I left my amp on standby for 3 weeks!

[jerryjg]

Holy! Today I went to move my amp and noticed it had been on standby for 3 weeks!
Actually didnt appear any worse for the wear, and the transformers werent smoking hot or anything. Its been cool and well ventilated. Should I toss the power tubes? Its just an old Peavey hybrid 80's amp.

[RicharD]

That only 504 hours, and only the filaments were on.  No harm done what so ever.  I left my Hafler  power amp on for over a decade.v 

[PRR]

A lot of "instant-On" TV sets sat in "standby" 16/7 for many years.

Back in the day, radio stations left tubes fully-running for years. The hard-worked ones got changed every few months, but a lot of non-critical tubes never got changed.

[tubesornothing]

shes fine. let 'er rip

[sluckey]

Quit burning up my ozone!   

[Tiny_Daddy]

My home-brew tube stereo is on a lot, being connected as sound for a TV monitor.

[stingray_65]

LOL all I could think of when I read that

"where is that hum coming from?"

[bigdaddy]

I remember recording in the old CBS studios in Manhattan. There was a room with shelves of chassis' with tubes, it must have been 120 degrees in there or more, it was hot. I asked them about it and they said they leave the amps running all the time unless they service them.

[kagliostro]

As I can remember

tubes reach their max sound performances after a period of use of some hours

and also

start and stop stress the amp


Kagliostro

[rafe]

  I'll bet your heart sank when you saw that red light on ..... I left my supro on fo 24 hours doesn't have a standby....my heart sank...... Original RCA's from 65 

[billcreller]

A couple of my vintage amps have been left on for over a week, and more than once. Heck, I think it made them sound better!  Maybe the parts drifted to better values

[Steve_P]

I remember an interview (with Carol Kaye, IIRC) where the amps in the studios were left on 24/7 for months.

[RicharD]

>A lot of "instant-On" TV sets sat in "standby" 16/7 for many years.
I've seen old console stereos that were wired with the filaments constant hot.  My uncle Lynn always unplugged his TV because of this, even after the days of vacuum tubes (excluding the CRT).

[sluckey]

U. Lynn was 'green' even before it was fashionable.   

[alerich]

According to Merlin (who I do not always agree with)

http://www.freewebs.com/valvewizard1/standby.html

"On the other hand, leaving a cathode hot without any anode current flowing does lead to the very real effect of cathode poisoning, which reduces the gain (transconductance) of valves. Fortunately this phenomenon really only becomes significant if the valves are left on standby for hours on end."

[supro66]

A lot of "instant-On" TV sets sat in "standby" 16/7 for many years.

Back in the day, radio stations left tubes fully-running for years. The hard-worked ones got changed every few months, but a lot of non-critical tubes never got changed.

Yep I belonged to a Fire Company once 1980's
all radios were left on 24/7 365 days

I know we will just turn them on when there is a fire being called in 
save energy

The repair man said if he turned them off to service them a lot may go bad when he turned them back on


SO IF IT ANIT BROKE DON'T FIX IT

[RicharD]

U. Lynn was 'green' even before it was fashionable.   

You hit the nail square on the head.  He was a very fine gentleman whose values I could never in a million years live up to.  In the 1950's he would volunteer his time at the black hospital in the 4th Ward of Houston.  Probably the only white guy there, by choice anyway. 

[Platefire]

I'll be back "I'm presently on Standby"