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Post-Katrina salvage of audio gear and software

First, I consider myself fortunate to have made it out of our downtown New Orleans hotel-shelter with my elderly parents and Brittany spaniel. I am very grateful to the hotel staff, national guard, friends, family and kind strangers I have encountered along the way. I also want to thank the audiogoners who have made and encouraged contributions to Katrina relief efforts. My home in the Lakeview section of New Orleans was inundated with aproximately 10 feet of brackish water after the levee adjacent to the 17st Street Canal broke on August 29th. Inside was enough gear for two tube-based and one solid state system. At present, it is unclear when I will be allowed to return to inspect damage. What should I and others similarly situated do with our audio equipment and software? I am thinking that we should consider all the audio gear a total loss with the possible exception of the cables. Any thoughts about this matter and what we should do with our vinyl and CD collections would be much appreciated. David
mrwigglewm
r_f_sayles's avatar
r_f_sayles
872 posts
 
I am sorry to hear of your miss fortune. This is indeed devastating. First off I wish you and yours the best and hope that as a country we can rebuild this area into something special like it once was.
As for the gear, I am not a professional in the audio business but just a Hifi buff. IMHO I think the wires will be no good as well as they are not waterproof and will oxidize over time. I would not take the chance of hooking them up to anything you may value in the future as the moisture may create electrical shorting. Laissez les bon temps rouller
audiokinesis
2,754 posts
 
Hello David!

Great to hear you and your parents and Trixie made it out okay. I feared the worst for your house, and from what you describe that seems to be the case. I'm still kind of shell-shocked by it all, and I wasn't even there.

Regarding the post-flood prognosis for your equipment, my suggestion would be to give Richard a call. I'm e-mailing you his cell phone number through your Audiogon identity; I lost your e-mail address. If you can't get your e-mail that's sent through Audiogon for some reason, then e-mail me at audiokinesis@yahoo.com.

Your vinyl might well be salvageable. I'm thinking a good soaking in a mild detergent solution to loosen the paper as the first step. Alan T. might be a good resource on this, but I don't have his contact information either. Richard might. Anyway, you'll probaby have some mildew in the grooves, and Kevin Blair of Buggtussel sells a record-cleaning enzyme that is supposed to work especially well on mold and mildew. I'll put on my dealer hat and give him a holler. Here's a link to his mold-eating enzyme page:

http://www.buggtussel.com/vinylzyme.asp

If you want to call me, my New Orleans-based cell phone isn't working reliably yet but you can reach me at (208) 852-2610.

Lori also says hello.

Duke
gordus
118 posts
 
Hello David,

First, my thoughts and prayers are with you and all those about you!

It may be a long shot, but the electronics may be salvageable. I'm not too sure, but since the components are air tight then they should be water tight also. Dismantle as much as possible and flush out all the silt and salt with plenty of fresh water. Use reagent grade methanol or isopropyl alcohol to flush/rinse out the water and blow dry with canned air. Water damage should clean up far easier than heat and smoke damage I would expect!!! Once the units are cleaned up you can decide whether sending them back to the manufacturer(s) for inspection/repair is worthwhile...

Don't give up hope just yet!!!
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
simply forget about gear.
chadnliz's avatar
chadnliz
3,737 posts
 
Dont let any bone heads tell you to give up on your gear, maybe it will be ok and maybe it wont, but for those who suggest you give up without trying I would suggest putting yourself in others shoes. God Bless you guys and I hope you can get back to some normal life as soon as possible.
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