long term amp storage

[pauldo]

So it just occurred to me that my GK 800 RB head has been sitting in the basement up at the farm for pert near 4 years... not being used.   Along with a Hartke 2 x 10 and a Mesa 1 x 15.  And 2 Sonic PA Speakers.


Besides making sure there aren't any mice living in the speakers what (if anything) should I do to preserve the condition of these items while they sit unused?   


We have a dehumidifier running there, but truth be told in the spring we get a considerable amount of 'moisture' down there.


TIA

[elwoodblue]

I'd plug them in and play them briefly.
The residual heat will help to evaporate stuff internally.
(We would leave the PA on all night on weekend gigs to avoid condensation at night,
...ready to rock in the morning ...good times.)
Probably also good for the caps to be energized occasionally.

[keith_h]

Aluminum electrolytic capacitors can lose their conditioning from disuse. These are typically the large capacitors you see in the power supplies. To prevent this you want to turn on the power occasionally so they don't lose their conditioning. Humidity can also play a role in capacitor failure. I would look at getting a hygrometer/thermometer to measure the the humidity in the basement. As long at it is under 50% in the summer you should be ok on that front.  If it is higher then you need to look into a larger/more dehumidifiers.