On the average residential property, the garage is the obvious storage solution for almost everything. Whatever it is, if the house doesn’t have room for it, the garage is the most likely destination. That works great for many items, but it’s important to remember that a garage is typically not a climate-controlled space. Without heating or cooling, some of your possessions could be damaged if they stay in the garage throughout the year. So, can you leave a TV in a cold garage? We’ll take a closer look in the article below.
A Simple Answer
To get right to the point, storing your TV in a cold garage or any other cold space is typically okay. Generally speaking, cold temperatures aren’t going to do anything to harm electronics. Of course, that story might change if the temperatures were well below freezing – but that’s not going to be the case in the average garage.
It should be noted that hot conditions are a different story. Very high temperatures can harm electronic components or cause connections to fail if the temperatures are high for an extended period. So you might need to think twice about storing your TV in a garage in a scorching climate, but cold shouldn’t present any issues at all.
Preparing Your TV for Storage
While the cold temperatures aren’t much of a threat, there are still problems that can come up with garage TV storage. To get good results, keep the following tips in mind.
Wrap it carefully
Typically, garages are somewhat messy, hectic spaces. If a lot happens in your garage daily, ensure the TV is protected from accidental damage. Wrap it up with bubble wrap, or at least some stretchy plastic, and put it in a place where it is unlikely to be damaged.
Unplug the cords
If you leave cords attached to the TV, you’ll only increase the likelihood of the TV being damaged along the way. For example, one of the cords could get pulled and either damage the connection or pull the TV down from where it is stored. So, before you put it away, take out the power cord and any HDMI cords, and roll them up for separate storage. Along these same lines, if a wall mount is attached to the back of the TV, you might want to take it off before you store it.
Make sure it’s balanced
The slim profile of modern TVs makes them tricky to store, as there is no substantial base to rest the TV on (in many cases). Depending on the size of the TV, you might be able to put it in a cardboard box to help it stay upright. If that isn’t an option, think about attaching something to the garage wall to restrain the TV while it is in storage.
The Humidity Factor
One thing you do need to worry about when storing electronics in your garage is humidity. If the air in your part of the country is particularly damp during the summer months, moisture could accumulate in your garage and damage some of your things. For example, if your TV is left out in the open inside the garage, it could develop condensation, and that water would pose a severe risk to the health of the TV.
A good starting point is taking some of the abovementioned steps, like wrapping the TV up or putting it in a box. To go a step further, you might think about using a dehumidifier in your garage to decrease the moisture level during the humid times of the year. This would not only go a long way toward protecting the condition of your TV but also of anything else that you store in the garage. High humidity can wreak havoc on many things, so using a dehumidifier is an affordable way to protect your possessions.
American Carports Has You Covered
So, can you leave a TV in a cold garage? We hope this blog helped answer your question! Remember, storing your TV in the garage should be perfectly fine unless you live in a climate where extremely low temperatures are the norm. But, of course, you can only use that option if you have a garage space available for storage, so turn to American Carports, Inc. if you need help with that project.
Explore our free Build & Price tool to get started. Or, reach out to a member of our team if you have any questions. Again, thanks for stopping by our blog; we hope to serve you soon!
