Storage Unit + Classic Games = Problems??

[MF_Luder]

Moving into a smaller apartment has necessitated that I move my video game stuff into a storage unit. I live in New England with all our crazy weather, but finances have also necessitated that I get a storage unit that IS NOT climate controlled. In place of this, I have attempted to protect my consoles, games, and accessories by packing them in large plastic bins with covers, rather than boxes.

Now my question is, has anyone ever had any problems result from putting their classic consoles & games in a non-climate controlled unit?? Naturally, I'm quite aware that climate controlled is preferable (better safe, than sorry), but I'm interested in hearing if anyone has had ACTUAL instances where things DID go bad (not examples of what COULD go bad). Or alternatively, I'd love to hear any instances of no problems at all while using a regular unit for long-term storage.

Thanks a lot for any help guys.

[horseboy]

In New England your main worry will be the extreme cold temperatures. However, I personally wouldn't worry too much about the cold. Heat would be much more problematic.

[Ro-J]

When I was moving from one apartment to the next in Philly I left my NES and all my games in the moving van for a couple days in the dead of winter. I remember it was freezing out with at least a few inches of snow on the ground, sidewalks covered in ice. We had to wait a couple days because it was just too dangerous with all of the ice to move furniture etc. down sidewalks and up ice covered steps.

Anyhow, when I got my NES out I plugged it in a played it. For the first time in a very long time I didn't get a single blinking screen on that NES, no matter how many cartridges I kept switching between. I was amazed since I figured the cold air would cause condensation and destroy the connectors. I was so amazed that I started keeping that NES in the freezer when it wasn't in use. I know it sounds stupid but I did it for the longest time and it continued to work great. That NES continues to work to this day, although I no longer bother to store it in the freezer when not in use. Coincidently the screen blinks a lot more now than it used to but I'm sure that's just coincidence....perhaps I'll try putting back into deep freeze again....

Anyhow I know this doesn't help you much, I just felt like sharing a story.

Happy Thanksgiving.

[MF_Luder]

Haa, love that story Ro. Some people believe that the reason blowing in NES carts works so well is that it creates a small amount of condensation on the cartridge contacts, thus improving the connection it makes with console connector pins. Perhaps storing the console in the cold created the same effect.

And actually, that story does help, because cold is my main worry in the New England climate (as horseboy mentioned). Summer can get hot, but certainly not sweltering. Moisture is no big deal around here in the winter... but cold combined with moisture might be. That's my main concern.

Anyone else with other storage stories, good or bad?

[Shadow Kisuragi]

I would ensure that your containers are not damaged in any form. I had been using the same plastic containers for over 10 years to store my SNES games and recently had a flood. There was a small hairpin hole on the corner of one of my containers, which allowed water in and destroyed some of my SNES games (Secret of Mana included).

It may not be a big concern up north, but I would water test your containers before storing them away for a while. Also...try keeping the containers off the ground.

[jb143]

It might be overkill but you could also consider throwing some of those silica gel "Do Not Eat" packets in the bins as well. They'll absord any moisture and condensation. I put them with the stuff I have stored in my basement just in case, but mainly because I get them for free from work since they just throw them away.

[Soviet Conscript]

had the same problem as you acually. to much stuff tiny apt. i live in PA so my weather isn't much diffrent from yours. anyways i kept the bulk of my stuff in storage for 2+ years and hardly touched it. a few were in plastic containers but almost all of it was in cardboard boxes. there was also an issue where parts of the unit flooded. luckly the water didn't reach any of the boxes but i'm sure it did make things moister in there and there was mold that started growing on the wall.

we ended up getting a house about 4 months ago and i've moved it all out since then. besides the occasional spider web on the boxes everything was fine dispite the moisture issues.

[SegaAges]

Come on Ro, that doesn't count. The NES was built super sturdy. I have yet to have a problem with mine. Sure, it has the classic blow in the cart deal going on, but it still runs games just fine.

I have dropped my NES, probably kicked it multiple times, and it still works good.

Yes, I do like the NES because of that.

[Ed Oscuro]

The N64 would eat the NES's lunch, easy. I accidentally bounced that thing on a solid concrete floor and it didn't care. Didn't even get a scratch. Did bounce though.

Putting your NES in a freezer is an amazingly retarded thing to do. If you don't know why, consider that you're alternately putting it through heat / cold stress cycles. Yes, cold causes most materials to shrink, particularly metals, so freezing the system in danger of developing fractures in metal joints or on traces.

[Yukima]

I keep all my games and systems in huge plastic bins shoved under my bed, due to lack of shelf space. And my room is the hottest room in the house in the summer, and the coldest in the winter, and I've never had any problems with my games. None of them are boxed (they're all loose carts and discs) and all that happens to them is that they have just a small amount of dust that gets in through the gaps. I also live pretty close to a minor flood zone, but the house is high enough off the ground so that nothing ever really happens!

Keeping an NES in the freezer... that's funny! But yeah, it could possibly damage the NES in the long run due to alternating extreme heat/cold cycles. Our first NES was killed like that because my dad kept it in the attic for 15 years. By the time he finally got up there and cleaned things out, the poor NES was a mess.

[NayusDante]

If there's danger of flood or moisture, silica gel will only do so much. Since plastic containers really aren't air-tight, I'd invest in some garbage bags to wrap around them. There's some new bags that stretch and supposedly hold up to pointy objects, which sounds too expensive for every-day use but perfect for long-term storage. Just make sure to wrap the open end of the bag so it faces sideways, sort of like a drip loop to prevent water from falling straight in or rising up from below.

I don't think that the cold will do very much to your stuff. Heat, on the other hand, might not be kind. I live in Florida, and I know that our plastic storage containers either smell odd or start melting as a result of heat exposure.

I think that comic storing practices would apply well here. I'm not saying to bag up every game individually, but generally, you'll want to look at the materials you're storing in. There's a distinct smell that is expected when you open a bagged comic, as the ink and paper decompose somewhat in the presence of oxygen. That's something to keep in mind when storing games.

[MF_Luder]

I think that comic storing practices would apply well here. I'm not saying to bag up every game individually, but generally, you'll want to look at the materials you're storing in. There's a distinct smell that is expected when you open a bagged comic, as the ink and paper decompose somewhat in the presence of oxygen. That's something to keep in mind when storing games.


Yeah, good point. A side-note sort of in the same vein as this "comic book practice"...
There is a small classic game store up in New Hampshire that I had visited a few times. During one visit about 4 years back, I remember talking at length to the owner and he remarked that their inventory was so huge that they had 2 storage units housing the extra stuff. So I called him recently and, in a round-about way, asked whether they used a climate controlled unit... he told me that they did. Apparently, the concern was less for the games themselves, but more for the boxes and instruction manuals. Which makes sense... plastics and electronics are actually quite resilient, but paper and cardboard are far more fragile to adverse weather conditions.

Now, I don't know if that was because they had previous problems; or if it was just to be on the safe side. I figure it was probably the latter. When your livelihood depends on it, I don't think you wait to find out if the climate will ruin the product you are trying to sell. However, myself just being a hobbyist and having a tight budget, I figure the risk is low so it's a risk I have to take. I just have to hope that the risk doesn't turn out higher than I anticipated.