Leaving binoculars in a hot car...can some take it? (1 Viewer)

Rathaus · Jun 2, 2015

Among my binos, I always like to have a pair permanently in my car (shaded) but I've only ever had cheaper or old reconditioned ones in there. They all seem to deteriorate.

While its no Stevenson Screen, my shaded thermometer got up to 80 deg Celcius inside the car that I noticed this past summer...probably much higher at times. It's probably 35C+ outside so not too bad....but the uv index would be extreme.

I've changed my storage space to an esky type insulated box in the centre console. I haven't measured the temps in there.

What are the options for keeping half decent binos in the car permanently? I see that some have temperature ratings, but six months of daily 70+deg C isn't going to be nice to even Steiner or Swarovski military type surely?

Any ideas or options here?
What max temps would you be comfortable with your binos sitting baking in a car each day?

Cheers

perterra · Jun 2, 2015

I have had a pair of Nikon Sprints in my truck since 99 or so and never had an issue. Depending on the truck they were either in the passenger seat back pouch or just on the back seat. Outside temps from 0º f to 114º f. All of the guys I have worked with over the years carry a cheap pair in their vehicles (they can be useful), other than getting knocked out of collimation from getting banged around I've never heard of a problem.

Rathaus · Jun 2, 2015

Just a reminder I'm talking about 180-200deg F or more....

What does this do to special optical coatings? Etc

perterra · Jun 2, 2015

Rathaus said:
Just a reminder I'm talking about 180-200deg F or more....

What does this do to special optical coatings? Etc

I suspect the inside temps of my trucks have been in the 150º f range many many times.

I dont know the temps in the region you inhabit, but it would require some extremely high temps to get to 200F. You probably have hotter days than we do, but my part of Texas gets a fair share of hot. We probably see an average 15 or 20 days over 100f days in a summer if I was guessing, though we have seen as many as 71 and have also made it thru the summer with none.

http://www.tempsensornews.com/biomed/vehicle-temperature-table/

Dont have a clue what it does to either coatings or the integrity of the seals (of which there are none on the sprint) just saying in the last 15 years there has been no effect on mine.

OPTIC_NUT · Jun 2, 2015

Wow...80C is a ferocious temperature.
Most consumer products cannot take that. No troubles with coatings,
but jacket polymers and especially the grease will be affected.
Is there some way to crack a few windows a little?
The car's interior will suffer as well.

Keeping things near the floor and putting a large water bottle in
the insulated container may help buffer the heat.

BruceH · Jun 2, 2015

Here is a link to another thread on this subject ......

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=298099&highlight=temp

(Zeiss is now showing lower functional temps for some models since my post in the above thread.)

It can easily get up to 160+ F (71+ C) in the cabin of a car in my region during the summer. If I leave a binocular in the vehicle during the summer, I put it in the truck. It is cooler because it does not get the green house effect of the window glass in the passenger area.

One way to find out how hot it got in the interior if you do not have a memory thermometer is to leave a full water bottle inside while the vehicle is parked in the sun. Take it out around 4 PM then put the probe of a cooking thermometer in the water to measure the temp.

MPeoples · Jun 2, 2015

I only problem I had in high temps was the grease or the lube leaking from the hinges of the binocular and the other was the glue on the rubber coating failing on one corner.

Mike

John Dracon · Jun 2, 2015

You might consider moving to a cooler climate. Seriously, I believe that UV rays are the cause of deterioration rather than heat itself. And then the deterioration is to the coverings. I am suspicious of anything polymer inside or outside of a binocular subject to temperature extremes. Binoculars with glass innards surrounded by an alloy metal housing should remain functional sitting in a vehicle

I have a pair of older Celestron IF black rubber covered binoculars which sit in a roof top compartment in the cab (for the last 10 years) The cab's paint is dark blue and it gets very hot inside my pickup during the summer.

My bias is simply this: the fewer parts inside a binocular translates into fewer problems, and the less the focusing mechanism needs to move, the less problems will emerge. Hence for utter reliability, I spring for IF binoculars, even though many bird watchers often think IF binos are prehistoric relics unworthy for consideration.

dalat · Jun 2, 2015

I guess the first problem in heat like that is parts of the grease inside the bins starting to evaporate and settle on the lenses.
Luckily there is an easy solution: don't leave your valuables in the car

brocknroller · Jun 2, 2015

Some Like It Hot

Still thinking about the excellent two-part Marilyn Monroe biopic that aired last week, starring Kellie Garner, who also starred in the too short lived retro series, Pan Am. I've seen quite a few "Marilyns" over the years, but Garner nailed it to a tee, and her body type matched MM's (hard to find today).

Marilyn might have liked it hot, but a gray body EII does not. Leave it in your glove box on a hot day and when you take it out the next day, you could find the thin rubber armoring (more of a covering than "armoring") could be bubbled and might peel off. The armoring on the newer black body versions is much more robust. You'd have to pay $2200 more to get a comparable FOV and view. So worth handling with care.

If you insist on keeping a Porro in the glove box, a mil spec one such as the Fuji FMT series will survive high temps and getting run over by a truck.

I wonder how some of these polycarbonate bins such as the FL and M7 would hold up under high temps?

<B>

Rathaus · Jun 3, 2015

The binoculars are not generally exposed to direct uv whilst in the car....just the terrible temperature.

