# Heat Damage



## dasjman (Sep 10, 2008)

Well, a week from now I'll be up in my attic in Texas pulling down all of the yard stuff. I like to have the graveyard set up all October. I fear what I will find when I get up there. With 70 days over 100 and routinely 106-108 degrees, I wonder what kind of damage was done to all of that rubber and plastic?

Anyone find any heat damage this year from the unusually hot summer?


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Sounds like everything will be bug & critter-free, that's for sure!


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## ez360 (Aug 6, 2011)

As far as the heats concerned I've had it make a couple of plastic pieces very brittle. It's very dry here so I really can't say much about humidity, other than it might increase the rate at which rubber rots.


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## Victor (Sep 4, 2011)

I had some rubber skulls that melted and cracked; good luck with what you find.


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## housedragonmom (Oct 1, 2008)

I am outside of Ft. Worth. Suprisingly, no major issues except for a couple of very sticky masks. I wish you luck with your "stuff". Enjoy these cool mornings!


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## MrGrimm (May 19, 2009)

I am kinda in the same boat dasjman... I have a couple bins in my shed and I know it got pretty hot & humid in there... I am a little concerned about the 50 pvc and hot glue candles... I had wrapped them all in paper towels for storage...

We'll seen soon enough what state they are in


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

I know some people have storage issues (Heck we all do), but it is very important to keep any latex out of heat or sunlight. I keep all of my masks and latex hands and stuff stored in the basement in a cool dark room year room. The heat is not good for your plastic, and especially anything latex. Good luck I sure hope all your stuff iss ok. I don't ever want to hear about anyones Halloween stuff being damaged.


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

MrGrimm said:


> I am kinda in the same boat dasjman... I have a couple bins in my shed and I know it got pretty hot & humid in there... I am a little concerned about the 50 pvc and hot glue candles... I had wrapped them all in paper towels for storage...
> 
> We'll seen soon enough what state they are in


I have more luck wrapping things in foil or even wax paper - paper towels will stick to anything that even slightly softens in the heat.

I stored my PVC candles with hot glue drips in the garage all summer - on a tall shelf where I can see them, and even as hot as it got in there, they are fine.


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## The Halloween Lady (Aug 18, 2010)

I am really fretting what I'm going to find. I have yet to venture into the attic, but it has been pretty brutal in SC this summer too. Unfortunately like an idiot I put my newly corpsed buckys and my monkey corpse, along with a boat load of other things up there.


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## dasjman (Sep 10, 2008)

It's my only option for storage. There's too much for the shed unless I want to store the lawn mower in the attic! I'm encouraged with what I am hearing so far though. I know something will be damaged, but I'm less concerned as Friday approaches. It's time to break out Halloween in Mansfield, TX! Heat damage just means more Halloween shopping!


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## IMU (Apr 8, 2009)

I went up in our attic to find something and discovered that my PVC gibbet cage I built last year .... MELTED! <sigh>


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## MrGrimm (May 19, 2009)

Dixie said:


> I have more luck wrapping things in foil or even wax paper - paper towels will stick to anything that even slightly softens in the heat.
> 
> I stored my PVC candles with hot glue drips in the garage all summer - on a tall shelf where I can see them, and even as hot as it got in there, they are fine.


Thanks for the tip Dixie! I will adjust for this year and hopefully as you say things should be fine. Or else, I'll just have to make more :googly:

@dasjman That's the spirit! More shopping... I like your attitude!


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## Buzz (Aug 26, 2011)

kprimm said:


> I know some people have storage issues (Heck we all do), but it is very important to keep any latex out of heat or sunlight. I keep all of my masks and latex hands and stuff stored in the basement in a cool dark room year room. The heat is not good for your plastic, and especially anything latex. Good luck I sure hope all your stuff iss ok. I don't ever want to hear about anyones Halloween stuff being damaged.


I'll second that... the only stuff I put in the attic are wooden and foam tombstones, the airblown spider, a few of those light-up plastic yard decorations from back when the boy was young...

All the good stuff, latex props, corpsed skellies, animatronics, critters, lights & electronics, winged demons, scarecrows, and mummy are in the basement with the exception of the monster box and the large coffin which both reside in the garage because they are too big and heavy to go anywhere else.


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## dasjman (Sep 10, 2008)

Ah, if only basements were a reality in our clay-heavy soil! I'm originally from Wichita, Kansas, and I do miss basements here in North Texas. All of my props are attic stored, but I've not had much of an issue with damage in summers past.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

There are no basements there? I wonder why. I have super clay soil, too but we have a basement.Weird My soil is literally like concrete and bent the tip of my expensive gardening shovel when I was digging flower beds when we 1st moved here. I think I was nuts to dig out those beds...never again.


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

I was 22 before I realized that "storm shelters" were NOT in fact what were called "basements" up North.

Bahahaha.


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## dasjman (Sep 10, 2008)

debbie5 said:


> There are no basements there? I wonder why. I have super clay soil, too but we have a basement.Weird My soil is literally like concrete and bent the tip of my expensive gardening shovel when I was digging flower beds when we 1st moved here. I think I was nuts to dig out those beds...never again.


Combination of water table and soil movement in most areas of North Texas prevents a functional basement. It wouldn't be structurally sound for long.


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

My house is on a slab so no basement. I checked on my stuff in the attic and everything looks ok but won't know for sure until I pull them out. The northeast didn't get the heat like most of the country experienced. Sorry to those that did.


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## dasjman (Sep 10, 2008)

So far, no damage, but I haven't opened all of the totes yet. I should have the graveyard up and running tonight! Halloween has officially begun on my street!


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## MrGrimm (May 19, 2009)

I can update too... Pulled the bins out of my shed and found that the PVC and hot glue candles wrapped in paper towels are fine and didn't have any heat damage or melting occur.

But I won't wrap them in paper towels again, as they seem to have started to stick lightly to the candles...

So heads up to anybody else wrapping with paper towels!


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

I second the comments on latex. That MUST be stored in an area that is not exposed to excess heat. Other than that, the attic has been good to me for all my other stuff, wood, foamboard, plastic etc, including a great deal of Christmas decor.


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## dasjman (Sep 10, 2008)

SO far, so good. I haven't gotten into the totes that are only needed for the garage on Halloween, but everything has been good other than a few thinner tombstones appear to have warped a bit.


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## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

Last spring we cut a new access hatch into the attic and laid down OSB to make some new storage. I spent many hours last winter & spring stapling radiant barrier all over attic. Pulled down the totes last weekend, for the first time since the record summer heat. Nothing seems melted or otherwise damaged. We did however store a few items elsewhere - notably a handful of those fake braziers with the fan-blown silk flames. The glue on the silk melted on one of them the previous summer, so we didn't take any chances.

Overall I'm pretty happy with the results.


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## DreadKnight (Aug 10, 2011)

I stored some of my props in my shed, instead of the attic. Completely wrong idea becuase the mice got to my paper mache skulls. It is not as much fun making them the second time.


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