OT - I'm back online after Ike

[58limited]

My internet service was restored last Sunday. I've posted one or two replies this week, but this is the first time that I can sit and write an extended post.

I am very fortunate: I still have a house. There are so many in this area that lost everything. Bridge City and Orange do not have seawalls and parts of those towns got 5-8 feet of flood water from the storm surge, or more. I really have not driven to those areas for a look because I figured they they don't need tourists right now. Other towns nearby which received damage include Winnie (which is on the way to the Bolivar Peninsula which received the brunt of the storm), Hamshire, Fannett, and LaBelle.

My house suffered minor roof damage, flooding in my garage, and 1 inch of water in my kitchen. My standby generator was flooded. My 1949 Coldspot deep freeze was in the garage and now will not work, but my '48 Servel fridge and '55 Frigidaire, both also in the garage, still work. Here is a picture of the storm surge behind my house. The seawall is 17 feet high and the water is three feet below the top:

 

[58limited]

This picture is the debris that washed over the seawall. Mostly cane, salt grass, and lumber. The Corps of Engineers is going to clean this, but some of my impatient neighbors have already paid thousands of $$ to get their yards cleaned. The debris knocked out three window sections at the bottom of the greenhouse.

 

[58limited]

This guy was in a rather bad mood. This is a cotton mouth, or water moccasin, a venomous snake common around here. Many were washed into the area by the surge. I just killed one last Friday while walking out the back door to the rear of the garage to do laundry.

 

[58limited]

This is my kitchen the day of the storm. I had a sheet of hardy board blocking the back doors, but the storm ripped it off. Salt spray blew in between the two french doors. I had to clean and polish the table and chair legs to get the rust off.

 

[58limited]

Another kitchen picture.

 

[58limited]

I did not stay at the house during the storm because they predicted a 20-22 foot storm surge. I came back around noon on Saturday (I have a first responder pass) and made sure my house and animal clinic were secured.

 

[panthera]

Hey, David,

I'm glad you're back up and running. Many refrigeration units of that era used fairly complex starting circuits (complex by today's standards, not everything has gotten more complicated over time) and the electro/mechanical systems were housed in tight bakelight boxes. Tight enough to never let the water out, once it gets in...but not so tight as to prevent the water from getting in...
I know you have nothing better to do right now, but it might be worth a try - the compressor can't have been damaged, and if you can get the starting circuitry dried out, it probably will work again, too.
Ironically (our little flood was nothing compared to your mess, but my partner lost over 20 vacuums and a lot of electronics from the 1950's), we learned one neat trick recently: Flush the circuitry with fresh, clean water and let it dry really well. Obviously, if it has already shorted out that is not going to help...but the residue left by the flooding is conductive, the fresh water should leave things in decent condition.
Worked for us on the furnace circuit board.

Ugh, I hate snakes, especially poisonous ones. Hope the water moccasins all wander back to their streams and leave you alone!

 

[rp2813]

Wow David, that is a really scary situation being right by the seawall with 20' storm surge predicted. I guess the only thing you can say is, it could have been so much worse. Glad you made it through and are back on line. Just don't open any of the political threads or you may wish you'd lose your connection again!

Ralph

 

[frigilux]

What a mess! Glad the damage to your property wasn't any worse than it was---I don't envy your having to clean up a flooded home. Glad you're back online.

 

[alr2903]

58Limited/David, Glad you are home, what a mess keep your chin up, we had a tree in our house after katrina, and wet from rain water but not surge water like you experienced. Wishing you, that the stars align, and everything gets back to normal with your home soon. Being a resident down there, you know patience is the hardest thing. I felt the same way I want this $hit fixed NOW, yeah right... we still need the siding replaced on the west side of the house. I hate to be the worse house on the block, its a little easier to swallow though when everyone is the worse house on the block. watch out for those snakes. yikes arthur

 

[frontaloadotmy]

David

Hope you are able to dry out the Coldspot and get it freezing again , and that the kitchen damage won't require major re-
construction. At least you're not an irked Cotton Mouth!
I trust that the Series ??xx (darn I can only remember 40,60, 50,70 for that year ) was safely guarded behind a forty foot sea wall along with it's companions!!!

 

[58limited]

Thanks for the comments, everyone.

Keven: I do plan to try and service the deep freeze before I give up on it but it really is in pretty poor shape (lots of small rust holes in the lid).

Arthur: Thanks for the good wishes, and I hope your house is back to normal soon. I tend to be impatient too. Since the Corps of Engineers said they will clean the mess, I decided to wait. My lot (and most lots on this end of the street) is built up - about 6 feet above street level, plus the house is on a chain wall, the floors start about 3 feet above ground level. Many houses right down the road are at street level and are on slabs. Most had about a half-foot to a foot water in them - they have been ripping out carpet and drywall since the storm ended.

