Tube Amps left outdoors 24/7

Robert McLean · 18th January 2009, 07:57 PM

I was browsing on another tube forum, there was a thread discussing ss chip amps and that they are not so bad after all etc.
And I thought of the chip amp I made a few years ago, and water proofed, and still keep outside 24 hours a day 7 days a week during summer months for listening to while on the deck and am very pleased with. And I thought well that is something you just cant do with tubes, and these little solid state things have their place in life after all.

But then I thought why not tube amps outdoors 24/7 ? Certainly tube amps are used at outdoor events, although brought back inside at the end of the concert. And surely there is some mil spec grade stuff out there totally weather proofed.

Does any one have any experience with building or using tube amps sufficiently weather resistant to be left out side full time ?

aardvarkash10 · 18th January 2009, 08:23 PM

...this appears to be a solution looking for a problem...

CharleyW · 18th January 2009, 08:46 PM

Think ventiltaion requirements, then factor in weatherproofing ...

Those two terms seem mutually exclusive to me.

Cycline3 · 19th January 2009, 01:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CharleyW
Think ventiltaion requirements, then factor in weatherproofing ...

Those two terms seem mutually exclusive to me.

If they used tubes in aircraft, including jet fighters, i do not see why a little ingenuity couldn't build a stereo amp that would work on your deck 24-7. All you have to do is try...

w5jag · 19th January 2009, 04:58 AM

I have my AES 11BM8 push pull amp permanently mounted under the eaves over our deck, driving a pair of Yamaha outdoor speakers.

It's been out there over a year and still works fine. I drive it with either a SAT radio, or an AM/FM radio. I'll try to get a pic tomorrow if I think of it.

Win W5JAG

chrish · 19th January 2009, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cycline3

If they used tubes in aircraft, including jet fighters, i do not see why a little ingenuity couldn't build a stereo amp that would work on your deck 24-7. All you have to do is try...

Maybe you should get yourself one of these to put it in:

outdoor tube amp enclosure .

Great for those Soviet tubes

w5jag · 19th January 2009, 03:34 PM

Sorry for the poor quality pic - my PDA phone sucks as a camera.

These things are not very fragile. I just screwed it right to the siding on the house. It's convenient to have an amp out there whenever I need it.

Win W5JAG

w5jag · 19th January 2009, 03:56 PM

BTW, I also keep a TV set out on the deck - I just put a big heavy trash sack over the set and stand to keep the rain out when it is not in use.

For a long time, it was a vacuum tube set, but I moved that one into my ham shack. Enjoy your deck and tubes - what good are they otherwise?

Win W5JAG

Bandersnatch · 19th January 2009, 05:11 PM

hey-Hey!!!,
Let's see...you'd want to avoid contact corrosion, and other damages from water incursion. My Can-Am dirt bike had directions in its manual to pack up the connectors with grease. Then there's heat, but not so much of an issue if we can deal with water exposure. Pack the whole amp in a bucket of oil( keep the water out ), and you've got thermal and weather exposure done in the same stroke...heh-heh-heh...

cheers,
Douglas

richwalters · 19th January 2009, 05:18 PM

Without a duck oil covering, let alone the salt, transformer iron simply rusts/rots to blazes.

18th January 2009, 07:57 PM	#1
Robert McLean diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Stittsville, Ontario, Canada	Tube Amps left outdoors 24/7 I was browsing on another tube forum, there was a thread discussing ss chip amps and that they are not so bad after all etc. And I thought of the chip amp I made a few years ago, and water proofed, and still keep outside 24 hours a day 7 days a week during summer months for listening to while on the deck and am very pleased with. And I thought well that is something you just cant do with tubes, and these little solid state things have their place in life after all. But then I thought why not tube amps outdoors 24/7 ? Certainly tube amps are used at outdoor events, although brought back inside at the end of the concert. And surely there is some mil spec grade stuff out there totally weather proofed. Does any one have any experience with building or using tube amps sufficiently weather resistant to be left out side full time ? __________________ Robert McLean

18th January 2009, 08:23 PM	#2
aardvarkash10 diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Auckland, NZ	but why? ...this appears to be a solution looking for a problem... __________________ Yes, conservatism thrives on low intelligence and poor information. But the liberals in politics... continue to back off, yielding to the supremacy of the stupid. It's turkeys all the way down. - George Monbiot, guardian.co.uk, 6 Feb 2012

18th January 2009, 08:46 PM	#3
CharleyW diyAudio Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Arlington, TX	Think ventiltaion requirements, then factor in weatherproofing ... Those two terms seem mutually exclusive to me. __________________ Hey is for horses.

19th January 2009, 05:11 PM	#9
Bandersnatch diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Ann Arbor, MI	hey-Hey!!!, Let's see...you'd want to avoid contact corrosion, and other damages from water incursion. My Can-Am dirt bike had directions in its manual to pack up the connectors with grease. Then there's heat, but not so much of an issue if we can deal with water exposure. Pack the whole amp in a bucket of oil( keep the water out ), and you've got thermal and weather exposure done in the same stroke...heh-heh-heh... cheers, Douglas __________________ the Tnuctipun will return

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19th January 2009, 04:58 AM	#5
w5jag diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Arkansas	I have my AES 11BM8 push pull amp permanently mounted under the eaves over our deck, driving a pair of Yamaha outdoor speakers. It's been out there over a year and still works fine. I drive it with either a SAT radio, or an AM/FM radio. I'll try to get a pic tomorrow if I think of it. Win W5JAG

19th January 2009, 03:56 PM	#8
w5jag diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Arkansas	BTW, I also keep a TV set out on the deck - I just put a big heavy trash sack over the set and stand to keep the rain out when it is not in use. For a long time, it was a vacuum tube set, but I moved that one into my ham shack. Enjoy your deck and tubes - what good are they otherwise? Win W5JAG

19th January 2009, 05:18 PM	#10
richwalters diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Alps:Tube amp designs over 150W, SMPS guru.	Without a duck oil covering, let alone the salt, transformer iron simply rusts/rots to blazes.

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