Droid Hot Weather Questions

[Sparty83]

Have a couple of questions regarding the Droid and how it will do with hot weather. I live in San Antonio where it gets a bit toasty in the summer, to say the least. Last summer it was up over 100 for quite a spell, which tends to heat up your car so you can bake a pizza in it. I work in a facility where they will not let you take cell phones into the building. It's a secure facility, so they're worried about people using them in there, or taking pictures, or maybe actually doing something fun! I love my Droid and am concerned about having to leave it in the car during the summer. It's already hitting the low 90s and it's only May. I checked the user's manual and it said it shouldn't be exposed to temperatures exceeding 113 degrees.

Two simple questions: First, any suggestions on how to mitigate the heat issue? I don't want to bust my Droid, but leaving it at home seems stupid as then what's the point of having it. If that's what I need to do, then that's what I'll do, but I just hate doing that as I love having that thing with me when I travel. I know I've probably already answered my own question, but if anybody has any experience in this, or advice, I'm all ears. Second: Will the hotter weather run the battery down any faster? I've heard conflicting stories on this, so defer to the expertise here on what the case might be.

Your help and advice is most appreciated. :motdroidhoriz:

 

[JCo352]

I live up by Texarkana and it's hot here, so I can imagine what it's like there. Personally I wouldn't leave my Droid in a car that can get up to 140+ degrees. Maybe put it in a lunchbox with a coolie thing in there? Just a suggestion.

 

[olbab]

Two things:
Turn your Droid completely off.
Stow it Low in your car -on the floor.

Better, get a wide mouth themos. But if you use this method, the slightest battery usage will built heat without limit. Remove battery?

Ol' Bab, who used to be a ingineer.

 

[Sparty83]

Excellent ideas. I'm wondering if putting it in a thermos type device with a cooling pack would do the trick. I could easily power it off and remove the battery so it wouldn't generate any heat. Any thoughts? :motdroidhoriz:

 

[Goldenshellback]

I live in the Phoenix area, so I know heat. Here is what I do when I need to keep my stuff cool in the car during the summer. Get a small cooler , freeze a water bottle or two and place at the bottom of the cooler, then place a towel over the bottle(s), place your phone ( turned off ) in a ziplock bag and place it on the towel. Make sure you leave the cooler open with no top and place it out of direct sunlight. You do not want condensation to reach your phone, or to freeze your phone. This is just to keep the temp cool enough to not damage your electronics.

 

[Sparty83]

Thanks! Yes, I can imagine you suffer through it as well. Do you think I need to remove the battery, or leaving it in the phone okay? Also, by leaving the lid open is there any concern about it warming up too fast? I'm in the building for the better part of 9-10 hours, so I'm worried that it would warm up too much and the cooling effect would go away.

Again, thanks! :motdroidhoriz:

 

[christim]

I'd think they would let you check your phone at the front desk, gate, etc.

What if you yanked the battery and had a case you brought it into work in or just left the battery in your pocket while at work?

If the phone stayed off you'd think they'd let you bring it in.

 

[Sparty83]

Ordinarily I would agree with you, but the security wonks in this building are pretty anal about stuff like that and have no sense of humor. Temporary workers coming in the building can drop their phone off in the front, but not us permanent workers. Pretty stupid in my opinion, but they just don't get it that people have stuff like this and don't want it fried. If they catch you bringing one in you can get in a world of trouble, so I'm kind of screwed either way I go. Thanks though! :motdroidhoriz:

 

[GeLopez]

hi from dallas, follow the steps on post #3 specially the one about putting it low on the floor, and i would add leave windows cracked a little bit if possible

 

[Goldenshellback]

Thanks! Yes, I can imagine you suffer through it as well. Do you think I need to remove the battery, or leaving it in the phone okay? Also, by leaving the lid open is there any concern about it warming up too fast? I'm in the building for the better part of 9-10 hours, so I'm worried that it would warm up too much and the cooling effect would go away.

Again, thanks! :motdroidhoriz:

Experiment on a day off, without your phone . You dont want it too cold because the temperature delta will cause condensation inside the phone. Removing the battery is a good idea.

 

[Sparty83]

Thanks for the great ideas. I'll try putting it in an open cooler and see how that works. I'll try to tuck it as far out of the way as I can, although unfortunately my car and where I park makes it hard to keep it out of the sun all day. They have zero covered parking and no trees, so it sits out in the lot baking all day. And I'll be sure to open the windows some as well; excellent idea. :motdroidhoriz:

 

[Goldenshellback]

hi from dallas, follow the steps on post #3 specially the one about putting it low on the floor, and i would add leave windows cracked a little bit if possible

If you dont crack your windows here the pressure will push the windows off the guides.

 

[Sparty83]

I've seen windows blown out because of the heat too. It's amazing how hot it gets in a car during the summer.

Thanks to everybody for all the excellent ideas. :motdroidhoriz:

 

[FunN4Lo]

Mitigate the heat as much as possible. Get yourself some Ventshades so you can leave your windows cracked without fear of rain. Tint your windows if not already and get on of those reflective windshield blockers

 

[Travis798]

I think tucking the phone under the drivers seat should be fine. I realize it still gets hot in the car but the main thing is to keep it out of direct sunlight. I'd be leery of using anything in a cooler or anywhere else to keep it cool, as condensation will eventually do more harm than the hot air in the car.

I do agree with the vent shades and tinted windows though. They are pretty much a must have for me these days. Simple tint keeps your car (and the phone) a lot cooler than it would be without it.