea Box and pretend it’s a deep crawl space. Not sure what to do next.