Florence Wright on wed 25 apr 07
Last Monday, my poor kiln was flooded by water that was up to 3-4 feet in
our basement. I have only had it a year.
I see flood warnings for our area ALL THE TIME. Any time it=92s going to ra=
in
for more than a half a day, we see flood warnings. I knew this one was
going to be bad, but I didn=92t think it would be that bad =85. Famous last
words. I didn=92t take ANY precautions.
Monday morning, the kiln was half filled with water and the controller box
was still on. A short time later, the water was up to the top of the kiln
and the controller box was off. Then another short time later, the
controller box was on and there was steam coming off the water in and around=
the kiln. My husband rigged a cane on the end of a long pole and pulled the=
plug. I was horrified and the images of =93what could have happened=94 have=
haunted me ever since, so let=92s not go down that road, please =85 I=92m
depressed enough.
On Tuesday, I took the controller box off and brought it upstairs to dry
out. I opened the back so that air could get to the wiring and chips inside=
and allow it to dry off quicker.
Here is my plan: After I am sure the the kiln is dry, I will put it all
back together again and plug it in. If the controller seems like it is
looking =93normal=94, then I will put it through a firing, empty, with a 8-1=
0
hour pre-heat. Of course, I will keep a very close eye on it. The vent fan=
will have to be working too. I had taken the vent off the floor and put it
up higher, but I think it did get a little water in it, not sure how much.
So, does that sound like a fairly decent plan, if so, is the pre-heat time
adequate? Also, what cone do you think would be good to take it up to? I
will place cones in the center of the kiln on a few levels, to make sure it
is still firing evenly. I am so depressed about this, you cannot even
imagine, but I am forcing myself to not be as upset as I=92d like to be, unt=
il
I know for sure it is not working. BTW - my kiln is a Skutt.
Thanks for your help.
Flo (who was frustrated with trying to post through Yahoo and just found out=
by the very kind moderator that she had to sign up via ListServ, then
thought she was signed on with Yahoo, but couldn't figure out why her posts
never showed up ... duh!)
Marcia Selsor on wed 25 apr 07
Dear Flo,
In 1978 a year after building a rammed earth studio, my property was
in a flood in Montana.
The rammed earth building sat in water for 10 days. I never saw so
many dead earthworm's in my life.
My electric kiln was under water completely and the water did reside.
I dried out the kiln, and the sitter/timer.
Since there was a layer of mud, I brushed off everything after it
dried, I cleaned out the grooves, and element.
After all was clean and dry, I fired it up and it worked fine.
As for the rammed earth I filled river rock to the building where the
laower part of the walls had eroded a little bit. It was fine too.
Marcia Selsor
http://marciaselsor.com
John Rodgers on thu 26 apr 07
Flo,
You need to call the kiln manufacturer and find out what they recommend.
A good company can give you some very good advise as to how to proceed
and save the day.
DO NOT use heat to dry the components. Many times electrical components
can be dried out - read "water removal" - by rinsing with alcohol. The
alcohol has a strong affinity for the water, and will absorb the water
and carry it away faster and also evaporate it faster and leave no
residue. After cleaning, use fans to further evaporation. After
suffiicient time a test operation might be in order - There is some
danger that the alcohol may dissolve or soften susceptible parts. Any
mechanical components can be sprayed with WD 40 - (read "Water
Dispersoal Batch #40) - not to lubricate but to displace water or
moisture. If WD 40 is used, it should be wiped up throroughly after use.
But I emphasize - Call the manufacturer for their recommendations.
Good luck,
Regards,
John Rodgers
Chelsea, AL
Florence Wright wrote:
> Last Monday, my poor kiln was flooded by water that was up to 3-4 feet in
> our basement. I have only had it a year.
>
> I see flood warnings for our area ALL THE TIME. Any time it’s going to rain
> for more than a half a day, we see flood warnings. I knew this one was
> going to be bad, but I didn’t think it would be that bad …. Famous last
> words. I didn’t take ANY precautions.
>
> Monday morning, the kiln was half filled with water and the controller box
> was still on. A short time later, the water was up to the top of the kiln
> and the controller box was off. Then another short time later, the
> controller box was on and there was steam coming off the water in and around
> the kiln. My husband rigged a cane on the end of a long pole and pulled the
> plug. I was horrified and the images of “what could have happened” have
> haunted me ever since, so let’s not go down that road, please … I’m
> depressed enough.
