I came home to find 4" of water in my basement. It seems the circuit breaker blew and the sump pump shut off.
Under water.
One 2-8-4 Berkshire with Tsunami
Three 0-6-0T’s with Tsunamis
Three T-1 2-10-4 with QSI
Three 2-6-6-2 H-5 Bachmanns with Tsunami’s
2 Rivirossi 2-6-6-6 H-8’s with Loksound
1 George Washington Train Set with J-3 4-8-2 HeavyTsunami
C 0-8-0 Switcher with Soundtraxx LC
120’ Walthers Turntable
Two MRC DC power packs
1 Lenz DCC system with accessories inclluding breakers and boosters, and program track boosters.
Tons of kits. About 1/4 complete assembled. Numerous OOP kits.
Needless to say I’m totally disheartened.
Tools including rip saws, sanders, dremels, and battery powered screw drivers.
2 sheets 4x8 plywood.
lots of 4x8x10 lumber used for benchwork material
So what’s your experience. How much can I salvage? The C&O 0-8-0 Switcher, 2-8-4 berk, George Washington and T-1’s are no longer available. What can I do to try to save these engines? Is it best to toss the wood? Too warped? Grow mold?
I’m rough estimating about $8K of stuff damaged. A lot of it out of production. And to be honest if it can’t be salvaged, I think I just might sell everything off.
when you get near dry assess what you think you can salvage–some motors can be salvaged–as for all electronics take cases off and let everything dry off upstairs in house–some of tthat can be dealt with
Take a deep breath–if insured then part of the struggle is all done
I’ve had some success with electronic equipment being alright once allowed to dry very thoroughly…it also can make a difference whether the water was clean water or dirty (I discovered that one year when my basment water line froze while I was out of town).
As for the mechanicals, probably depends on how well the lubricant prevented the water from penetrating. But quickly drying would be essential, I’d think.
Too late now, but some cheap shelves would have kept at least the locos and kits out of the water. There’s just certain things I won’t set on the floor even without potential water problems.
Most of those things though should be salvagable. The electronics in the decoders won’t be hurt unless you apply power before they dry out. If the speakers haev paper cones they may need repalcement. Unbuilt plastic kits - also should not be a problem, plastic isnt; affected by the water. Wood kits, if the wood warps, which it almsot certainly will, you can probably reverse it with steam and weight or by resoaking it and letting it dry pressed flat with weight. Anything metal, like axles, should be ok if you dry it and remove it from the damp area. A hair dryer with the heat off will help dry things out. If alight rust forms on metal parts it can be sanded off easily, it’s not going to be like a piece of scrap iron that’s been outside for years. Kit boxes and instructions might not be salvageable. Decals are probably toast, but you can probably find replacements for most.
Sorry to hear but all may not be lost. I think the kits/plastic may have the most issues with standing water. A previous poster is correct, make sure all electronics are dry (expose engine boards, etc) and ensure engine is dry before trying to run on the layout. I would keep the engine case off of the engines that you test. Good luck…
I am sorry to hear about that. I remember MR did an article on how to salvage items that were soaked. They did that article after hurrican Katrina. IIRC, everything is salvagable except for paper. You might contact MR staff to see what advice they can offer. As for the locos, I would disassemble them as best as I can and let them dry out.
As for wood, plywood or other laminated wood may not do well, unless designated for wet locations; 2x4s and the like may dry out fine (they are often left outside at construction sites, etc.-- but they should be separated with air space around them so drying will be more even. Hope this is helpful.
I feel your pain–literally. A similar thing happened to me two years ago–the hot water tank sprung a leak while we were on vacation.
Fotunately, in my case no rolling stock or electronics were affected, but the layout was a goner. Yes, I am sure you will have to get rid of your lumber as it probably is a mold hazard unless you’ve been able to dry everything out very quickly. As other posters have suggested, there’s a good chance your locomotives and electronics can be salvaged–certainly, your collection is worth making the effort.
I was very discouraged when this happened to me, and tearing out the old layout was heart-breaking. But, truth to tell, it was no longer delivering the play value as I was getting interested in simulating operations more realistically. I soon started planning a bigger layout and construction is now well along. I didn’t enjoy living without a basement for almost a year, but I am having a lot of fun building a new layout now!
When I worked construction one of the guys dropped a Milwaulkee worm drive saw off a deck into salt water. We were able to retrieve it. We then dropped it immediately into a jacuzzi., We split the case and blew it dry with a compressor.
Ran fine.
Now that might not seem like the same thing but think about it.
Just take the engines apart and blow them dry. Relube them. Take it slow and you will save most if not all.
PITA but doable. There are very few things that water can damage that can’t be fixed.
And I agree on some things, and some other things to consider: disassemble all locomotives and dry/sand*/lube, dry off all decoders with paper towels and blow dry, take all shells of the dcc system off and dry with hair dryer, (unless it voids warranty) take all kits and dry thoroughly, too, so they don’t mold, and watch any supporting legs on the layout, because they might warp or mold, for the power tools, send to a repair shop, and for mold, watch everything!
Also be sure to open the coaches up as well, and make sure they didn’t trap any water. Likely, Bacmann will be willing to replace the GW, if you remove the shell and piston casings for the GW loco, they’ll send you a generic that you can then reswap, IF you can’t get the locos salvaged.
I agree, scrap the wood.
Dry the kits. They’ll be fine. Boxes may be screwed to high, but the kits should be fine. You might check the glue seams, make sure the water didn’t weaken them.
Unrelated: Did you have your GW J3 smoke when ou put the decoder in?
Don, I am real sorry to hear of your damage. Hopefully, some of your items can be saved, and hopefully your home owners insurance will cover at least part of the loss minus the deductible.
As for sump pump, you can purchase sump pumps that run on battery backup. Most people are not aware of this.
