Can LEGO be damaged by heat/cold extremes?

[Phoxtane]

Well, your car is like a giant solar oven if left out in the sun. A somewhat poorly-made solar oven made by me managed to top out at 130 degrees Faranheit (54.44 degrees Celsius). Your car may reach close to that on a hot sunny day - that's why you always leave the windows down if you have a pet in the car! I wouldn't find it surprising if Lego elements were deformed permanently by that much heat.

[legolijntje]

I just have to say this, sorry for a bit off-topic, but when I read this topic title, I thought you lost Lego in your car and your car had lost it's clutch power

[fenrir]

Temperatures can get pretty high in a car in the sun. I had a minifig in the car this summer. And the clutch power Is gone. I think the plastic expends in the hot sun.

The minifig is out of the car for a week. Still no clutch.

[SheepEater]

I left one of my large sets (dismantled and bagged inside its box) on a moderately warm sound system for 2 months. The sound system is an old but big CD/cassette player with large speakers. I turn it on whenever my computer is on then turn it off for the night. At the end of a 8 hour session the top is quite warm.

When I saw how warm the lego box was, I immediately used something thick to but between the box and the sound system. But do you think the bricks were warped?

I'm gonna have to rebuild the set just to find out, the worry is killing me.

Well, nm then, by searching I found that this topic answered my question nicely.

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=58493&hl=warping#entry1041910

Edited November 11, 2012 by SheepEater

[Fugazi]

Merging both threads with the main heat/cold discussion topic.

[splatman]

I left one of my large sets (dismantled and bagged inside its box) on a moderately warm sound system for 2 months. The sound system is an old but big CD/cassette player with large speakers. I turn it on whenever my computer is on then turn it off for the night. At the end of a 8 hour session the top is quite warm.

When I saw how warm the lego box was, I immediately used something thick to but between the box and the sound system. But do you think the bricks were warped?

The sound system should probably not have anything sitting on it. If you must use the space above it, raise the box a few inches with tuna cans, or similarly small items, on each corner. Then both your sound system, and and the box atop it, will not get as hot.

[splatman]

Replying to the first post of the thread:

I am getting to the point where I need to store some LEGO sets (opened/assembled, and unopened) in a storage shed. Although I live in a fairly temperate spot (SoCal), the temperature in the shed typically ranges from about low 50s to high 90s degree fahrenheit (10 degree Celsius to about 32 degree) from, say, April through October.

What kind of effect can this have on the LEGO bricks and other components? I'd imagine some parts are more susceptible to heat damage than others (for example, the elastic bands and sticker adhesives). I'd appreciate any comments and experiences. Thank you.

May be way late, but better late than never, right? Riiight.

A shed is usually not the best of places to store most any household items, due to its roller coaster temperature and humidity.

These suggestions my seem pricey, but here goes:

Insulate the shed. That will mellow out the extremes. If you can also afford to panel or drywall the walls and ceiling, that would be even better. Before insulating, ask yourself if you wish to add any electric or plumbing. Easiest to do that before insulating. Add at least one power receptacle, so you can plug in a space heater or other climate-control device. If you cannot run a power line from your house or meter box, attach a power cord to the shed, then run an extension cord when power is needed, plugging in the shed like an appliance. Another way to keep it cool during the summer, is to paint it white or a very light color. Does it need/will it soon need a new roof? Roof it with white/light-colored roofing material.

Keeping sets inside plastic containers will help, though, there's the risk of condensation inside the containers when temps drop. Adding a few silica gel packets or other means of moisture control will solve that. If you want to make sure your containers are airtight, use caulk. Lay a bead of caulk on the rim of the container before putting the lid on, then press the lid on tight. Stacking another container on top will help here. You can get caulk that can be easily removed. Seal And Peel by Dap is just such a product.

Or you could take out all MISB sets, boxes, paper items, cloth items, stickers, stickered pieces, and electric parts, and keep those in your house.

Give it a Splat!

[LEGO Historian]

LEGO can WARP!!!!!!

If it's made of Cellulose Acetate (Cellidor)... the LEGO plastic of 1949-early 1960s......

Before TLG switched to ABS plastic in 1963, they warned in their catalog that LEGO could withstand a temperature of 65 degrees Celsius. But as it turns out.... long periods of attic heat and humidity have affected old LEGO plastic so that most parts of that era have warped. Only sets/parts that have been kept in climate controlled conditions have kept their shape. Those 2 2x14 bricks in the image date to 1955-56.

There is an entire chapter in my 2,800 page Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide (1949-90s) as DVD/download that discusses LEGO plastics, and their affect by heat, humidity, smoke and light.

