View Full Version : Storing CDs
Been wondering about this for a while.......
Probably like many, I ripped my CDs to an HDD and then consigned them to the attic. Trouble is, the attic goes from being like a fridge in the winter to an oven in the summer. I've got about a thousand CDs up there, so a fair bit of moneys worth and I'd be severely dischuffed if they became somehow degraded by the temperature extremes.
Is this a real problem or can I forget about it?
a cool dry place with little light is usually best. Probably better in attic than a garage tho. Cased and slung under a bed is often the way
They should be fine. You'd need some real serious extremes of temperature to do any damage. Not likely to happen in Burton On Trent but if you end up moving to Siberia you might want to take precautions.
I've had to store mine in garages and attics over the years and the oldest ones still play fine - included recorded CDs.
Worth bearing in mind though that if you do get them down to play/rip that you give them time to acclimatise, particularly in the winter or if your attic gets damp like ours (they absorb moisture...)
This site gives some useful info:
https://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub121/sec5/
"If stored at a very low temperature relative to the user environment, the disc should be gradually acclimated to the environment in which it will be used to reduce stress and moisture condensation. A significant, abrupt temperature change will cause greater stress than a gradual change. Leaving the disc in its packaging will allow gradual acclimation to a changed environment. Discs used frequently should be stored at a temperature similar to that of the environment in which they are to be used. This minimizes stress from frequent temperature changes.
Given the absence to date of relevant testing, the precise effects of storing CDs and DVDs in freezing temperatures are not yet known. Freezing and thawing may create harmful stresses in the disc because of differing expansion rates of the layers, but it is unclear how much this stress might affect the disc. "
I would have thought the printed material would suffer large temperature change more than the actual media disc.
When I have stored paper products in the type of environment you describe than at best "foxing" of the paper material seems to happen and quite quickly too.
strong light and very hot temps are probably the worst probs. keep plenty of that gel pck stuff in the boxes and should be ok
Minstrel SE
05-04-2019, 14:54
No I think its a real problem. I store a lot of collectables and they really have to be in the house within a limited temperature range. Heck even in a drawer in a colder room games and cds can start to develop temperature dulling and mould
The humidity in the air and what happens when temperature changes is something we dont often focus on. The condensation effect then dry air can ruin the cosmetics
The attic isnt doing them any favours and the paperwork can start getting wrinked or mould flecks developing also on the cd. So the printed material will start deteriorating faster. Even boxed up the deterioration can be surprising. Im not saying the cds will rot away but its not doing them any favours
The attic will go very cold in winter and then very warm in summer. Too much of a temperature range and no normal airation has an effect. The minute they are boxed away in the loft you are neglecting them.
My dad thinks this sort of thing is ok and it drives me nuts :)
My attic stays pretty much same all year round... perishing but dry. Mind you Scottish roofs are built different to many in England and are double lined. also mine has about 2 feet of insulation as well. need it here with the weather at times lol
No I think its a real problem. I store a lot of collectables and they really have to be in the house within a limited temperature range
The attic isnt doing them any favours and the paperwork can start getting wrinked or mould flecks developing on them and the cd. So the printed material will start deteriorating faster. Even boxed up the deterioration can be surprising.
Yep - the article I linked to recommends taking the paper inserts out of the boxes for this reason.
Although, as I said, I have never had any major problems despite some harsh conditions they have been subjected to over the decades (well, harsh in UK terms anyway :lol: )
That was my point, what we think is 'harsh weather' in the UK is a joke to most of the rest of the world.
Minstrel SE
05-04-2019, 17:37
Its quite sad in a way though isnt it really. Its like you dont love them any more and they get banished to the loft with the christmas decorations and the ex wife :)
I must admit though that even Im starting to see the storage space I could free up if I was less bothered about having a physical disc handy
Its quite sad in a way though isnt it really. Its like you dont love them any more and they get banished to the loft with the christmas decorations and the ex wife :)
I must admit though that even Im starting to see the storage space I could free up if I was less bothered about having a physical disc handy
I'll never get this thing about storage space. If it's some collector with 50,000 albums fair enough but you can get a couple of thousand LPs and even more cds in any decent bookcase, stick it in the alcove, job done. Also damps the room down a bit.
