Leaving your tuba out in the cold

[YSUTuba]

Hey everyone,

I just have a quick question. I live in Ohio and I was just wondering if leaving your tuba in your car overnight is bad for it (it's below freezing every night)? Is it only bad if I take it out and immediately start playing it, or just bad all around? I'm just asking because some nights I need to make 2 trips from my car and back to get everything into my apartment, and every now and then I forget to make the second trip and end up leaving my tuba in the trunk.

Just wonderin'!

Thanks!

[Dan Schultz]

I won't leave any music instruments in sub-zero temperature long enough for condensation to freeze. I don't know of any documented cases of horns being damaged by freezing (expanding) moisture. But... it can't be good for it.

[YSUTuba]

Yeah, that's kinda my thinking. I can't really think of any specific reason why it would be bad...but I'm sure it's not good for it.

[UDELBR]

Surely your instrument's just waiting to get stolen too; no?

[peter birch]

I think it's OK...so long as you stay out in the cold with it

[Stefan]

I've been wondering this lately too. I have come to the conclusion that while not the worst thing in the world, it doesn't help things. So I try to get it in.

Stefan

[tclements]

DO NOT leave your tuba out in the cold overnight. For an experiment, put a bottle of water in the freezer over night. See what happened to the plastic? THAT'S what's happening to your valve casing. Take a moment, bring it in.

[TUBAD83]

I won't leave any music instruments in sub-zero temperature long enough for condensation to freeze. I don't know of any documented cases of horns being damaged by freezing (expanding) moisture. But... it can't be good for it.

Having lived in Fairbanks, Alaska (hardcore winter 7 months out of the year) thats a very BAD habit. Remember that your tuba is a complex precision instrument--any extreme temps could potentially damage it so act accordingly (make the 2nd trip--your tuba will appreciate it).

JJ

[Matt Good]

Ask James Jenkins of the Jacksonville Symphony if it is a good idea to leave your tuba in a vehicle overnight.

[sinfonian]

Could this just be considered a DIY project for "cryogenic" treatment of your tuba.

[Allen]

A friend left his tuba in his car overnight in freezing weather. The (rotary) valves refused to move the next day. After extensive hot water treatments, all but one valve were able to move. That last valve needed a repair technician's attention to work again.

I would rather learn from another's misfortune than from mine. I won't leave MY tuba out in freezing cold.

Allen

[b.williams]

Don't worry Kiltie, your tubas are Bo Schembechler, William Revelli tough Michigan tubas! They laugh at the cold!

[ScottM]

Hi there
I would bring it in. While there might be enough valve oil on the valves to discourage any water from collecting, any that did would exert considerable pressure between the valve and the valve casing. You could end up needing some valve repair far sooner than you would like.
ScottM

[pittbassdaddy]

Thermal stresses induced by changing temperatures are bad for soldered connections. Especially when the temperature differential is large (going from indoors to freezing in a matter of minutes, then back again when brought back inside and/or played). I developed a rattle from a solder joint on my horn just before last year's christmas concert because the solder cracked while the horn was warming back up to room temperature or during warmups (while the horn was still a cool, but had me blowing a lot of hot air through it).

[tubamage17]

A friend of mine's tuba has a bent leadpipe. It is not bad, but it is noticeably bent upwards. He said that to the best of his knowledge, this was caused by leaving his horn in his car overnight, and then immediately playing a gig with it. Weather or not that was actually the cause, we are not sure, but it is something to think about.

[bort]

Bad all around.