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Storing Filament

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bostonman:
Due to space, I keep my 3D printer in my basement and unfortunately it gets cold (about 50 degrees F) in the winter months. My printer is an Anet A8 and removing the filament is a pain because trying to reinstall it typically results in disassembling the extruder.

Anyway, I notice the filament seems to be brittle (it breaks if I try bending it) and don't remember if new filament is brittle, so I'm thinking the temperature (and humidity in the summer) has affected the existing roll.

I have new rolls, but they are in vacuum sealed bags, so I'm reluctant to open one just to see.

My questions are:

What temperature ranges is it safe to keep the filament in (I'm sure this is online, but I'm looking more for input based on experience)?

I bought a vacuum bag system (pump, etc...) just to try storing filament. Is this a good solution?

If after using the printer I want to store the filament somewhere warmer, and I cut it, does anyone have a good solution for joining the two together rather than having to rethread it through the extruder?

Lindley:
Stored our filaments PLA. PLA+ and PTEG in a tupperware type of box and keep them in the bedroom;  they still print fine even over a year later.

A few similar comments in the recent thread below, though no idea if or how the cold affects the filament in store and  if it does do  they remain usable?

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/3d-printing/storing-a-3d-printer/

thm_w:
Temperature doesn't matter really, more about humidity and sunlight exposure.
https://ecoreprap.com/pla-filament-brittle/

If its actually causing a problem during printing, you can bake the whole roll of filament in the oven at a low temperature to drive out the moisture. I don't bother with any special storage, but, humidity where I am is usually low (20-30%).

Reinstalling filament into the extruder should be a very simple process: heat up extruder, retract, install new filament, extrude. Maybe video a video tutorial for your printer.
You can join two ends together with heat if you want too though, google for various methods.

bostonman:
Good to know I can rule out temperature.

I haven't used the printer since maybe late summer, and, at that time, the humidity would have been around 55%-60% (with a dehumidifier running on the other side of my basement). Now the humidity is about 40% - 50%.

I've seen videos and stuff on joining filament and never figured out which one was the most efficient, but I get lazy and leave the roll in the basement which I shouldn't.

metebalci:
I think the best is to keep filaments air tight as possible and then use a filament dryer when needed.

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