Tips From The Top

How to Make Your Home Theater Audio/Video Equipment Last as Long as it Possibly can

You just finished putting a lot of money into your new home electronics. It’s all installed beautifully in an A/V rack and tucked into a cabinet out of sight. You’ve put a lot of work into that new system and you are of course going to take care of it, if you didn’t, it’d be like throwing your money and hard work out the window. So you ask yourself, how do I take care of my investment?

 

 

 

AV Electronics and Dust

Keep it dust free. Dust is the an enemy of electronics. It gets in cracks and makes buttons stop working. It makes DVDs stop playing in the middle of your favorite part of the movie. It clogs vents and makes your equipment overheat. It’s unacceptable. So what do you do? Clean your appliances. Use a soft cloth and wipe your home theater components until they’re shiny and looking new. If the dust is really bad or it’s developed an unknown, sticky residue, you can apply a mild cleaner to your rag to make the clean up process easier. This is especially true for remotes; the unsung heroes of our home theater systems. They unfortunately are the ones to acquire those unsightly soda spills and melted-chocolate-in-between-the-couch-cushions dilemma. A mix of rubbing alcohol and water does a good job of cleaning up those ugly messes.

 

Increase your Audio Video lifespan by 80%

 

Ventilation plays a huge roll in having your system run for years to come. Matter of fact studies show that for every 10° above 80° you lose 10% of the life of the Digital Equipment. If your gear is in a cabinet, you might consider installing some fans from Middle Atlantic to get the air circulating a bit. If for some reason that’s not a possibility, leave the cabinet door open during your viewing session. One of the best things to do is to turn everything off if you are going to be gone for an extended period of time. When I say turn everything off, I’m talking about flipping the power strip’s switch, that way all of your equipment is completely off, not just in standby, still consuming power and creating heat. If you’ve had Jackson Hole AV install your system, we probably told you about the power conditioner that will completely shut down all of your electronics. If you forgot about it, don’t worry, just call us and we’ll walk you through it.

 

Home Theater TV Grime

Finally, your TV. Wipe it down with a soft cloth, something like microfiber. Avoid any cleaners with alcohol or ammonia. Safe bet; Screen Cleaning Gel and a Micro cloth. You can purchase these from Jackson Hole AV for about $25. Try to wipe in the same direction, such as from left to right. Remember not to press too hard either. This can damage interior hardware. Follow these steps and your on the right path to enjoying your favorite entertainment for a long time.

Do you know of a great cleaning tip that you recently discovered or that I forgot to mention? Let me know. We always appreciate feedback. You can e-mail Jackson Hole AV here and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Please share Jackson Hole AV Tips from the Top on your Facebook and like us.