Television storage and cold temperatures

Red-Rover wrote:
Thanks for all of the thoughtful replies. The idea that destruction is caused by powering up when cold makes me realize what has been happening. Last autumn the grandchildren camped with us and set the alarm feature on the TV to turn on in the middle of the night then turn off after an hour or so. With the trailer parked in a remote shed all winter, plugged into a 30 amp service, it would have powered up every night for the entire winter with no one to witness. I discovered the alarm function being on during our first night out this season but just didn't think through the consequences.
You folks are a great source of practical knowledge -- thank you.

Frankly, I rather doubt that had anything to do with it.

Condensation happens when the television (or whatever) is cooler than the dew point of the surrounding air. If the TV is cold and the environment is cold when it is turned on, the heat will prevent any condensation that might possibly form from forming. The only concern--and I personally think it's generally overblown, but it is still somewhat of a valid concern--is powering electronics on when the device is cold but the surrounding air is warmer (and not bone dry).

I would guess the television just happened to fail, as electronic devices sometimes do, particularly those made to be as inexpensive as possible. My uncle has a television that had a partial backlight failure after sitting in and being used in his living room for a few years, no cold temperatures being involved; it's just a consumer good that breaks down, like anything else.