Edited July 22, 2013 by LEGO Historian

[SheepEater]

I'm travelling with a MISB box (set 3315, Olivia's House, christmas present) which will be inside the luggage compartment of a large coach. I called the coach company and they said today the temperature might go around -5 degrees Celsius; the ride will take 7 hours. Do you think this will damage the sticker sheet coming with this set? Should I unseal it and take the sticker sheet inside then reseal it after I've arrived? I don't think a 8 year old girl would notice that the adhesive tape is not the original Lego one. But I don't wanna unseal it unless absolutely necessary.

Please reply quickly, I leave in 2 hours. Thanks

[LEGO Historian]

I believe heat will affect stickers.... cold will not.

And in this day and age of ABS plastic... generally temps near freezing to those around 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) will not affect your plastic. Over long periods of time it could however affect clutch power, although one would need to be a Bayer Chemical Engineer to really know for sure.

However as was mentioned with minifigs... they're not always 100% ABS plastic... often parts are a composite material... so the results of prolonged heat/cold are unknown.

One last thing.... LEGO that has gotten the "smoky" smell for a sealed smokers household. The "A" in ABS plastic... Acrilonytrile... is what absorbs the smell of smoke. There is a way to remove the smell completely... but it is not a very practical method... keeping the LEGO in a vacuum chamber for 24 hours will remove the smoke smell completely. Of course you would need a laboratory vacuum chamber to do so....

My LEGO DVD/download has a chapter (one of 73) that deals with many of these issues (but not sticker sheets)... still available on Eurobricks Bazaar with a holiday bonus...

[baron]

Hi Everyone,

I was just up in the attic recently to grab a few old sets out of storage and noticed that there was some frost up there. I don't have room to store all my sets in the heated part of the house and wondered if the cold has any effect on the ABS? Some of these sets are more than 20 years old and I guess the plastic starts to get a little more brittle, but I don't know if I should leave them up there or find a new place to store them?

Would appreciate any input!

[kermit]

I wont leave them up there especially if the bricks are that old. Extreme cold can weaken the strength of the plastic. Maybe its sign telling you that they want to be built. On side note what kinds of sets are they.

[LEGO Guy Bri]

I was just up in the attic recently to grab a few old sets out of storage and noticed that there was some frost up there. I don't have room to store all my sets in the heated part of the house and wondered if the cold has any effect on the ABS?

Hi baron,

Here is a little quick info in regards to general purpose ABS. I'm almost completely sure LEGO elements fall here:

ABS Quick Facts:

• Excellent resistance (no attack) to Glycerine, Inorganic Salts, Alkalis, Many Acids, Most Alcohols and Hydrocarbons
  
• Limited resistance (moderate attack and suitable for short term use only) to Weak Acids
  
• Poor resistance (not recommended for use with) Strong Acids and Solvents, Ketones, Aldehydes, Esters, and some Chlorinated Hydrocarbons
  

• Maximum Temperature: 176°F 80°C
  
• Minimum Temperature: -4°F -20°C
  
• Autoclavable: No
  
• Melting Point: 221°F 105°C
  
• Tensile Strength: 4,300 psi
  

• Hardness: R110
  
• UV Resistance: Poor
  
• Translucent
  
• Rigid
  
• Specific Gravity: 1.04
  

So, I think your attic is so-so (don't want to say ok, and be wrong), if you see frost. I would personally put them somewhere a little warmer. You can always get creative, sticking bags of individual MOCs or sets under or on top of furniture, while keeping them out of site. At least until it warms a bit. My entire collection has experienced and average of 45º-100ºF every year for 14 years solid; no natural light. Never any problems with clutch or stickers peeling on the sets I've owned from childhood

For those looking for info about storage in hotter places, TLG recommends this:

Can't get much more clarification than by the manufacturer

Edited March 12, 2013 by LEGO Guy Bri

[Purpearljellyblob]

º-100º every year for 14 years solid; no natural light. Never any problems with clutch or stickers peeling on

For those looking for info about storage in hotter places, TLG recommends this:

Can't get much more clarification than by the manufacturer

Thank you for sharing. I guess it is best to keep away from direct sunlight to prevent possible de-coloration.

[legotrainfan]

I put most of my LEGO sets back into their boxes and then into big cardboard boxes. They were stored in my parents' basement. Just today I wanted to check one of those boxes and couldn't find most of them. My parents had put them into the shed. I wasn't too happy when I heard that because there have recently been some hot days (37 degrees centigrade), and in the shed it might have been warmer than that. Apart from that, we sometimes get cold air from Russia in winter. It doesn't happen every winter, but it can happen. Then the temperature drops to minus 20 degrees at night. To put it anther way, I am not so fond of my LEGO being stored in a shed.

