 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ben
Date: 2006-05-31 08:42
I'm planning a trip from California to Colorado soon, but my car's air conditioning isn't working (it blows, but not cold). Aside from making it a bit uncomfortable for me on my 1990 Volvo's leather seats, I was wondering if prolonged exposure to the heat could hurt my clarinets (or bass clarinet)? I know the desert could easily reach 100 degrees during much of the day, so at what point should I be concerned? I'm not anxoius to go out and blow a few hundred on A/C, particulary when I would never need it in CA, but, I don't want to hurt my instruments (or have them go out of adjustment) either.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-05-31 09:40
As long as you keep your car well ventilated during the journey you won't have any trouble.
I have a 1996 Volvo 940 (estate) and this hasn't got A/C as it's only the entry levelmodel (though it has got a 2.3l turbo up front!) but the summers here aren't exactly consistant - but when it is hot I turn up the fan or open the windows when going slow or stuck in traffic.
Keep your clarinet in the passenger compartment but in the footwell.
The damage happens when clarinets (and any instrument) are left in a parked car that's in the blazing sun. The inside of a car can reach temperatures not unlike an oven - so it's not only harmful to dogs, it's harmful to lots of other precious artifacts - like musical instruments and record collections!
I had to repad an oboe that was left in a parked car in the summer - you should have seen the mess it was in! Fortunately the wood wasn't too badly damaged, but all the cork pads had distorted and lost their seal, key corks fell off, even the reed socket and socket rings had loosened.
I never leave my clarinets or oboe and cor anglais in my car while it's parked (night or day) - unfortunately the same can't be said about my bari sax as it's a bit on the large side to lug around with me, and fortunately it didn't suffer at all when it got a bit cooked while left in the back of my car one afternoon between a rehearsal and a gig.
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Author: Tony Beck
Date: 2006-05-31 12:51
Depending on the route you take, it could be well over 115 degrees (F) in summer. Parts of Utah can be blazing hot, and most of Nevada is at this time of year. Can you ship your instruments? If not, park in the shade and bring your instruments inside when you stop for lunch and such. I lived in Arizona, and it was not uncommon there for the inside of a car to quickly reach 140 degrees if it was parked in the sun. If your AC just needs a recharge, it would be worth the price for this trip. If it needs a compressor, that's another story.
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2006-05-31 13:53
Just a thought.....u can get a 12Volt cooler that plugs into outlet.
Some volvos do not have cig lighter but have capped outlet to power cell phones or other accessories.
12V coolers are cheap (relatively) and perhaps they can be set to moderate temps.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2006-05-31 15:16
I'd feel around on the floor before setting my cases down there. No telling where the manufacture has stowed the catalytic converter.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-05-31 15:48
The front passenger footwell is the best bet - have you seen the nuclear film 'The Day After'? Jason Robards survived a nuclear attack by ducking and covering behind the dashboard of his Volvo (while all the other road users perished), so with that in mind, the front passenger footwell in a Volvo is the safest place on earth!
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2006-05-31 15:58
Hmmmmm.....silver coated reflective gig bags.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2006-05-31 16:33
Altieri (I have no connection with them) makes a padded, insulated muffler that I use to keep clarinets warm between parts which is highly insulated with a layer of mylar reflective insulation too. Everyone wants a small case but the bigger cases - e.g. Protec style have lots of foam - offer better insulating qualitites. Insulation works both ways - heat-in-cold out, cold-in-heat out. You could buy a huge insulated cooler (someone already said this) if no one is in the back seat and put instruments and a single ice pack in there - well separated from instruments. See, silvered gig bags and ice chests were good ideas afterall! Heat does not seem as bad as cold to harm wood but excessive heat will possibly do damage. Dry heat is worse overall than humid heat however.
L. Omar Henderson
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Author: bufclar
Date: 2006-05-31 16:57
I would deffinetly drive up to San Francisco and then east going through Reno, then Salt lake, then Wyoming, then down to Colorado as opposed to driving the Las Vegas route. It might make the trip a bit longer but you will spend less time in the heat. I have driven from colorado to Claifornia and I didn't have a problem. Did it in a Uhaul truck with no AC in July. As long as you have air flow and the horns are not directly in the sun then you will be perfectly fine. Deffinetly have humidifiers in your cases like the planet waves which works very well. Colorado is elevated and very very dry. Plan on drinking a lot of water while you are there.
