TV in metal garage

[that-guy]

I have an old (about 11 years) 50" flat screen TV that's been collecting dust in my basement since we upgraded for a 70" smart TV. It works great and figure I should put it to use. My shop is 30x40 and is all metal. It's insulated but unfinished, so there are air leaks all over the place. It does stay mostly dry, but the humidity can get decently high in there as I don't keep the mini-split running at all times as it would never turn off. I mostly do fabrication, so it is often dusty, but I do most of that work on the opposite side of the garage, so the dust collection near the proposed TV location will be minor.

My question is, do I absolutely need to keep the TV in an "outdoor enclosure" to keep the humidity and dust off of it, or is the amount of humidity in there negligible and should burn the TV out? On really rainy days, there is a bit of condensation in the shop, which has me the most worried

For reference, I live in Northern VA where it is currently 100* and 90% humidity today

 

[AffableCurmudgeon]

If I were you, I would just try it. If I lose an 11-year TV, oh well, so be it - it was sitting unused anyway.

 

[djbmw]

My shop is also very humid if im not running the dehumidifier. So much so that most of my tools has considerable surface rust after being in there for a few days. Like you, i also do metal fabrication and everything gets a good layer of dust on it.
I have an lcd computer monitor that hasnt skipped a beat for over 8 yrs in there. I occasionally have to wipe the metal dust off the screen so I can actually see the image... but it hasnt failed yet.

As long as the tv doesnt get WET, i think youre good to go.

 

[kbuhagiar]

As long as the tv doesnt get WET, i think you're good to go.

^^^This.

I have a 42" JVC flat-screen TV mounted on the wall outside in the patio. It has been there for at least eight years, maybe longer (it was there when we bought the house). It's great for watching a baseball game on a warm summer evening! It is under an overhanging eave, so it is not exposed to direct rainfall, but otherwise it's out in the elements 24/7.

Other than a custom-made dust cover, which it wears whenever not in use, no other special precautions have been taken. Earlier this year I removed it temporarily when we repainted the house, which gave me a chance to inspect it thoroughly, and I was surprised at how well it has held up. I hope to get several more years of service out of it.

 

[shakenfake]

Eh, kinda?

I have a few TVs in an EXTREMELY dusty factory. It is very humid in certain parts of the factory due to our machines (use steam a lot) and quite hot/warm. I do not have an enclosure for any of them, that would be way too much work. I don't have a lot of failures though. They last a few years and then I have to swap them out. I have 20 TVs out there right now and I am about to cross a year for four of them (only put up the last 16 TVs earlier this year lol) This is in a new factory, my old one was worse on TVs and I think I replaced two of them after 5 years or more. I am not quite sure.

 

[bdbecker]

Odds are pretty good that it'll be fine.

At work, we use a weld process tracking software that requires a computer monitor be mounted on the weld machines. Open air shop (hot and humid during summer), grinder dust, weld smoke, not-so-gentle manipulation by heavy handed welders, etc. While we do have an occasional monitor die, it's tough to say if it was due to the environment, abuse, or age (re-deploy used monitors from office use when IT upgrades users). Out of 100+ monitors in the shop, I only have to replace a few per year.

 

[NUTTSGT]

If I were you, I would just try it. If I lose an 11-year TV, oh well, so be it - it was sitting unused anyway.

My thoughts as well.

It's been sitting around not being used, put it to use and enjoy it.

TVs are cheap, if it dies in a year or five and you enjoyed having it out there, buy another one.

 

[BrandonV]

My friend had a couple of TVs installed outside by a local AV company.

While I was watching the installation, I asked why they used consumer TVs instead of outdoor-rated TVs or regular TVs in a rated enclosure. The installer explained that a cheap consumer TV will typically last longer than the payback period for doing it the "right" way. He also mentioned that by the time the TV usually fails, people often want the latest and greatest technology anyway.

 

[Bucko]

Just a quick internet search at Walmart shows a 50" TV for $200 that is likely better than the old TV you have. I would hang it up and enjoy it and if it blows up it blows up.
I have a 30" in my shop in Central Florida that gets waaay hot and humid that is pretty much just for the security cameras for over a year now without issues. Its mounted right next to the rollup door. I have a 50" in my office room in the shop that was without HVAC until recently and its had no issues.

 

[mrb1]

20 year old Dynex 32" that has been running fine in an unheated, uncooled Ohio garage for close to 15 of those 20. Runs a Roku and Firestick also. Close to 0* sometimes in Winter, above 100* in Summer. I've actually used paper towels on the screen in the past to be able to watch. The old Sony receiver below is the same way. I think at one time that unit was on the back patio and ended up with a couple inches of snow on/in it after blizzard type conditions destroyed the plastic that was up. Works fine to this day also.

 

[that-guy]

thanks everyone for the replies. These are the answers I was looking for. I looked into simple covers like kbuhagiar showed and they are only like $30 on Amazon, so i think i'll do that

Much appreciated everyone

 

[NUTTSGT]

Keep one thing in mind where you hang it, grinder sparks will melt into the screen.

 

[Lou's Garage]

Definitely run a dehumidifier in your metal building. It makes a world of difference in mine.

Lou Manglass

 

[niget2002]

If I were you, I would just try it. If I lose an 11-year TV, oh well, so be it - it was sitting unused anyway.

This is my feelings on the 'shop tv' as well. By the time it makes it to the shop, it's already served me a full life.

And with TCL 55" sets selling at walmart for $250 these days, I wouldn't be concerned even on a new TV.

I hope to replace my 57" rear project tv that's in the shop in the somewhat near future (I'm looking at you Amazon Prime days tomorrow). The current TV is on it's last leg. It forgets who it is everytime I turn it off and the audio doesn't always work. I bought this TV in 2006 and it's on it's third projector lamp.

 

[Viper98912]

Same here, I'm in the "just put it up and don't worry about it" camp. There's a good chance it'll be fine, but being 11 years old, there's also a chance it'll be bad even if you had it inside your air conditioned home.

As of right now the actual value of the TV is $0, since it's 11 years old and it's electronics, and it's currently sitting in your basement doing nothing so it's not providing non-monetary value, so yes, put it up without concern and get some use out of it!