CD's and Summer Heat?

[lrossmusic]

Yesterday when I retrieved some CD's from the back of my van it was 98 degrees outside so it must have been at least 10 degrees hotter in the van. Does anyone know how much heat a CD can stand before it is damaged? Do they warp like vinyl in extreme heat? Thanks, Lincoln

[Anderton]

As I understand it, heat and humidity affect the overall lifetime of the CD media. I don't think it's a "digital" situation where it heats up and poof, it's gone. My wife keeps her CDs in her car all the time; I take mine out when I'm not in the car. She can still play hers just fine. CDs are relatively indestructible but still, it pays to take care of them. I'm curious if any experts on this can give more definitive answers.

[pumpcat]

I would imagine that CD-R's would be more susceptible to environmental degradation (heat, moisture, etc.) than manufactured CD's. That's just a guess, though. Does anyone have any real info on this? ------------------ -Matt M

[Phil A]

[quote]Originally posted by lrossmusic@hotmail.com: [b]Yesterday when I retrieved some CD's from the back of my van it was 98 degrees outside so it must have been at least 10 degrees hotter in the van. Does anyone know how much heat a CD can stand before it is damaged? Do they warp like vinyl in extreme heat? Thanks, Lincoln[/b][/quote] Manufactured CDs, due to there size and construction, can be considered 'warp-resistant.' They won't warp easily (like LPs or laserdiscs), but given enough punishment, the are capable of being damaged in a number of ways. Leaving anything in 100+ degree heat is not a good idea. CD-Rs (recordable CDs), with the data stored on a layer of organic dye, are both photo sensitive (sensitivity to light) and temperature sensitive. Extra care should be taken to preserve the integrity of a CD-R. Common sense goes a long way to protect these precious discs, be they CDs or CD-Rs!