Help me protect my stationary tools from hurricane damage

[Paul Greathouse]

I live about 25 miles from the Gulf of Mexico so I have to be concerned about the possibility of hurricane damage to my shop. Last year after hurricane season I purchased some stationary tools and an Onieda cyclone that I want to protect as much as possible if a worst case senerio comes along.

If I would lose the roof and/or walls of my shop to a hurricane what should I do to protect the metal on my stationary tools until I can get a roof back over their head?

Right now I use SlipIt to protect the metal surfaces from normal condensation. To protect from possilble hurricane damage, I was thinking about putting on a good coat of SlipIt and then covering with a plastic tarp. Does anyone think a tarp would be a bad idea, since it could possilby hold condensation/moisture under it.

It could be a day or two before I could get back after a storm and much longer to get a proper roof back over the equipment. I have the shop and contents insured but I would rather not have to go through the process of replacing stationary tools unless I have to.

I'm open to suggestions, any metalurgists out there? Did I spell that right?

[Myk Rian]

Does anyone think a tarp would be a bad idea, since it could possilby hold condensation/moisture under it.
Bad idea. Your best bet would be coat the tools real good and get to them as soon as possible to clean them up. Although you may have more pressing issues after the storm.

[Paul Atkins]

Protecting your cyclone from a hurricane, what a concept!

[guy knight]

in a hurry you could always wipe a coat of 30 wt oil or grease on the tops that would give you good protection on the tops

[Chuck Isaacson]

Or you could just make sure that your insurance is up to date!!

CHuck

[James Jones]

Spray your tops with a good coat of LPS#3. It dries and leaves a oily wax film. I use it on my MM-20 and it lasts for many months before I respray. I clean it off with a wet mineral sprit's rag before use and then re coat it after use. Best I have found for rust protection and the humidity is almost always high here where I live. I am in Huntsville, Texas.

James
Huntsville, TX.

[Frank Drew]

Paul,

Can you reinforce your roof, or rather reinforce its attachment to your building? And if the roof goes, any small or loose tools will be sucked right out with it, so move anything you can (but I'm sure you're already making plans on that score.)

And if there's any chance of flooding, can you get your equipment a couple of feet up off the floor?

And I guess just slather or spray the heck out of any metal surfaces with oil or grease; something preferably not water soluble :D.

[Peter Quinn]

Can you move your shop north a few thousand miles? We get few hurricanes here in the northeast! I just can't imagine much that would protect your tools in the face of a hurricane short of good insurance and an evacuation plan.

[Jeff Wright]

Paul, when you figure it out let me know. I live seven feet above mean low low water, on the water, here in west central Florida. It's beautiful when it's beautiful, but when it's not, it's not!

[Jim Rimmer]

I live about a mile off Galveston Bay just south of Houston. I have taken photos of all my tools, listed them by brand and model number in an Excel spreadsheet, and make sure my insurance is up to date. Beyond that, I'm not sure what else you coud do. Being in Lake Charles you've laready survived Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike. We should be due for a break for a few years.

[guy knight]

. I have taken photos of all my tools, listed them by brand and model number in an Excel spreadsheet, and make sure my insurance is up to date..

were do you store your excel sheet on your pc at home or do you have an online backup

[Mike Cruz]

Paul, you beat me to the punch. I had a hard time reading the rest of the post after I read that he had a cyclone in the shop but wanted to protect the shop from a hurricane. Kinda like fighting fire with flames. :rolleyes:

[Bill Houghton]

If I would lose the roof and/or walls of my shop to a hurricane what should I do to protect the metal on my stationary tools until I can get a roof back over their head?

Very simple, Paul - next hurricane season, I'll happily store your tools for you. We never get hurricanes here on the California North Coast, and earthquakes don't cause rust.

[Mike Cross]

Paul, I have the same concerns, but there is only so much you can do. Hopefully we won't have to deal with anymore for a while. We are due for a break in the action I hope. I just keep my photos and inventory current and burn a cd/dvd with all information including scans of insurance and other important papers when needed. Easier to carry along in an evacuation.

[Bart Leetch]

Build a water proof bomb proof underground shop.