Pieoftheday
05-04-2019, 17:53
I'll never get this thing about storage space. If it's some collector with 50,000 albums fair enough but you can get a couple of thousand LPs and even more cds in any decent bookcase, stick it in the alcove, job done. Also damps the room down a bit.
Tell my other half that:rolleyes:
But it's just a bookcase! Okay so it has records and CDs in instead of books. Got to be an especially fussy woman who has an issue with that surely?
Tell my other half that:rolleyes:
Agree - it would have to be a large alcove and a bloody big 'bookcase' to store a couple of thousand LPs. Anyway, not all rooms have alcoves, or even fireplaces for that matter.
Most women wouldn't have all that in livingroom.
Sherwood
05-04-2019, 18:11
The biggest threats to CDs are excess heat, moisture and uv light. Contrary to earlier comments, UK attics can get bloody hot, particularly poorly insulated ones. I have mine in storage in the garage which has a high vaulted roof and does not get too hot in summer.
I have my (now ripped CDs) in these boxes, each of which can accommodate 93 CDs.
http://www.reallyusefulstorageboxes.co.uk/18litre-really-useful-storage-box-c2x12452493
An advantage of this box is that, when full, there is very little space for air, reducing the problems of excess moisture. The design also means that each spine can be read without having to remove any disk making searching easy in case a disc needs to be re-ripped.
A large bag of silica gel in each box will stop any fungal growth and ensure that the CD inserts stay in pristine condition.
Light Dependant Resistor
05-04-2019, 18:12
Been wondering about this for a while.......
Probably like many, I ripped my CDs to an HDD and then consigned them to the attic. Trouble is, the attic goes from being like a fridge in the winter to an oven in the summer. I've got about a thousand CDs up there, so a fair bit of moneys worth and I'd be severely dischuffed if they became somehow degraded by the temperature extremes.
Is this a real problem or can I forget about it?
Extremes of temperature can be a problem. The solution I found was to build CD storage into the rafters which were otherwise unused.
If you are playing CD's regularly, having them accessible is a real bonus, but I notice you have solved that by using a hard drive
Other solutions are to obtain a carousel type CD player, Sony referred to them as Mega Storage - the 555ESD for instance is 300 disc. You can then be playing the actual disc
if you wish, and storing the cases externally, possibly less of a long term problem for the actual physical discs. https://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub121/sec5/
The attic would have to reach 147 degrees centigrade before the polycarbonate would start to deform. That's unlikely to happen.
Sherwood
05-04-2019, 18:32
The attic would have to reach 147 degrees centigrade before the polycarbonate would start to deform. That's unlikely to happen.
I think it is the continual change in temperatures that causes most problems. When I lived in Namibia I had a CD player in my personal car. The temperature could go from 45 degrees (or more) during to day to well below zero at night (zero cloud cover). I had a very high failure rate on disks left in the car for any length of time,
It was much better than my official car which had a cassette player. Tapes would just melt and end up about twice as long as they were when new!
I think it is the continual change in temperatures that causes most problems. When I lived in Namibia I had a CD player in my personal car. The temperature could go from 45 degrees (or more) during to day to well below zero at night (zero cloud cover). I had a very high failure rate on disks left in the car for any length of time,
It was much better than my official car which had a cassette player. Tapes would just melt and end up about twice as long as they were when new!Yup a sandwich of material shrinking and expanding at different rates can cause issues
Got to be an especially fussy woman who has an issue with that surely?
This!! :rolleyes:
Wifey has a thing about 'stuff' as she calls it. Shame, as one of the first things I look at when visiting friends and rellies is books and music collection. It tells you somehing about them and is a great conversation starter (aside from me being a nosey so-and-so of course!)
Anyway, for now the attic is just about the only option so I appreciate the advise about the silicon granules to keep the moisture under control. If I combine that with some plastic boxes with a good seal it should help I guess. Luckily my attic doesn't get damp - just blimin' hot or cold depending on the season.