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Author: Avie
Date: 2006-05-31 20:33
I think that Susierays idea of an ice chest would work if the clarinets were carefully wrapped and I would check the temperature every so often adding ice and positioning the clarinets to regulate the temperature. You can even add a thermometer.
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Author: corks&pads
Date: 2006-06-01 13:55
I like Susie Ray's idea, too. Instead of ice (that melts into a water problem), get some scotch ice packs from the sporting goods section of Wally World, or some such place.
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Author: glin
Date: 2006-06-01 16:54
Sort of off topic here, but..
I can't understand people leaving their horns inside their car. I know band colleagues (community band) that leave their clarinet inside the car during the workday and then drive off to rehearsal later that night. On a bad winter or summer day, that's just asking for trouble. I take mine with me wherever I go (it is small enough to fit a backpack), even if I stop off at a grocery store.
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Author: Tom Puwalski
Date: 2006-06-01 17:59
When I travel to and from gigs, year round in the Balto washingto area. I put my clarinets in one of those food thermal bags, $5 in a food store. I prefur to have my horns stay close to the same tempature during transport. There is a major problem with black cases and expensive black case covers the temperature inside a protected black case in the sun can reach 100 degrees +.
I learned about temperature control of equipment at a Yosemite work shop with Ansel Adams. We all had really expensive, well made black cases for our 4x5 cameras, Ansel had a homemade white diaper bag looking thing that he had made for his camera. The importance of making sure film emusion doesn't get hot is great. Ansel took his "white" case, one of the comercial camera bags put a thermomator in it left them both in the sun did his lecture, in 1o min his bag's inside was at the ambient temp of 87 degrees and the black case was 115!! More than enough to cause slight change in black and white film, way more than enough to cause a major shift in color film. I now have a white camera Bag! I also have canvase bags for my cases if I know I'm going to have them sitting in the sun or the car for a while. High temperatures can cause pads to shift and make that next gig an adventure.
Believe it or not if you're driving and you DO have a great air conditioner, if direct sun is hitting your black case the temp will get hot, you can open the case and see that "wood sweat" starting. I know of an accordion player who left his Squeeze box in a car, during lunch one time when he tried to play the thing the next time, his accordion was un playable. Accordion's use wax to attach the free reeds in them. The repair was almost 500 bucks and that was back when there were a few of the old Italian guys left who knew how to fix them.
I found the same thing once with my alto sax, I left it in the car, Hell it's a sax! It was hot to the touch when I when to play it, and it didn't feel like it was sealing. I when and got some sax clips to put on the keys that are open. I put the clips on put it back in the hot car for a few min. Took it out let it cool down with the key clips on and the sax played just the way it was supposed to.
None of the clarinet makers have adressed this. I think the fact that a clarinet is black and that it absorbs light makes it difficult on stage when the stage lights are kicked in. But maybe I'm just imagining that!
Tom Puwalski, former soloist with the US Army Field Band, Clarinetist with Lox&Vodka, and Author of "The Clarinetist's Guide to Klezmer"and most recently by the order of the wizard of Oz, for supreme intelligence, a Masters in Clarinet performance
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Author: mtague
Date: 2006-06-02 18:40
How can you not need AC in CA?
If you're driving from LA to SF then on to Reno to Colorado and plan on using the I-5 for the LA to SF part, be aware that it does get pretty hot during the day. I've done that drive without my AC on with windows down and just the heat from the sun hurts. I do think that under my car seats and the front passenger floor were mostly cool if the sun wasn't shining directly on those parts. If you leave early morning or at night, the drive is nice and cool till the sun starts to burn.
I think the icebox idea should work too, especially if it's cold when you start. Even without ice, it should stay cooler inside if you keep the sun off it (towel or one of those foldable car window reflectors over it). The ice packs seem like a good idea too, just in case.
But you might consider renting a car. I rented a nice Prius Hybrid with AC last time I drove to LA. Blasted AC the whole way.
Post Edited (2006-06-02 18:41)
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Author: Ben
Date: 2006-06-03 07:42
Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'll probably not go the N. CA rought, as it would add a lot of time to the trip. I'm thinking about doing a good bit of the driving at night (to stay cooler), as long as I can stay awake and not drive unsafely.
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