So how robust is LEGO actually? I am quite concerned about my LEGO being in a shed when it can be so cold and hot. And the shed isn't insulated well. Furthermore, in those cardboard boxes there are also train things like a speed regulator and railway tracks. I am not sure how electronic parts might be affected by hot and cold weather.

[Spitfire2865]

No real way to know for sure Im afraid. As the other topic on bricks cracking, it all has to do with climate, yet some people find nothing wrong with yearly climate change, even extreme ones. Though for your 9V equipment, Im sure the electronic parts are all fine. Though I have been wrong before...

[Fugazi]

This having been discussed before, I'm merging this with the relevant thread.

[meyerc13]

The biggest issue I've seen with sets stored in extreme conditions is accelerated failure of the stickers (hard to describe, the closest phrase that comes to mind is that they've 'crackled.')

I've had bricks crack stored indoors at a steady 70 degrees Fahrenheit year round, yet others that spent a couple of years in extreme weather (from below 0 degrees Fahrenheit to over 100 degrees) do just fine. So I think the bricks are fairly resistant to temperature extremes, unless they had an underlying defect. If so, they probably would have failed regardless, the failure might just happen more quickly in the extreme temperatures.

[eldiano]

The biggest issue I've seen with sets stored in extreme conditions is accelerated failure of the stickers (hard to describe, the closest phrase that comes to mind is that they've 'crackled.')

I've had bricks crack stored indoors at a steady 70 degrees Fahrenheit year round, yet others that spent a couple of years in extreme weather (from below 0 degrees Fahrenheit to over 100 degrees) do just fine. So I think the bricks are fairly resistant to temperature extremes, unless they had an underlying defect. If so, they probably would have failed regardless, the failure might just happen more quickly in the extreme temperatures.

GIven this fact I started buying extra decal sheets for my sets since Lego can't help you. Plus they are cheaper now than before!

[pbat]

Well, to give an upper bound: LEGO stored at the attic does not like any sort of attic fire that much, even if that fire burns at temperatures as low as 800℃: Even then it might get slightly out of shape...

Although you get some rather unique "bricks" (or rather "baseplates") that way, a whole box of melted plastic is a fairly sad sight. Even if it's not your very own LEGO, it will sure make you depressed for a while having to watch this scenery. So don't try this at home!

According to page 9 of this book (and this german website too), the plastic grains melt at exactly 232℃ when they are put into the injection molding machine, so LEGO should not get any warmer than 232˚C anyway. And colder than -232℃ is presumably not good either: If you have some liquid nitrogen at hand, you may try it for yourself (please don't) and see what I mean...

[Aanchir]

Well, to give an upper bound: LEGO stored at the attic does not like any sort of attic fire that much, even if that fire burns at temperatures as low as 800℃: Even then it might get slightly out of shape...

Although you get some rather unique "bricks" (or rather "baseplates") that way, a whole box of melted plastic is a fairly sad sight. Even if it's not your very own LEGO, it will sure make you depressed for a while having to watch this scenery. So don't try this at home!

According to page 9 of this book (and this german website too), the plastic grains melt at exactly 232℃ when they are put into the injection molding machine, so LEGO should not get any warmer than 232˚C anyway. And colder than -232℃ is presumably not good either: If you have some liquid nitrogen at hand, you may try it for yourself (please don't) and see what I mean...

Even temperatures below the melting point of ABS can be bad for bricks, because the bricks will soften. If parts are connected (and thus, under small amounts of stress) this is guaranteed to weaken clutch power, but in any case it's a risky situation to leave bricks in very hot conditions for lengthy periods of time.

[nayrsllim]

i dont take any chances. these things mean to much to me. i pay 100$ for a 5x10 storage unit climate controlled at 70 degrees. my gf ban me from placing them around my room. shes a hater.

Edited July 2, 2013 by nayrsllim

[LEGO Historian]

For any of you who have old LEGO (1950s and 1960s)... it's likely that most of it is made of Cellulose Acetate, an unstable plastic that has a tendency to warp.

Well I just found an interesting website that talks about problems with certain plastics... and one (of several) problems with old LEGO is humidity...

http://www.plastiquarian.com/index.php?id=7&subid=127\

Gary Istok

[Tariq j]

Hi, as many of you may be aware England is having a heatwave, anyway I keep a few sets on the window ledge, so my question is with temperatures up to 30 degrees celcius is it wise to disply sets there?

[Rockbrick]

if it says washing at 30-40 degrees is fine then the heatwave temperatures should be ok

only problem may be if the sets are in direct sunlight for a long time (fading) and the lenticular effect of some panes of glass in older houses may cause hotspots.

(i once left a mirror on window sill and it burned a mark on the paintwork of the blinds...!)