I know the barnyard gate is open the horses have run away, but why on earth would you store things on the basement floor where only 4 inches can destroy or damage all your items? You aren’t the first Don, take heart, it has happened to some of my neighbors also when their power went off and sump pump was not a battery backup model.
If there is ANY chance of a flood in a basement, even from a broken water pipe , water heater, etc., SHELVES, SHELVES, SHELVES.
As for electrical items, get a hair dryer going right away, dry everything out, you should be able to salvage most items.
Odds are you don’t have time to do all the things you “should” at once.
My first recommendation is to freeze (yes, put in the freezer) the equipment that you don’t have time to dry. It stops mold growth, and will evaporate the water over time (great for books, btw.) Freezing shouldn’t affect the electronics as long as you don’t pull it right from the freezer and attempt to use immediately. Allow things to warm up to room temp, and it should be ok.
My second recommendation (sounds crazy, but it can work) is to put the oven on low, keep the door open, and put item in it upside down (or how they may drain out depending on the device). Monitor closely (don’t put the oven on and go to work - that low dry heat can do wonders with electronics). We’ve recovered laptops that had buckets of water spilled on them this way. One advantage of this over a hair dryer method is you might be able to do a few at a time.
The recommendation to disect locomotives is a great one, but time being what it is, freeze them sooner or later until you can actually get to them.
If this water came from a sump it is just dirty water, not the same as “dirty” water from a floordrain. It is a good idea to actually take them up to the kitchen sink and wash them with soap and water. This rids it of any residual dirt that is sure to have got into them and gives you a clean model. Motors will need some cleaning and lubing but will make it. If you have an oven with a pilot light in it, place them in with the door cracked open to dry them. Just make sure nobody lights the oven.
If the basement was finished, the drywall should be cut and removed (affected areas) and any insulation removed. I would cut 24" from floor, as this is a convienent ripped sheet and easier to finish out than 8" off the floor. Everything needs to dry out. This can take some time, depending on how much moisture was sucked up by the wood.
If you have that much water coming into the sump that it will fill the basement in a short period of time, you should really investigate alternative disposal methods.
You must have felt sick when you understood what the extent of the damage was, Don. I feel very badly for you.
My first reaction would be to get air into the most prized items. Remove shells invert slowly and hold at angles all frames to ensure water that can run off is allowed to fall under gravity. Then, if the water wasn’t dirty, just use low pressure air to blow them clean and dry. If the water was quite dirty, what harm could there by in swishing them in clean water to remove further contaminants? You can still do the slow tumble thing in the air to get them to drip water, and then blow them dry. My guess is that you won’t have all the problems you fear. Some will be much worse than you had hoped, but others will be pleasant and gratifiying surprises. Only the electronics would be tricky, and specifically speakers and decoders. Wires, bulbs, LEDs, and even the motors should be okay if allowed to air dry for about 72 hours in strictly humidity controlled circumstances. Dehumidifier, in other words…two would be better.
Lumber isn’t a biggie unless it is rare or very expensive, or if there is a great deal of it for some reason. Most of us can come up with $300 for some good clean new lumber. Fact is, though, that if you stack it the right way, with some transverse spacers, and let it air dry, there is no reason not to use it if it doesn’t warp.
Don, you will not be a happy fella for a few days, but with patience and some luck and determination, you may get off relatively lightly. Pace yourself. This will be exhausting, and if you have a mate, that person will be greatly affected. Keep your head about you.
Please don’t feel you have to stay away from here until you get your feet out from under you. Come back regularly and check in with us. Let us know how you are doing…please?
A number of people have warned against keeping that stuff on the floor, but I trust that lesson has been learned.
Dry and relube.
A word of encouragement: GOB (The spouse of 41 years) left her cell phone in a pocket. She found it when moving the clothes from the washer to the dryer. It was laying in the bottom of the washing machine. We opened it, took out the battery and the sim. Let it lay open and dry for two days. Put in a fresh battery and the sim. It works fine, though the display was a little foggy for several weeks, but even that has cleared up.
WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT INTRODUCE ELECTRICITY UNTIL YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE THAT IT IS COMPLETELY DRY.
Thanks for the tips and support guys. It’s one of the reason’s I LOVE this forum.
My main concern is the can motors. They are semi-sealed (not water tight) The engines have been sitting in water for possibly up to two days. (That was the last time I went into the basement and it was dry)
Sadly we can add a 2-8-0 Western Maryland and VGN 2-8-8-2 Y3 with QSI to the casualty list.
I’m worried about the commutators, and brushes rusting given they might have been in rainwater for 2 days. Then how do I get the water out of them? If there’s any water left in them once I turn them on, I’ll surely blow out the decoder.
My insurance does not cover failed sump-pump.
To make matters worse, Life-like just does not make C&O stuff now that Walthers has taken over.
That sucks that your insurance isn’t going to cover at least some of your loss. Personally I would forget about the trains for now and focus on getting your basement dry. Get some dehumidifiers, heaters and fans running in the basement. Cut the drywall at least 1 foot above where the water line was and remove anything that got wet that absorbed water, DO IT TODAY. I used to work for a disaster clean up crew and we saw this type of problem all the time. This is the time mold will set in and if you don’t deal with the problem now it will be a HUGE problem down the road. As for the loco’s if you didn’t start blow drying them right after you removed them from the water then I bet rust has already started to form on the metal internal parts. As for everybody else that stores items on their basement floor all I have to say is don’t. Shelves are cheap and plastic tubs that you get at Walmart are cheaper. I could tell you stories of watching family’s crying as we hauled out family momento’s and other items of importance from flooded basements. For a couple hundred bucks disasters like this could be held to a minimum by just buying tubs and shelves.
Numerous OOP kits.