Vinyl Records - Shipping, max/min temperatures


Greetings.

I will be shipping my entire vinyl record collection soon, and am researching shipping methods.  It's too much for me to load them in my car or even my pickup truck.  The move will be cross country, about 2500 miles.

We all know that if vinyl is exposed to temperatures too high, they will likely warp.  I am thinking that this being January, excessively high temperatures are not likely to be encountered during shipping.   But what about low temperatures?  What would be the safest minimum temperature the vinyl could be exposed to without damage?

btanchors

Iam worried my $400 vynil order will be delayed with this extreme temps , Fortunately they showed last Saturday.

Why not call Music Direct and ask them?  They ship records all over the world to many different climates.  They would know best.   Most people here will have their own opinion that may or may not be true. 

I would imagine that records shipped across the US at this time of year are unlikely to be exposed to temperatures below 40 degrees F for an extended period of time. Certainly they are unlikely to  reach a freezing point, whatever that is for vinyl. If gently brought back to room temperature, I cannot imagine they would be harmed.

I don't think you have anything to worry about.  If you're paranoid about condensation forming when you open the boxes at the destination, just line the shipping boxes with plastic bags, fill with LPs, and then tie the bag to seal the records.  When at the new destination, let the records acclimate to the new temp before opening the bags.  Condensation has no chance of forming.

But again, I wouldn't worry about it.  Unless the records are very cold and you open the boxes in a rain forest, no meaningful amount of condensation will form.  I assume you'll be opening the boxes in a climate controlled environment with reasonable relative humidity.  I open boxes of stuff that was shipped to me all the time in the winter (including records) and condensation never forms on anything.

Thermostatic Controlled Reptile Heat Mats are quite cheap in the US, these are commonly 12V and will comfortably keep a space heated to a Temp Range of 10 Celcius to 25 Celcius.

It would not be too difficult to arrange for these to be used in a vehicle.

What?  Do we have AI posting in the forums?