Storing audio CDs - max temperature?

[Andrew Gabriel]

Is it safe to store audio CDs in a loft which regularly hits 45C in the summer, or is that going to cause them to deteriorate? These are standard mass produced ones, not home written in a CD writer.

[Don Pearce]

I've seen 50C quoted for long term storage, but I'm not sure I would want to do that.

d

[NT]

Its a while since I read up on this, but IIRC those sort of temps drastically reduce the life of all CD types... IIRC.

Presumably there's some reason to keep them other than their data, which is better stored on a HDD with backups.

NT

[Jim Lesurf]

Define "safe". :-)

I would not risk it if I wanted to keep the discs readable for many years. But I can't tell you what the failure rate would be.

I suspect that the main problem would be with temperature *cycling*. i.e. it getting cold and hot and cold in daily cycles. But for all I know discs stored as you ask might be fine for decades... or not.

Note, though that some modern 'commercial' discs are not made in the 'traditional' way. Some are made by burning/writing in a similar manner to those written with a home computer. Although IIUC the actual information layer is different. They look the same as conventional commercial discs. Again I have no idea how well they would survive. I wonder if the industry does, either! :-)

Slainte,

Jim

[Tinkerer]

Andrew did say mass produced audio CDs.

[NT]

yeeees

[Brian Gaff]

I'd not chance it myself personally, as we have to remember these are made from dissimilar materials with presumably different expansion rates and the coating could easily oxidise badly if the air got to it due to crazing in the lacquer.

Brian

[Brian Gaff]

Perhaps he wants the booklets. Trouble is they tend to get eaten by wasps building their nests if left unprotected as do inner sleaves of vinyl albums I found to my cost.

Brian

[The Natural Philosopher]

CDs will warp first.

At what temp, I dont know.

[Dr Hfuhruhurr]

Do CDs in Australia or India or Death Valley have a shortened lifespan? I would say provided there is not drastic change in temp wou'll be OK. I'm sure some of my CDs hit that sort of temp when they've been played in a least one of my cd players and two laptops get them that hot.

[Arny Krueger]

IME the most temperature-sensitive portion of a CD is the lacquer top layer with the graphics and nomenclature on it. I've seen a goodly number of CDs that were damaged by direct sunlight and/or heat, and the lacquer coating is what seems to get damaged first and damaged the worst. Damage to the lacquer layer can cause damage to the aluminum layer, which is of course quite critical.

Interestingly enough, much of the lore and technology of storing lacquer relates to LPs, which are usually cut on lacquer-coated discs of aluminum at one point in the production process. Often these intermediates in the standard production process are the only extant form of legacy recordings.

Another critical application of lacquer coatings is furniture and art works. The lore and technology of storing fine furniture and art applies.

Interested parties should of course do their own research. My take on what I've read is that temperatures of 45C should not be a problem, but that control of the rate of change of temperature, and humidity should be carefully controlled.

[Perry (News)]

On Thu, 27 May 2010 16:41:16 +0000 (UTC), [e-mail] (Andrew Gabriel) waxed lyrical about:

As I understand it, CDs at 45C shouldn't be a problem - the issue comes with rapid changes in temperature which, I would think, are likely in a loft during the summer.

If you can store them in a crate lined with some form of insulation (old Celotex offcuts, perhaps?) you should be able to slow the rate of change by a considerable amount

Perry