I have a late model military DF armoured Habicht 8x30 and was wondering if they'd be up to the task? Would these be rated Similar to the small fujinons regarding heat and durability?

brocknroller · Jun 3, 2015

Rathaus said:
The binoculars are not generally exposed to direct uv whilst in the car....just the terrible temperature.

I have a late model military DF armoured Habicht 8x30 and was wondering if they'd be up to the task? Would these be rated Similar to the small fujinons regarding heat and durability?

There's only one way to find out! :eek!:

Bauhaus

OPTIC_NUT · Jun 3, 2015

brocknroller said:
I wonder how some of these polycarbonate bins such as the FL and M7 would hold up under high temps?

<B>

I did work with ordinary polycarbonate once.
Even 150F can turn it into a mess that contracts and warps.
Assuming the composite stabilizes it a lot, it's still in a heap of trouble
at 170F+. Not a high-temp plastic...at all. Aerosol cans are only rated
safe to 130F, for cripes sake. After that, many blow up.

At car temperature that hot, the air would be thick with phtahlates
for quite a while after it was new. You need to leave the doors open
for a while before you breath what's in there. This also means, of course,
that your car's plastic will age fast, get brittle.

Crack a window, save a car.

Pinewood · Jun 3, 2015

brocknroller said:
...
I wonder how some of these polycarbonate bins such as the FL and M7 would hold up under high temps?

<B>

Hello Brock,

The Zeiss FL 8x32 according to their web site is usable from -30ºC to +63ºC [+145ºF]. So if someone would leave a thermometer in a glove compartment or on a dash board, you could find out if such abuse is within tolerances. However I would not push it to the stated limit, but even 60ºC is respectable, and far more than I would like to experience.
I would think that both storage and service temperature would be the same at the high end, but that storage could be lower than -30ºC [about -22ºF]. At high temperatures, the problems might be outgassing of the lubricants, and liquification of the adhesives. My guess that at the lower temperatures, it would seize, as the lubricants hardened, but perhaps less likelihood of permanent damage.
In either case, do not ask me to experiment with my Zeiss.

Oh, is the Zeiss FL made of polycarbonate? I thought that it was a metal reinforced polymer.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

OPTIC_NUT · Jun 3, 2015

Wise figures from Zeiss.
As Scotty would say in Star Trek:
"I'm givin' 'er all I've got Captain...she canna take it no moore!"

Rathaus · Jun 3, 2015

OPTIC_NUT said:
I did work with ordinary polycarbonate once.
Even 150F can turn it into a mess that contracts and warps.
Assuming the composite stabilizes it a lot, it's still in a heap of trouble
at 170F+. Not a high-temp plastic...at all. Aerosol cans are only rated
safe to 130F, for cripes sake. After that, many blow up.

At car temperature that hot, the air would be thick with phtahlates
for quite a while after it was new. You need to leave the doors open
for a while before you breath what's in there. This also means, of course,
that your car's plastic will age fast, get brittle.

Crack a window, save a car.

What is your opinion of say a non rubber Habicht or fujinon vs the otherwise identical rubber armoured versions in extreme heat?

Rathaus · Jun 3, 2015

Just found this data which seems to apply to both the Habicht and the EL series

Functional temperature -13 °F to +131 °F (-25 °C / +55 °C)
Storage temperature -22 °F to +158 °F (-30 °C / +70 °C)
Submersion tightness 13 ft / 4 m water depth (inert gas filling)

OPTIC_NUT · Jun 3, 2015

I can't really say about the non-armor and non-chassis parts..
In finer armored designs, there is silicone rubber, but there are many
plastic bits, and there is the matter of the grease thinning, or outgassing, as was mentioned..

It seems the Habicht and EL figures above are very generous, from various plastics
I have worked with....chemical stabilizers added.

A number of motion-stabilized binoculars only go from -20C to 60C, by the way...
and some just to 50C. For operational, down to 0 or +5C .. batteries do not like the cold.
Lithium is the best.

What ages them quickly is a lower range...they become chemically more active hot.

perterra · Jun 3, 2015

OPTIC_NUT said:
I did work with ordinary polycarbonate once.
Even 150F can turn it into a mess that contracts and warps.
Assuming the composite stabilizes it a lot, it's still in a heap of trouble
at 170F+. Not a high-temp plastic...at all. Aerosol cans are only rated
safe to 130F, for cripes sake. After that, many blow up.

At car temperature that hot, the air would be thick with phtahlates
for quite a while after it was new. You need to leave the doors open
for a while before you breath what's in there. This also means, of course,
that your car's plastic will age fast, get brittle.

Crack a window, save a car.

My Nikon sprints are 100% plastic chassis, no damage so far for me.

Rathaus · Jun 3, 2015

Well all in all, from looking about the web and the expert feedback here, I get the feeling that it's not a good idea to be storing a decent Bino in extreme heat.

My concern is not regarding catastrophic failure of the bino in question, rather the dulling of its performance due to extreme heat. Who wants a good bino running at 60 or 70% optical capacity because of out-gassing, liquefying greases and glues etc etc.....all listed in the responses above.

Maybe the best option at this stage is for me to get some of those little 6x30 Kowa/Yosemite binos and enjoy them while they bake in the car.

Leaving binoculars in a hot car...can some take it? (1 Viewer)

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