A pair of tvs found in the "trash"
 

Last night I spotted a pair of TVs that someone apparently dumped in the parking lot behind the local public library. Both are in black plastic cabinets and appear to be from the 1990s-early 2000s. One is a small Sony (Trinitron), the other a larger Sylvania. Is there any reasonable chance one or both might still work after being outdoors in the rain (after a few days indoors to dry out, of course)? Are they worth saving?

If they worked before they were wet and they are allowed to thoroughly dry before power is applied then they should work. If you saw my Road side Sylvania thread in the rectangular tube color section you would know that stuff that has been outside in the elements for seemingly decades can still work somewhat after being dried off.

Neither of those sets has one bit of collector value, and in many places sets like them can be had for free or nearly free. As to whether they are worth saving that depends on whether you have use for them and if you feel they are worth your time... When I see these sets on the curb I usually take the back off pull every thing except the CRT, and in my neighborhood I usually bolt the back back on to keep it looking nicer....And to piss off the copper scrappers when they tear the back off again. :D

The Sony Trinitrons are generally keepers. They always seem to work well, even if they are several years old. That is, if they're working, right off the bat.
Otherwise, they're difficult and expensive to repair.
There's a lot of the 19", Funai-built Sylvanias around, as they were sold for under $100.00 . That might be the one you have.:scratch2:

If it's a Funai-era Sylvania, leave it where you found it. From 1981 until the mid '90's, Sylvania's were rebadged NAP/Magnavox TV's and were decent. After that, Sylvania became a Funai brand and I wouldn't want the disgusting thing in my house.

I found a TV once that had sat on the edge of a porch where the rain poured down on it for who knows how long. I let it dry out for several weeks and then tried it: worked fine.

I watched a youtube video where a working tv was dunked into a tub of water and still worked!

Since recently purchasing a used SONY WEGA I agree about it being a keeper. The other.....well. Either way, enjoy!

I had a cheap 80's daewoo set that had been sitting in my neighbors back pasture out in the elements for over 7 years and i was full of mud and crap but I sprayed it all out and cleaned a few connections and re soldered a bunch of connections and the damn thing worked! Though it kept having problems with dirty post no doubt because of the dirt that was in ti... I actually used it for about a week until I found my Zenith space command set that I now use as my daily watcher...

Save the Trinitron, use the other one for Target Practise..

Now there is a great idea!

Thanks, everyone. It's hard for me to pass up anything free, but I decided to save the space for something I really want.

I found this 36" HDTV in the trash on my street last night. I have no idea why they threw it out :dunno:

Score for me tho :D

I do the same, except I put the back back more as a safety measure, to protect the trashmen from imploding CRTs.

Knock off the neck or the evacuation tip, so you don't have to worry about injuries. I also replace the back, instead of having to discard the back separately.

I drag 'em home, but I'm running out of room, can't save 'em all.