[Jeff Willard]

To address the original question only one thing comes to my mind-cosmoline. And lots of it. It seems to me that if you encounter wind forceful enough to remove the roof:eek:, a tarp won't fare too much better. Of course, anything may be better than nothing. If it can be applied after the storm has subsided, it may be of some benefit. My great concern would be for the internal workings of any machinery. In the event of flooding you may just be hosed. Outer surfaces would be fairly easy to deal with, and also to protect. But motors, trunnions, impellers, etc. may require replacement, especially if salt is added into the equation.

[Paul Greathouse]

Protecting your cyclone from a hurricane, what a concept!

I should have know I was going to get slammed for that one. With all the good reports we hear about Onieda Cyclones here at SMC, I'm wondering if I could just leave the Onieda running with a blast gate open, when I evacuate and maybe it would suck the hurricane up.:D

[Paul Greathouse]

I live about a mile off Galveston Bay just south of Houston. I have taken photos of all my tools, listed them by brand and model number in an Excel spreadsheet, and make sure my insurance is up to date. Beyond that, I'm not sure what else you coud do. Being in Lake Charles you've laready survived Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike. We should be due for a break for a few years.

How did you and your tools come through Ike? I was acutally in the process of building my shop during Rita. I had the walls and trusses up, with the metal already on the walls but no doors in place yet when Rita hit.
When the insurance adjuster came to look at my house (minimal damage) she was going to give me money for a new shop roof until I told her that I hadn't put the metal on the roof yet. That brought about a few embarrasing laughs on her part.

[Paul Greathouse]

Very simple, Paul - next hurricane season, I'll happily store your tools for you. We never get hurricanes here on the California North Coast, and earthquakes don't cause rust.


Bill

You can have the earthquakes, at least I can run from the hurricanes.

[Paul Greathouse]

Paul, I have the same concerns, but there is only so much you can do. Hopefully we won't have to deal with anymore for a while. We are due for a break in the action I hope. I just keep my photos and inventory current and burn a cd/dvd with all information including scans of insurance and other important papers when needed. Easier to carry along in an evacuation.

Welcome to Sawmill Creek Mike, Thanks for the advice. We have had our share recently. I wouldn't mind being a little farther north like you, I am a mile south of the LC Regional Airport on Lincoln Road. Good Idea on the scans/DVD.

[Paul Greathouse]

Build a water proof bomb proof underground shop.


Bart
I'll agree with the bomb proof part but the underground part just won't work down here.:D

[Frank Guerin]

What everybody else said. A good spread sheet with a copy on a cd stashed somewhere you can get to it after the storm. You could just go down to one of the boats and score good so you could just buy what you want afterwords.
I'm close to Corpus. No gambling but storms.

[Cody Colston]

Paul,

If you lose your shop roof or the shop floods in a hurricane, your tools are pretty much toast no matter what you do. I don't think coating everything in cosmoline would even protect them and besides, do you coat them every time you evacuate?

I hate cleaning cosmoline off of one tool, much less every tool in my shop. Like someone else wrote, keeping your insurance paid up is probably the best precaution you can take...and maybe the only one short of moving further inland.

[Paul Greathouse]

Paul,

If you lose your shop roof or the shop floods in a hurricane, your tools are pretty much toast no matter what you do. I don't think coating everything in cosmoline would even protect them and besides, do you coat them every time you evacuate?

I hate cleaning cosmoline off of one tool, much less every tool in my shop. Like someone else wrote, keeping your insurance paid up is probably the best precaution you can take...and maybe the only one short of moving further inland.

Thanks Cody

I have the shop heavily insured and flooding would have to be Noah like to get me. My house was built sometime before 1920 and has never flooded. We are on pretty high ground for this area. The house is on piers so when I built the shop I built the ground up to about the level of the house. I figured I would get these type responses but I thought I would try. I just hate doing things over again. If I could protect, I would rather do that, than replace. Thank God for insurance.

[Jim Rimmer]

were do you store your excel sheet on your pc at home or do you have an online backup
I have my spreadsheet and photos on a CD at my office several miles away.

Paul, I am one of the lucky ones in this area from Ike. I had no damage at all at my house but just a mile away there are empty lots where houses once stood and houses that will have to be torn down.

[William Addison]

When a hurricane is coming I put tarps on my machinery. If the roof goes or the walls blow down, they'd be useless but loss of shingles and leaks are more common and they will help with that.

I'd be sure my shop structure meets wind storm codes. I have go bolts in mine and I added clips. Braces for overhead doors and shutters for windows are also good.

All that aside, if you get a bad one you're screwed so insurance and an excellent inventory are the best protection.