Flood Damage/Salvage options?

EW57 · #1 05-13-2010, 08:25 PM

Hey all, my area got hammered with rain last night, causing flash flooding that filled the shop where I work with 18" of (muddy, but probably not "just" mud) water. I had two Omni 15's there, stacked one on top of the other.

Is the bottom cabinet salvageable at all? Its hard to say how long it was wet, it came & went pretty fast.

How about 3015LF's?

Hollywars · #2 05-13-2010, 08:45 PM

I assume any paper speaker cones that get wet will have SEVERELY compromised integrity. The cabinets will probably need recarpeting if they are carpeted and a cleaning out if they get moldy. If there is a crossover in it, it might need to be replaced but I have no experience with those. I would clean out the cabs and let them dry and probably throw out/test the speakers after a while, or recone them.

will33 · #3 05-13-2010, 09:49 PM

If the water was about 18" deep, obviously the top cab should be fine as will the mid, x-over and tweet in the bottom cab. I would consider the woofer in the bottom cab to be a complete loss without even trying it. The other thing to consider in the bottom half of the bottom cabs structural integrity. Sitting in water like that will make glue joints come loose as well as the glue between the individual plys in the plywood to fail. I'd open up the bottom cab, throw the 15 away and look at the water damage to the actual wood. Obviously anything below the water line shouldn't be trusted but check how far up the cab it soaked. Might be able to get away with cutting the bottom half off the cab and patching on a new bottom.

Is your the TB or the short/fat version. If it's the short one, damage may have been done to the midhorn part depending on how high up things absorbed the water.

As far as whatever other crap may have been floating around in the water

it doesn't really matter, it's being soaked in water that'll do the damage.

EW57 · #4 05-13-2010, 10:39 PM

I just got the bottom one finished about two weeks ago and hadnt got to play through the pair yet with anything other than a few CD's.

I was waiting on a new gasket for the other 15 & then they were going home, I was probably two days away from getting them out of there!!

The two I had/have a the short & squatty knuckle buster style.

I'll never know for certain, but I'd guess it was exposed for an hour or two.

Maybe tomorrow I'll get'er opened up if I can keep the tears/nausea in check!

Thank god it was ported!! if the stack wouldve fell and the rack hit the ground/got wet I wouldve probably required medication & restraints for awhile.

will33 · #5 05-13-2010, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EW57

Thank god it was ported!! if the stack wouldve fell and the rack hit the ground/got wet I wouldve probably required medication & restraints for awhile.

Your situation definately sucks but hey, it could always be worse. They may have been both sitting side by side on the floor, or if they were sealed cabs, they may have actually floated and dumped the rack.....looking for a bright spot here.