Will severe cold kill my ACE 250?

[upnorth]

I have some more time off with the holidays and I'm thinking about checking a few spots out but............ Today it is -32 Celsius and the rest of the week will be -20 to -25. I don't want to destroy my machine with one winter hunt. Will severe cold damage/destroy my 250?

 

[Joel-Winnipeg]

Check out John-Edmonton way of keeping his ace in winter hunts.
Personally I would not do it as my hands freeze to fast.
At -32 I think the electronics in the ACE may not be up to it unless there in cased in some type of warm setup.
John-Edmonton definitely hunts in pretty cold temps.,how cold I'm not sure.
I've taken mine in the early part of winter in up to -6 temp unprotected for a few hours and had no problem with it till the batteries freeze up

 

[dahut]

John attaches one of those $1 chemical handwarmers to his Ace, wrapping it on with a woolen scarf!
It looks kooky, but with this setup he hunts about as long as anyone would want to in that sort of cold.

Un-protected, the Ace is not rated for sub zero temperatures, and certainly not arctic ones like you describe.

 

[John-Edmonton]

These methods work well on the Garrett GTI Series and the Garrett ACE Series metal detectors. If you swing another make or model, you will have to try a different approach, but the same principles prevail. Keeping the batteries warm keeps them running longer, and keeping the electronics warm, keeps the LCD from slowing down and the knobs from getting stiff. Remember to read your manual and operate your detector at the recommended temperature range. If your detector permanently malfunctions from operating in the cold, it could void your warranty. Now having said that, I have run my ACE 250 at - 25 with no problems, and -10 with my GTI & GTA models.

Supplies:


- Some air activated hand warmers (Wal-Mart)
- Duck tape
- Bubble wrap (small bubble type)

GTI Series Below:

Grab one of those hand warmers, activate as per the instructions written on the package, set behind the LCD as shown, cover with some bubble wrap (helps insulate the hot-pack)then apply duck tape to secure it. Make sure you cover the whole hot-pack.

To save the battery life, us the same procedure as above, only attach the hot pack underneath the battery pack.

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[dahut]

I stand corrected - he attaches the hand warmer with duct tape and bubble wrap - I like it already!

He then gussies it up with a nice snuggly.

Way to go, John!

 

[saskdigr]

ok so iam in saskatchwan.....how in lords name do u dig in minus 25? all i have to warmme up is thoughts of an early thaw.

 

[John-Edmonton]

One has to dig coins out of snow on toboggan and snowboarding hills. Just fill in your holes like you would in dirt. Don't think that there are any there....take a look

 

[khouse]

n/t

 

[Uncle Willy]

"Severe" cold will kill most anything but I think your 250 will survive. Ever watch liquid nitrogen at work? Garrett recommends no operation below 0 degrees. Now you can wrap the control box as John does or use heat pads. The batteries present the greatest problem as they grow weaker the colder it gets but I doubt you will freeze your detector out.

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

Neither am I.

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

Yeah wires and electronics get a little brittle at severe temps.

Bill

 

[upnorth]

Thanks all and particularly JE for the info. I'm 50/50 on going for it. Maybe I'll hit some tobbogan runs in late winter. I'm having second thoughts with this extreme weather right now.