• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Double Bass wet amplifier

R

robert.o

Jul 19, 2005
32
1
Manchester NH
#1
i came back from a two-week vacation and realized that i had left my walter woods amp in the trunk of my wife's car...
eh, yes, i know this wasn't very smart...


i pulled the amp out of the car and it was covered with quite a bit of condensation... the face plate was covered with beaded drops of water... i took the cover off of the amp and there was a bit of moisture inside.
i dried as much of it as i could with a paper towel and then i left the amp to air-dry with the cover off... it's been over a week since i discovered this and i haven't turned it on yet.

is my amp going to die when i turn it on?

any suggestions?
 
#3
You can send it in for repair, or you can probably just take the covers over, let it dry for a few days, and not worry about it. Modern electrical gear doesn't have much that's subject to water damage.

20 years ago I had an apartment fire that resulted in my stereo gear being filled with plaster dust and whatever else the fireman's hose brought in. I ran the amp and tuner under the shower for a few minutes, let them dry for a day, and shot a little lube into the control pots. I turned them on, and I'm still using them today.

So long as there's no water left inside you're okay. Pull the bottom cover and make sure there's no water on the underside of the PC board.
 
#4
Do something to hasten the drying process, like putting it next to a hot air register in your house for a few days. Also, I suggest getting a can of "dust-off" from a camera store, and blowing out the pots, since those are otherwise hard to access.
 
#5
Given that you have left it for over a week already with the cover off, I would be astounded if there were still moisture on it. Make sure it is dry and that the pots are clean, and turn it on. As long as the moisture is gone by now, powering up the amp should not do any additional damage. (Should it? I can't see why)
 
#6
Make sure it's dry and fire it up. I'm sure it's fine. The thing not to do is fire it up while soaking wet. After a week in a dry environ I'm thinking it's plenty dry.
 
#7
i let the amp sit around my house for about two weeks and then i finally called walter woods. he told me that there would probably be no problem ... i plugged the amp in and turned it on and it works fine... walter informed me that he himself does take a garden house to amps when people send them to him after they've spilled soda, beer, etc into them...
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back