what temp does vinyl warp at?

tryptych

waiting for a time
i feel like i ought to know this... i mean, ive had bits of vinyl get all bent out of shape after being left in hot cars in the sun before, and always been cautious about keeping curtains drawn in the room where my records are.

but now ive moved into a new house (in London), and the room i want to store all my records in is the highest in the house, very hot at the moment, and with venetian blinds that let in quite a few small burning shafts of light during the day...

will they all be fine? am i being excessively paranoid about it?
 

john eden

male pale and stale
spackb0y said:
i feel like i ought to know this... i mean, ive had bits of vinyl get all bent out of shape after being left in hot cars in the sun before, and always been cautious about keeping curtains drawn in the room where my records are.

but now ive moved into a new house (in London), and the room i want to store all my records in is the highest in the house, very hot at the moment, and with venetian blinds that let in quite a few small burning shafts of light during the day...

will they all be fine? am i being excessively paranoid about it?

Denying yourself daylight seems a little extreme!

Depends how close to the window they are. I once left a mates' record on his turntable, which was adjacent to the window, on a hot day and it warped big style - it was about 2 inches high...

As a teenager my records were stored near a window (a foot or so away) and all that happened was that some of the spines got a bit sun-faded.
 

bassnation

the abyss
john eden said:
Denying yourself daylight seems a little extreme!

Depends how close to the window they are. I once left a mates' record on his turntable, which was adjacent to the window, on a hot day and it warped big style - it was about 2 inches high...

As a teenager my records were stored near a window (a foot or so away) and all that happened was that some of the spines got a bit sun-faded.

i find its direct sunlight that does it. the room being hot isn't too much of an issue if your records are in shady areas. i've got a similar situation with thousands of records in a converted loft, a room that can be either very cold in winter or boiling in summer. the only time i lose records due to excessive warping is when i've stupidly left one on the turntables which is in direct sunlight. they always tend to be favourite tunes which is annoying and wasteful.
 

Freakaholic

not just an addiction
Your post reminded me: its suppose to be 96 (dgrs F) in Chicago this weekend, and we usually have a very high humidity. Not having an AC, i became worried for my collection.

So i found this:

Temperature
Records should be stored at a temperature no warmer than 70 degrees Fahrenheit, but are safe in temperatures down to 45 degrees.

Equally important, if not more so, is temperature stability. Don't let your storage area temperature fluctuate more than five or ten degrees, or you'll eventually ruin your records.

Humidity
High humidity is bad for your collection, as moisture can cause records and jackets to grow mold. Avoid storing your albums where the relative humidity is higher than 50%.

As with temperature, don't allow the relative humidity to fluctuate more than five or ten percent. Your records will last longer if they are stored in an area with stable temperature and humidity.




That "stability" thing worries me, anyone in Chicago can tell you that the temp and humidity fluctuate rapidly here. Some days, requiring both AC and heat at different times.
This is probably why i sometimes find my records slightly warped after sitting in their crates for a while.

http://home.intekom.com/restore/Taking_Care_Of_Vinyl.html
 
S

simon silverdollar

Guest
shit, seeing this post prompted me to rush over to my turntable (which is next to a window) to make sure that my vinyl's ok...but sure enough the reinhard voigt twelve that was sitting on there is now just one big black wave...
fuck.
 

wonk_vitesse

radio eros
i'd certainly agree with the above comments, it seems the direct sunlight thing really does it for'em,

i was on the tube the other day in the heatwave and thought all my records would be warped by the time i'd got to the venue but they were fine.

I find losing records in messy bars/clubs/squats/festies more a problem than warping :D
 

budub

la di da
all good info to know

i too am very paranoid about ruining my small collection, im so picky about my finds i think it would take some time to replace them. i suppose many collectors feel the same way though.
 
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