Flooded basement...parts under H2O

[nikita76]

Hey Guys, everything seemed to be O.K. after 8 days & nights of rain on Long Island until Saturday morning. 6 inches of water in my basement. Everything except for my widebody and my engine were/are down there! 3 complete wire harnesses, 6 refinished/rebuilt brake calipers, 2 sets frnt & rear signal boxes, 2 sets of guages, 2 sets of seats, gas tank, sending units, oil filters...and everything else in between. I tested my starter, and it seemed to work, although it was much quieter than it was before this.(water still dripping out!) Should I throw everything out or spread everything out under shop lights to dry everything out? Have I lost all things electrical? Most of the items were packed in cardboard boxes, so if they weren't on the floor the water still crept up and soaked all contents.

Thanks for any help/suggestions,

Nikita

[Jadams1]

Sorry to hear that? You need a combination of heat and air flow to dry things out. A low temp oven with a circulator fan would be you best bet. My dishwasher has a heated blow dry cycle, never thought of using it as a parts dryer until now. Hair dyer, or infared lights and fan combo?


What did you ever end up doing with all the parts you bought from Jeff Pardee in CT. Did you capsize the ferry when you drove your truck on it?

[Zeke]

One method of restoration is to immerse soaked items in sucessive baths of distilled water to flush out contaminates. Anything that doesn't naturally disolve or soften in water will most likely be saved this way.

The next thing to do is to treat items that can rust with an appropriate water displacement agent. For the starter, WD-40 might do fine. However, the starter is a very durable piece and may be OK the way it is now.

So, things like the gas tank can be saved easily. Seats can be tougher, but give it a go. Sending units will have to be tested and the gauges might not make it. The cost of opening these up and clearing out the moisture beind the glass may be more than the price of some used ones in nice condition.

The brake components can be rinsed with alcohol to get rid of water. Alcohol and water combine, so you may want to do this 2wice. Then brake parts cleaner, if you wish, but that may be overkill.

As I mentioned about water and certain materials, the oil filters go in the trash.

[nikita76]

Hey John! Great to hear from you! Yeah...it sucks but it'll work it's way through. Thanks for the advice!

The truck barely made it back! When I got out of the truck when I was done driving, I stood back and took a look at what everyone was staring at! What a ride!! Thankfully that is still safe & dry at a different location!

Milt, thanks for the step by step! I'll get to work tonight!

Nikita

[911pcars]

You need dry air and a method to get rid of the moisture.

Obviously, use a sump pump if you haven't already. Then rent a dehumidifier and run it for a couple of days so mold and rust doesn't get a chance to grow. Spray all metal parts with WD40 or equivalent. Dump the cardboard boxes and use plastic containers.

Hope this helps,
Sherwood

[nikita76]

Does it matter that there are no windows in my basement for the circulation aspect of the process? Will the dehumidifier be enough?

Nikita

[911pcars]

A dehumidifier doesn't need circulating air from an outside air supply, as long as the air it uses isn't more humid. Just use a fan to assist. The machine draws air from where ever it can (e.g. upstairs heated air). Remember to aim the exit hose outside.

Obviously, this works better when the ambient air has low humidity.

Sherwood

[SCHNELE]

home owners policy may cover this

[nikita76]

Exit hose? No luck on homeowners! No flood policy necessary due to no-flood location. As explained by my insurance agent water damage would only be possible if the point of entry for the water was through the roof or the side of the house that was knocked out or ripped off by a tree or outside force.

Nikita

[SCHNELE]

yeah but they will cover you if you "left a faucet open" of course I would never advise you break the law but you might want to look into this route.

[TerryH]

broken pipe, washing machine hose, dishwasher hose.... plumbing is covered.

[air-cool-me]

Will the dehumidifier be enough?

go rent a BIG mother...
I had my ****ter overflow(thank god it wasent loaded) and it flooded a floor..
they are not that much $$ and pull ton's of air out of the water..