Cheers guys :)
Sherwood
06-04-2019, 10:20
This!! :rolleyes:
Wifey has a thing about 'stuff' as she calls it. Shame, as one of the first things I look at when visiting friends and rellies is books and music collection. It tells you somehing about them and is a great conversation starter (aside from me being a nosey so-and-so of course!)
Anyway, for now the attic is just about the only option so I appreciate the advise about the silicon granules to keep the moisture under control. If I combine that with some plastic boxes with a good seal it should help I guess. Luckily my attic doesn't get damp - just blimin' hot or cold depending on the season.
Cheers guys :)
It's not a question of damp (usually associated with cold and winter) but air moisture content. The potential amount of water in the air increases with temperature and in the summer many attics can seem like saunas. Any cheap hydrometer will reveal just how humid an enclosed space can get in summer. I doubt many plastic crates will keep out this moisture, but a good sized silica gel bag will mitigate the adverse effects on CD inserts. I had my vinyl in storage for nearly 20 years in plastic crates with giant silica gel bags and it is still in pristine condition.
This!! :rolleyes:
Wifey has a thing about 'stuff' as she calls it. )
AKA The current fad for having houses with next to nothing in them? I suppose the plus side is you don't have 'knick-knacks' all over the place. I don't mind stuff if it serves a purpose - i.e books and records and electronic equipment. But vases, little figurines, and bits of china everywhere I can't be doing with.
Minstrel SE
18-04-2019, 18:37
I do envy the minimalist brigade in a certain way. A room with very few things in it does endear a pure simplicity.
I am pretty much at the peak of what I can store and its getting a bit cluttered. Im slowly beginning to see that storing music on a hard drive would free up shelving. Books computer games, figures and music all rapidly eat up shelf space.
5 pairs of speakers and four amplifiers doesnt help so I must start reducing it :)
I dont buy masses of stuff now but it mounts up over the years. I just dont have a big enough place for all my stuff. I need a redesign and to build shelves up to the ceiling in certain areas.
I occasionally see nice ornaments and I dont have a place to put them so I must get it sorted
I do envy the minimalist brigade in a certain way. A room with very few things in it does endear a pure simplicity.
I think it is a subconscious response to the complexity of modern life. No matter how bad it gets you can retreat to your simple, uncluttered house.
My life is very uncomplex so maybe that's why I don't feel the need?
CD storage issues - all you need are two things - a local charity shop and a skip on the drive - all storage/disposal bases covered - an informative leaflet will shortly be coming through your letterbox.
an informative leaflet will shortly be coming through your letterbox.
Print media's dead, dude.
Minstrel SE
21-04-2019, 08:06
CD storage issues - all you need are two things - a local charity shop and a skip on the drive - all storage/disposal bases covered - an informative leaflet will shortly be coming through your letterbox.
Yeah but I couldnt part with them. Ive got cds I havent played in 10 years...some Ive never played but I couldn't part with them. Theres good music on them...I love the little buggers but they are cluttering up my home. Im planning to play them one day :)
Thats the quandary Im facing. "Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can"
Buy a storage box for a couple of quid, stick 'em all in that, stick it under the bed, problem solved. John Lennon? Nothing a haircut and a shave couldn't have fixed.
Buy a storage box for a couple of quid, stick 'em all in that, stick it under the bed, problem solved. John Lennon? Nothing a haircut and a shave couldn't have fixed.
The space under the bed is already occupied with storage boxes full of 'stuff': mostly printed articles ripped out of hi-fi mags, reviews, technical articles as well as stuff printed off the web. I also have about four foot of National Geographic magazines which need to be dealt with.
As for 'knick knacks', well I do have a lot of them - mementos of my global travels as well as reminders of my late parents.
Pigmy Pony
22-04-2019, 16:38
Buy a storage box for a couple of quid, stick 'em all in that, stick it under the bed, problem solved. John Lennon? Nothing a haircut and a shave couldn't have fixed.
Not so sure about that, John needed his home-grown acoustic deadening to help him cope with Yoko's screechy voice. He was probably at his most beardy when she recorded the b side of "Cold Turkey".
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