Protect Your Machine From Cold Weather Damage !

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Here's a very important tip that a Minelab Tech. told me last year ...

"After hunting in very cold weather - DO NOT bring your metal detector into a heated house or put it close to the heater in your car !
The sudden change in temp. can allow condensation to form in the control box - and this moisture can really damage the machines electonics ! "

After hunting in very cold weather cold weather ( I try to hunt all winter ) I always double wrap my control box & battery compartment in a heavy beach towel - put the machine inside the factory carry bag - and then I wrap a winter coat around the carry bag for the ride home. This give the machine time to warn up very slowly - so no condensation forms.

HH --- Mark

 

[tippyhound]

I'm glad this was brought up. I've been wandering lately about condensation forming in behind the L.C.D. screen after hunting in cold damp conditions and if there was a way to get into the machine to dry it out. Water proof or not in the right conditions it could happen. Rick - Illinois

 

[sugar]

thanks for that tippyhound good thinking i do bring my machine back into the warm with me i usually take battery out and let it heat up slowly but i will watch for condensation

 

[Bell-Two]

I assume the condensation comes from the transition from coming out of the cold into a very warm place. Would leaving it in your car trunk that is in a garage for several hours be an adequate precaution? I do use the enviormental cover and it would not be hard to wrap towels around the head as well when done detecting.

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

The Minelab tech told me to prevent condensation - let your machine come back up to room temp. as slowly as possible.
Or, if you plan on using it a lot in cold weather - just wrap it up and leave it in your car trunk or similar - the cold won't hurt the machine - just avoid letting it warm up to fast.

HH --- Mark

 

[Jack Flynn]

The thicker ML carry bags are a great way to let it warm or cool slowly. Just like having it in a gun case. No quick changes in temp while packaged up in that. I always have mine in the case. What we in the deep south have to worry about is during the dog days of summer and you are in an air conditioned vehicle is to pull the cold detector out in the 105 heat index dripping wet humidity and having the condensation form all over it immediately. Really bad here in the humidity belt of the nation.Take care of that equipment!

 

[Bell-Two]

The Minelab tech told me to prevent condensation - let your machine come back up to room temp. as slowly as possible.
Or, if you plan on using it a lot in cold weather - just wrap it up and leave it in your car trunk or similar - the cold won't hurt the machine - just avoid letting it warm up to fast.

HH --- Mark

Thanks so much for your two posts about the potential condensation problem in the detectors. There is an ongoing thread on another Forum (which you are a member too Mark, BTH) so I copied and posted your comments there because I believe your advice can help someone from ruining their machine. That is the great thing about Forums lilke this the benefits of experience and knowledge gets deseminated for the benefit of all detectorist!

 

[gingerlm]

it anyways....thankyou so much for that advice....theres nothing in andy's book about that....i looked and didnt see it anyways....i have been hunting out in extrememly cold weather and was conserned about my etrac...just got ,,,dont want to damage it....heading out again today...i think it's about 30 out....yikes....lol....thanks for your nice comment on my 1814 too....i want to find another one...lol...ginger

 

[nge]

I use those moisture absorbent packets in my machine, remove battery pack and stuff a couple in. Leave the trap door open. I think they call them "desiccant packs" they are used for camera's while in a camera bag.........NGE

 

[Finderskeeper]

If you check the instruction manual, the engineers who designed the E-track do not recommend using it in really cold weather.

I found my screen would slow way down, the batteries were less able to put out the correct voltage and the ground was just too darned hard to dig in when it got really cold.

Sometimes it is best to just not hunt when it gets too cold out.

 

[nge]

Sometimes when I go out in cold weather (when I have to) looking for a ring in the snow or car keys. I use one of those "shaker hand warmers" you know the kind, the ones you open the plastic bag, shake the contents, and they start warming up. Rubber band a couple along your battery packs and your machine will be just fine, when your batteries get cold, everything slows down and your batteries will also die down quicker. I take my camera with me everywhere, I put a couple of these in my camera bag (small ones) to keep the batteries warm and lasting longer. Try it sometime, it really works!........NGE

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

The same Minelab Tech metioned above told me that running in very cold weather will not damage the machine and that he does it all the time - all the way down to 0 degrees F.
Myself - I would agree with you - to be safe - just follow the guidelines in the factory manual.

And yes, I have noticed a slow down of target ID numbers display on very cold days a few times.

Happy Holidays ! --- Mark