I had a new set of Raymarine instruments and chart plotter installed this year. Now I am wondering whether I have to worry about freezing temperatures potentially damaging the LCD screens. I was unable to find anything in the manuals or the Raymarine website. The coldest temperature I expect is about -10F. Has anyone every had freezing damage before.
Rick Verbeek
Toronto
1999 C36 MkII
Sail No. 1167
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Rick Verbeek
Southpaws
1999 C36 #1763
Lakeshore Yacht Club
Toronto
Notebooks have LCD screens and I have seen several notebooks that were left in cars overnight in below freezing weather and the screens actually split. I don't leave any LCD equipped device in freezing temps, though some people do it all the time and get away with it.
Here in California if we have a problem with screens freezing we just blame Bill Gates.
Cepheus dream
C36 MK I # 825
MK I Tech Editor No Mas
I am imagining thousands of power- and sailboats in the Northeast that are blocked in yards each winter, and yet we hear nothing about removing Raymarine (or other manufacturers') chartplotters to keep them warm in a closet over the cold months. A similar technology, aviation flat panel displays are not removed from aircraft for sub-zero overnights, either. My guess (judicious selection of the word!) is that the issue is non-existent.
Of course, the ultimate reference is the manufacturer, and if you call Raymarine's Customer Support line in New Hampshire (phone number avail on their website) I am sure they will give you a good answer. Usually I find that they call back promptly when you leave a phone number and a short description of your inquiry. When you get an answer from them, please share it in this post, won't you?
Larry Brandt
S/V High Flight #2109
Pacific Northwest, PDX-based
2002 C-36 mkII SR/FK M35B
I asked some sailing friends over the weekend about this and no one seems to take off their instruments for that reason. (Some take them off for theft prevention but not for freezing temperatures). No one knew of anyone who ever had a problem with freezing of the cold temperature kind either. I found (actually my wife found) a note in Appendix A of the C-Series display manual from Raymarine that the operation/storage temperature is from -10C to +50C. No info is given as to what happens if the temperature gets colder than -10C. Well we get way colder than that up here.
As suggested, I think I'll follow up with Raymarine by phone to see what answer I get. I post whatever I come up with.
Rick Verbeek
#1763
Toronto, Ontario
Rick Verbeek
Southpaws
1999 C36 #1763
Lakeshore Yacht Club
Toronto
I wouldn't worry about the LCD screens. They should go through the winter just fine. However, make sure you have removed all the random bottles of liquid you have stored. Some of those will split and freeze making a real mess in the spring. And make sure the batteries are 100% charged. They make a mess when they freeze and split too.
Don't ask me how I know.
Dave
Dave
Ballena 1995 Mk II #1445
Below is an official response to an FAQ (see I'm not the only one wanting to know this) posted on the Raymarine website regarding the A-series display. The reply just re-iterates what is in the installation guide. I guess that is about all you can expect fto hear from Raymarine. Having said that I would agree with those who have replied that no one seems to have experienced or heard of cold-related problems with marine instruments. So my decision is that they stay on board this winter. If I'm crying the blues in the spring time I'll report my experience but I suspect you won't be hearing from me on this.
Will now begin to while my winter away. At least the Toronto boat show is only 8 weeks away.
Rick Verbeek
Toronto, Ontario
#1763
New A-Series Display storage temperatue range
Question
I am about to lay-up my boat up for the winter and was wondering whether my new A-Series display should be removed from the boat during the offseason to protect the equipment from cold related damage.
Answer
The Installation Guide for the new A-Series Chartplotters and Chartplotter / Fishfinders specifies a non-operating temperature of -20°C to 70°C (-4°F to 158°F). Exposing one’s new A-Series Chartplotters and Chartplotter / Fishfinders to temperatures exceeding the non-operating range may void the warranty for temperature related damage to the product.
Rick Verbeek
Southpaws
1999 C36 #1763
Lakeshore Yacht Club
Toronto
Most of the equipment I sell at work uses industrial grade LCD screens. Most of them are ok to store at temperatures down to -10 C or even lower, but many of them don't operate very well below zero. Whatever the manufacturer says, my gut feeling is that they will last longer if you keep them above zero. Just think about how many instruments you see on boats with condensation forming in the display, now take them down to freezing temperatures, guess what happens.
Jason V
Vancouver, BC, Canada