Freezing LCD TVs

[blyle]

Recently read an article warning against letting your LCD TV in the RV freeze. Outdoor storage in Colorado is very common, and LCD TVs are becoming common on newer RVs. Has anyone experienced problems with LCD TVs due to freezing? Does anyone know if Keystone has a position on this when you go to them for warranty on frozen TV??

[TLightning]

I read that article also...in Trailer Life. Like lots of things in that magazine, it was not very helpful, other than to scare us. It said 'prolonged freezing' conditions...so we have to figure out what that means. It does not make much sense for an manufacturer to put a TV in an RV that cannot stand up to freezing temperatures.

[Jolu]

blyle,
Recently on the forum there had been a lot of discussion on that subject. Here is a link to that discussion http://www.montanaowners.com/forums/...ad.php?t=31963

I live in Canon City, CO and I leave mine out in the Monty during freezing weather and have not had a problem. I agree with others that it would be best to let the LCD warm up to room temp after a long cold spell before turning it on.

When you think about it there are many LCDs left in the cold all the time. Like gas pumps and other small units in cars and trucks and on and on. One MOC member referred to Police LCDs left out in cold weather throughout the nation.

[bsmeaton]

Very confusing topic and several arguments either way -

• Freeze of an LCD may not be 32F, because it's probably not water
• Multiple LCDs are used outdoors and in cars, but some outdoor displays have built in heaters to keep them fully operational
• Some articles say that LCD does freeze, but easily thaws out without damage, it just cant be powered up while frozen
• The storage range for my Visio is -4F, what does that mean if it goes below?
• I just helped install a wall mounted LCD TV for my stepfather and it had a big tag on the screen that said to allow the TV to come up to room temperature before powering up

I'm really confused now, but best logic says they freeze, but as long as you don't use it, who cares. I bring mine in from Dec to March just to let the kids use it for video games during the winter.

[richfaa]

http://www.howstuffworks.com/lcd.htm

[bsmeaton]

Another opinion on how things work
Who knows?

[sreigle]

Thanks for the links, guys. That's good information. We're visiting friends whose FW is in storage and susceptible to subfreezing weather on occasion. We were just discussing this subject after the Trailer Life article. This thread and the links have been informative. Thanks.

[Parrothead]

One time we left the laptop in the truck over night and it froze. Wierd colors all across the screen but no picture. After about 10 minutes everything was fine. Lesson learned, we don't do that anymore!
Happy trails.....................

[bsmeaton]

My DW's Expedition has a nav system with what I think is LCD. I never noticed until this discussion, but when its below zero, the system barely lights up. It still works, but is real dim. I noticed it after it stayed outside at the office and the temps were around 2 degrees.

Maybe it limits the electricity to the LCD until it warms up? or maybe it just can't light up very bright when is cold?

[sreigle]

My Dodge truck has the lcd nav and satellite radio screen. I've not noticed it being sluggish or dim when below freezing but I don't really recall paying that much attention. Next time I'm in the truck in that cold weather I'll check it out.

[MIMF]

Gang,

In the line of work that I am in......at that other big RV maker "thingy", that question has been asked by many of the dealers and retail customers I service across the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada.

We simply recommend that when it comes to flat screen LCD TVs, that they do not get powered up until environmental room temperature is reached. That means that when not in use and there is the chance of freezing temps, they should even be unplugged from 110v power.

From time to time, I do have to replace a TV in a unit. Is it from freezing? I have no idea. We receive the defective TV from the dealer or retail customer and have never had a report back that the supplier was not going to cover the replacement of the TV due to freezing after testing to determine why it was defective.

Merely my 2 cents.

[Ozz]

When Sue and I drove the 45 or so miles to St. Jo Missouri from Kansas City to pick up our 52" Sony LCD, a store manager told me to try and get the Tv inside the truck, as he knew we were from K.C. I asked him if the delivery truck was heated in the cargo area when they brought the Tv's in. He said no. We drove back at 60 MPH with the temperature in the low teens with the set in the bed of the truck.
By the time we got the other Tv out, marked all the cables and set the Tv up, it was pretty much room temperature, it worked perfectly.
I guess that is the key, just let it warm up.
Ozz

[sreigle]

Jim, you're not going to tell me you installed that monster in your Montana, are you?

[MIMF]

Steve,

I'm going to.

Only on the outside. It is a 40" HD Samsung LCD stereo flat screen. I'm going to hang it on the outside wall under the awning. Going to also built a storage place in the basement.

Will be able to sit around the fire pit and watch TV at the same time this next camping season. All of the hook ups for power and antenna, cable or satelite are just inside the basement compartment door.

[Ozz]

quote:Originally posted by sreigle

Jim, you're not going to tell me you installed that monster in your Montana, are you?

Ha! No, but a flat screen LCD is on my list for the next trip.
MIMF, that sounds like a neat crowd attraction, a guy could just sit in his Rv a few spaces away and have a good show.

[skypilot]

Saw a bunch of Class A's and several 5th wheels with similar setups as what MIMF describes this past fall during tailgating events. More popular down south (weather more conducive to watching outside I guess than here but even saw several at the various Big 12 North events we attended. One even had several different screens going with different games on each one. Had quite a crowd at that tail gate!!!

[MIMF]

Ozz and skypilot,

That would be the general idea. I got the idea from where I work. On the big toy haulers, they have flat screens on a wall bracket on the inside with a wall bracket and speakers on the outside. Just move the TV and plug it in. Normally, the TV is a 20" flat screen. So, thought I would take the idea a couple steps further since the power and connections were right there, anyway. Don't have the exterior speakers but, that is OK. The TV has 'em.

[noneck]

I have mine setup with an AC extension cord that get power from a transfer relay...works great when boondocking at NASCAR events. I just use the 19" LCD cause we sometimes it setup on the roof for maximum viewing. Run the Audio into the outside stereo "line-in" for improved sound boost as those cars don't have mufflers.

[rames14]

I was curious what the conventional television sets were for operating temps. Since the unit is in storage, I looked for info on the internet. Seems to be similar to the LCD television. I don't recall too many people taking their old conventional analog TV's out in the winter. I believe, especially with the models with the lifts, that we would just leave ours in the RV. Gets fairly cold in Wisconsin.

[sreigle]

Dale, that would be really cool! We put one inside the rig but it's just 32 inches. I couldn't imagine how that 52 incher would work in here. Ozz has the same year and model rig as ours.