Flooded shop--any suggestions

[Ron Jones near Indy]

Heavy rains started Friday afternoon and continued through today (over 7" today) have resulted in about 10-12" of water in my detached shop. :( I first saw it when I looked out the window at 6:00 am. It continues now, but has receeded some. I don't think the water got into the motors of any machines, but came darned close. Weather man says their won't be much clear weather to aid with drying until Wed. or Thursday. I'm not sure on how to approach the cleanup. When the water is gone do I run fans and let things dry out for several days before trying them, or do I remove the motors and blow them dry just in case they got wet? Motors are on Delta DC, bandsaw and jointer and Shop Fox cabinet saw.

Water got to all of the panel stock--thankfully not much there, and some nice 8/4 sassafrass and 1" pine boards. Everything else was high enough to stay dry. I'm hoping that those will dry out fairly quickly when the weather breaks and the AC can help with the humidity in the shop. How quickly will kiln dried wood absorb water in a situation like this?

TV weather guy just said today's rain broke the existing one day total of 6.8 in 1895. This is a record I'd rather never to have heard of. Oh well!

The important thing is that the family is fine and the house in good shape. Now if the motors are all ok and there is no rust on the cast iron (I keep Johnson's wax on it), I'll be even more thankful. :) After watching the news, I guess we got off w/o much damage. Lots of places with water in the house, etc. Even when things look bleak, you don't have to look far to see someone with much greater problems.

Any advice or suggestions will be appreciated!

[Jim Becker]

Firstly, I'm glad that you and your family are ok after that flooding...especially after hearing the story this morning on Good Morning America about the fellow in Kansas that lost his whole family (4 kids and wife) when raging waters nailed their minivan...only he survived.

I suspect your motors will be fine as long as they weren't submerged, but letting them dry out for awhile isn't a bad idea. There will still be plenty of moisture. You'll also want to make sure that all those cabinets/bases are opened up and allowed to dry thoroughly after you are able to wipe them down.

Your sheet goods are toast, but you should be able to salvage the lumber. Sticker and stack it in a well-ventilated area outside with weight and a cover on top to keep direct rain off of it.

[Glenn Clabo]

Ron,
Let's not talk about rain. Everything around here is moldy...I'm tired of mowing the grass and pulling weeds more than anything.

If you think your electric stuff got wet I remember a spray that I used to use on an old car that displaced the water on the wires so the dang thing would start in wet weather. I think it was called electrical contact cleaner or something like that. You may want to call the local electrical supply place.

Good luck.

[Dave Anderson NH]

In addition to all of the advice the otheres have given I would suggest you PM our resident expert on flooded shops, Dominic Greco. Dom had his basement shop almost completely flooded out several years ago and has lots of good info to impart including a whole bunch of stuff which is less than obvious unless you've been through the experience.

[Don Farr]

Sorry to hear about the flood. Your motors and controls should be OK if you make sure that they dry before reapplying power. Do not spray anything into the motors or controls! (Sorry Glenn) Much of that stuff is petroleum based and may damage the insulation. I can't begin to tell you how many controls and motors that I have seen during my career where some maintenance man thought he would take care of the problem with WD40 or contact cleaner.
Dry your motors and controls out with a hair dryer or fan. Do not reapply power until you are absolutely sure everything is a dry.
Good Luck.