Jon.

Im thinking of storing my planes outside in a shed, will the changing weather affect the plane?

Thanks

Jon.

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

It shouldn't.

I store mine in an unheated shed and have had no problems except the usual ones (covering developing wrinkles over the winter ). I would suggest giving the engines a real heavy dose of afterrun oil prior to storing though to minimize/prevent any rust from the higher humidity in the shed than in the house.

Don M.

My Feedback: (5)

For the past 15 years I have spent 9 months of the year away from home working. All my planes, engines and most of my electronic stuff is stored in an unheated attic. Temps range from +100 to - 20 F and I have never experienced any problems. There are about 15 engines, 10 built planes and 20 unbuilt kits up there. I just recently built a small kit that had resided there since 1988 and was able to use every piece of wood in the box. My house is within spitting distance of the Atlantic Ocean so there is lots of humidity also. My attic is very well ventilated both winter & summer.

Keep the stuff dry and RODENTS AWAY from it and you'll have no problems. But as stated oil the engines very well and place in sealed plastic bags and ventilate the shed. I have large grilles and a wind operated exhaust fan in my attic.

jmb52760

Just to emphasize one point that Don made: MICE LOVE BALSA

I once stored a large box of Midwest Balsa in an outdoor shed for seven months. Most of it was wrapped in shrink-wrap, but I used a cardboard box. When I went to retrieve my balsa, I found that the mice didn't just chew one or two pieces to make a nest, they chewed in multiple locations. Just for the spite of it I guess.

If I was you, I would use plastic tubs with tight-fitting lids.

Jon.

Well, thats a lot of help guys. Thanks for your help.

Jon.

Scar

My Feedback: (3)

However, don´t store your glow fuel out there. Keep it in a dark cool environment. Glow fuel likes to be treated like mushrooms, and can spoil with exposure to light or, I´m told, heat.

Good Luck,
Dave Olson

bbbair

The big concern here is the batteries. [X(]

They DO NOT like the cold! [:'(]

When I store a plane in the garage over the winter, the batteries come out! ... Everything else is no problem.

Don M.

My Feedback: (5)

These guys love my stuff too although I have never had them "dine" on anything.

Gringo Flyer

My Feedback: (18)

Really? I thought batteries generally did better in cooler environments. I heard of folks storing them in the fridge or even freezer.

Thumprding

Maybe where you live is different than where I live but I would not think of storing my planes in my garage or shed with out critter proofing them first. Mice can tear up a plane when they build a nest in it. I have seen two planes mouse nested. They love wings. The other critters I would protect against are mud dobbers and spiders. Those little buggers get into every thing.

bbbair

Just to make sure... I had to look battery storage up, it would seem that my information is dated (they used to freeze and crack the casing).

Now a large number of batteries can be successfully stored between -25 & +30C. At least that is according to;
http://www.powerstream.com/Storage.htm

AND, the batteries recover best if you "Recycle" them several times.

Maintenance and due diligence is important.

Sorry for the dated information guys.

bluestratos

I have a dozen planes in my 6 x 10 trailer. I found the worst is the heat so I mounted a thermostatically controlled fan in the door and pop the roof hatch. I also have a small heater on a thermostate for the winter just to keep it from freezing. I have 20 or so chargers that I use to keep each battery plugged into and that keeps them all on a maintenance charge(the front wall of my trailer looks like a christmas tree at night, lol). After making those changes my coverings have stablized and my batteries are great. Every so often I cycle the batteries to be sure but so far I am getting great life out of them.

Regards,
Randy