Darrel: I was able to enlist some friends to help me move several cars to Lumberton, Tx which is 50 miles north of me. I also stayed in Lumberton for the storm (not afraid of the wind, just ran from the storm surge). I'm glad I was able to do that. Salt spray blew all over everything and would have really messed up the old cars. I lost things in the garage (one side is open) that were four feet above the floor due to the salt spray. The insurance adjuster is advising that the kitchen floor will have to be ripped out - since the house is on a chain wall, the subflooring is wood. He is concerned that water soaked through the grout and will cause mold. I know that several hairline cracks have appeared in the tile. Oh, the Limited is a series 700 (model 755 to be precise).

 

[whirlcool]

I would be sure to say that there are more of those cottonmouths in that debris pile than you can count. Be very careful around that thing, especially at night!

Man, that was a close call for you. Has rinsing everything out helped with the smell? A friend of ours who has a house in Galveston said that the smell greatly subsided after he flushed the house out with fresh water. It seems the smell is in the silt that comes in.

Keep us posted on your recovery! Best Wishes!

 

[58limited]

Yes, the smell was in the silt. I squeegeed and mopped on Sunday 9/13 so I had the mess out of the house within two days. I was able to run two dehumidifiers that I have, along with two fridges and the new freezer I bought, with the gasoline generator I had to buy due to the damage to the big standby unit.

The insurance adjuster noticed some minor warping to the floors in the dinning room and living room so the insurance company is going to pay to have those refinished. I got a quote this week - the guy checked the moisture level of the wood floors and said it is 20-21%. The wood needs to be 12% to refinish. He said they would have to sand off the old finish, run an industrial-sized dehumidifier for about a week, and then refinish the floors. That really increased the price. This same company redid the floors of my master bedroom, guest room, and hallway three years ago. I had them give a separate bid to do the floors in my office - I have to pay that out of pocket. After these floors are done, all floors in the house will be finished and my remodeling projects of the past few years will be nearly complete.

 

[gyrafoam]

David hows the Buick? I'm glad things weren't any worse for you.
Best wishes!

 

[stevet]

A word or two to the wise!

Just reading this thread reminds me of how lucky we have been this year in Florida. We had to endure the slow moving storm that was Fay and where I am in Palm Coast, we really didn't feel the effects of her wrath till she finally moved on out and then we got like 6 inches of rain that Saturday. No flooding to speak of here but as many of you know, many other parts of the state were inundated with water. The St. John's river is just returning to below flood stage in most areas but that doesn't mean that the lakes that make up part of it are down much. I still can see water standing in yards along the lake fronts.

But more importantly, I noticed some advice about flushing itmes with water to make them less electro-conductive.. Well, I can appreciate how that would work, but be warned that if you have had any appliances or heating units or hot water heaters that have been underwater or have had their controls flooded, you should NEVER reuse them until all the controls are REPLACED!

As a commercial cooking equipment tech, I can tell you that most gas valves and thermostats as well as electronic ignition modules all work as a system to provide nearly 100% safety.

Water that has gotten into any of these devices will compromise the safe working of these components. We cannot nor do we recommend repairing any gas valve, regulator or safety device such as a pilot safety which many older ovens and ranges would have. While the unit may work fine today, there is no telling when it will fail and what effects the water, especially salt water will have on them.

My suggestion would be to have a certified technician or someone from the gas utility come out and determine the extent of the damage as well as the feasibility of replacing the components and then having the work done if needed.

The same goes for many of the electric based appliances as well. Motors may work now but the windings and wiring can begin to breakdown under use and even oven controls and infinite switches on ranges could go bad with the corrosion. Higher resistance at terminal ends dues to salt water will cause wiring to overheat and possibly cause a fire.

While we all treasure our appliances, new or vintage, they will be of no value if one of them causes the house they are in to be destroyed some time down the road.

 

[electroluxxxx]

oh dear
I wish I could come down there and help you clean it up. however I think that the freezer is able to be saved. I hope and pray that it is.
I pray that u get it together soon
Mike

 

[panthera]

Steve,

regarding gas appliances, you are absolutely right. It takes only a tiny wetting to destroy the control valve of a water heater, as we found out to the great consternation and cost of my partner.
I was referring to a situation where the electrical components are either irreplaceable or the system is of such great value, that it is worth the risk.
We did have the mechanical gas controls for the furnace checked out, before trying to save the electronics. They were just above the water line and the gas company found them to be in order. I guess their is some tag on them which changes color if it gets wet, just like in cell-phones.
We already know that the bearings will fail earlier than wanted in the blower, but our main concern was getting the AC drying the house out while the weather was still warm enough and having heat for the hard frosts which, at that altitude, you can even get in August.
The new water heater, by the by, is now 55cm above the floor, putting it's controls out of reach of anything but the worst case flooding.

 

[turquoisedude]

Good to hear that you are alright, David! Things could have been much worse - I'm sorry about the '49 Coldspot.