Any secrets to keeping gear warm in winter for garage storage?

[LATS60]

10lbs would be more like 1.5 gallons of acohol/oil suspension. water would be more like 1.2 but who's counting.

i agree with big on the heat thing, as far as the pipes, i think that only works because the water might be cold water but it still isn't sub zero obviously, so it still would stand to lose some heat of its own to the outside, whereas the test would be so small a volume in comparison that its heat would be lost very very fast, and even a near perfect insulator (which there is none [ nasa probably gets pretty close] ) would still fail in a very small amount of time.

and in fact i'm a chemical engineering major lol

With respect. The pipes are outside cold water pipes, they are always thermal lagged, despite the air temperature reaching sub zero the water in the pipes will not freeze because the residual heat even from cold water is above freezing, then the pipes will retain enough of the heat so as not to freeze, this is taking into account thermal lag.
As i'm sure you are aware, a look at thermal dynamics will explain this principal, being an engineer yourself you will be able to understand the science behind it.

[T_Own]

With respect. The pipes are outside cold water pipes, they are always thermal lagged, despite the air temperature reaching sub zero the water in the pipes will not freeze because the residual heat even from cold water is above freezing, then the pipes will retain enough of the heat so as not to freeze, this is taking into account thermal lag.
As i'm sure you are aware, a look at thermal dynamics will explain this principal, being an engineer yourself you will be able to understand the science behind it.

yes, i know that, thats pretty much what i was saying. that the pipes may have water in them that could be 5C (just a guess) but as long as the outside is under that, it will look to take heat from the pipes, but that will never fully happen since the water is always flowing and new water at 5C comes in.

but with the test, it doesn't move and may start at 5C but even with a strong insulator it would slowly lose heat unless it has a way to supply itself (which it doesn't) or recycle like the water (which it doesn't)

i think we are arguing the same side of this but in a different understanding