>
> On Tuesday, I took the controller box off and brought it upstairs to dry
> out. I opened the back so that air could get to the wiring and chips inside
> and allow it to dry off quicker.
>
> Here is my plan: After I am sure the the kiln is dry, I will put it all
> back together again and plug it in. If the controller seems like it is
> looking “normal”, then I will put it through a firing, empty, with a 8-10
> hour pre-heat. Of course, I will keep a very close eye on it. The vent fan
> will have to be working too. I had taken the vent off the floor and put it
> up higher, but I think it did get a little water in it, not sure how much.
>
> So, does that sound like a fairly decent plan, if so, is the pre-heat time
> adequate? Also, what cone do you think would be good to take it up to? I
> will place cones in the center of the kiln on a few levels, to make sure it
> is still firing evenly. I am so depressed about this, you cannot even
> imagine, but I am forcing myself to not be as upset as I’d like to be, until
> I know for sure it is not working. BTW - my kiln is a Skutt.
>
> Thanks for your help.
>
> Flo (who was frustrated with trying to post through Yahoo and just found out
> by the very kind moderator that she had to sign up via ListServ, then
> thought she was signed on with Yahoo, but couldn't figure out why her posts
> never showed up ... duh!)
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
>
>
>
Patty Kaliher on thu 26 apr 07
Ouch! My heart goes out to you.
I've lived through three hurricanes and have seen a lot of very wet
electronics. The secret is to dry it our fast. It helps if the water was
fresh and not dirty. We would store items in fresh water until we could dry
our things out, hook them up and stand back to see if sparks would fly. The
biggest danger is the combination of moisture and oxygen, both necessary for
corrosion.
My experience with flood insurance taught me that only "standard basement
items" are covered. Hot Water heater yes, carpet no, washer dryer and
furnace are covered, computers are not. So having flood insurance would not
help you with the kiln.
If your kiln does work after being dried out, components may still have a
shorter life expectancy because of the exposure to water.
I'll cross my fingers for you. Good Luck
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Florence Wright
Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 11:44 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Flooded Kiln (nor'easter in NJ) :-(
Last Monday, my poor kiln was flooded by water that was up to 3-4 feet in
our basement. I have only had it a year.
I see flood warnings for our area ALL THE TIME. Any time it's going to rain
for more than a half a day, we see flood warnings. I knew this one was
going to be bad, but I didn't think it would be that bad .. Famous last
words. I didn't take ANY precautions.
Monday morning, the kiln was half filled with water and the controller box
was still on. A short time later, the water was up to the top of the kiln
and the controller box was off. Then another short time later, the
controller box was on and there was steam coming off the water in and around
the kiln. My husband rigged a cane on the end of a long pole and pulled the
plug. I was horrified and the images of "what could have happened" have
haunted me ever since, so let's not go down that road, please . I'm
depressed enough.
On Tuesday, I took the controller box off and brought it upstairs to dry
out. I opened the back so that air could get to the wiring and chips inside
and allow it to dry off quicker.
Here is my plan: After I am sure the the kiln is dry, I will put it all
back together again and plug it in. If the controller seems like it is
looking "normal", then I will put it through a firing, empty, with a 8-10
hour pre-heat. Of course, I will keep a very close eye on it. The vent fan
will have to be working too. I had taken the vent off the floor and put it
up higher, but I think it did get a little water in it, not sure how much.
So, does that sound like a fairly decent plan, if so, is the pre-heat time
adequate? Also, what cone do you think would be good to take it up to? I
will place cones in the center of the kiln on a few levels, to make sure it
is still firing evenly. I am so depressed about this, you cannot even
imagine, but I am forcing myself to not be as upset as I'd like to be, until
I know for sure it is not working. BTW - my kiln is a Skutt.
Thanks for your help.
Flo (who was frustrated with trying to post through Yahoo and just found out
by the very kind moderator that she had to sign up via ListServ, then
thought she was signed on with Yahoo, but couldn't figure out why her posts
never showed up ... duh!)
____________________________________________________________________________
__
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
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