Temperature changes and tuba maintanence...

[Rick Denney]

I was just wondering. How do cold or hot temperatures affect a tuba in temporary storage. (in its case waiting to be played again) It seems to me like cold weather could make the metal contract and possibly get brittle. The opposite with hot weather of course. Anyone have any knowledge/experience with this subject?

It would have to be much colder than you are likely to be able to endure to signficant change the metallurgy. We're talking down in the minus 100 range.

Sitting in your car when it's 10 degree outside might freeze the valves in place, and it might make the mouthpiece stick to your lips, but it isn't likely to tear the horn apart.

Rick "whose tubas sit in the car on rehearsal day, no matter how cold it is" Denney

[ArnoldGottlieb]

I thought it was supposed to be warm in Texas, played there in Jan 2003 and they saw their first snow in 3 years, is it warm anywhere year round?

[TubaRay]

I don't know if it is warm year-round anywhere in the continental U.S. Some winters in San Antonio never see temps below 30 degrees. Right now, 4:00 p.m., it is 34 degrees. Tonight it will be in the lower 20s. This is quite unusual. Three days ago, the thermometer on my truck read 82 degrees(ambient temp). That was a bit unusually warm for Dec.

As for temperatures' effects on a tuba, around here I would worry more about the heat. I wonder how hot it would need to be in order to have an adverse effect.

[Rick Denney]

I thought it was supposed to be warm in Texas, played there in Jan 2003 and they saw their first snow in 3 years, is it warm anywhere year round?

Remember that Texas is a large state.

Yes, but it is snowing as we speak...in Houston!

Rick "acknowledging the utter improbability of it" Denney

p.s. to Arnold: Amarillo is high plains--think Kansas for similar weather. Dallas has weather similar to Atlanta. Houston is like New Orleans. San Antonio is like nowhere else on earth--RD

[Rick Denney]

Protect your water pipes, Rick!

Hey, I live in Virginia, remember? I talked with my folks in Houston this evening, and they were giddy with excitement (in their 70's) because of the snow.

Up here, houses are designed for it. My outside faucets have cut-off valves inside the house, and none of the pipes go through external walls. Reports of burst pipes here are quite rare.

It reminds me of when I lived in an apartment in Austin, Texas. I was working for the Texas Highway Department. This was 1983--The Fell Winter of 1983-84. Over Christmas, when I was visiting in Houston, the pipes in my apartment froze (my idiot neighbors had turned off their heat when they left town). Everything I owned got soaked and much of it was ruined.

I got a phone call in Houston early on the morning after Christmas, from a lady whose voice I did not recognize. In my still-sleeping fog, I heard her say "This is Joyce from the Highway Department, and the pipes have burst, causing a flood..." I'm thinking, so why call me? I was two years out of school and in charge of nothing.

But then my brain caught up with my ears as I woke up, and it dawned on me that what she had said was, "This is Joyce from the Highwood Apartments..."

I knew it was bad when I drove up that afternoon, and there was a two-inch-thick sheet of ice flowing out the front of my apartment, across 50 feet of grass, and then across all four lanes of Great Hills Trail, causing somewhat of a traffic hazard. It was 9 degrees.

It's been a while since that part of Texas has had a winter like that run in the late 70's and early 80's.

Rick "Hey, merry Christmas!" Denney

[Dan Schultz]

I've never had my valves freeze up as some people have suggested.

Years ago, in the days or all-organic lubricants, I've had piston valves and slides alike freeze up.... probably because of the high moisture content in the formulations. Using only synthetic lubricants these days.... I've not noticed any problems other that sometimes things get REALLY sluggish.

I have a Czech Wagner style euph that had splits in several of the slides when I first got it... mostly the inner tubes. The splits looked like they could have been caused by freezing/thawing water between the clearances in the slide tubes. I wonder.... Rick D.. do you think this is possible?

[Tabor]

Two weeks ago I took my tuba out of my warm house, threw it in the back of my pickup (in its case, of course...and more of a set than a throw) and drove 50 miles at highway (or above) speeds in -3 degree South Dakota weather. When I arrived, the rotors were all frozen, and when I pulled out my main tuning slide, a chunk of ice fell out onto the floor, but once the horn warmed up, it played like a dream.

[Rick Denney]

I have a Czech Wagner style euph that had splits in several of the slides when I first got it... mostly the inner tubes. The splits looked like they could have been caused by freezing/thawing water between the clearances in the slide tubes. I wonder.... Rick D.. do you think this is possible?

I wouldn't think so. There wouldn't be enough water to expand enough to burst the metal.

Perhaps it was used for testing at Mythbusters.

Rick "wondering if the splits could be caused by stress corrosion" Denney