Experience with smoke damage

[AT_T_2D]

I am looking for other users experience with smoke damage. Our house was hit by lightning last week which started a fire in the ceiling of my basement woodshop. Initially I am hearing from the insurance company that anything with a motor is scrap due to the internal smoke damage to the motors. They say that the smoke enters through the vents into the motors and they would probably work now, but not for very long. I am also seeing rust on work surfaces, bearings, etc from the standing water in the room. Please let me know if this is consistent with what others have experienced. Fortunately we all got out safely, which is all that really matters.

Also I have a 50's vintage Delta bandsaw that has been in my family for generations. I will not part with it. Any thoughts on what would need to be done to keep it functional, if that is possible?

Thank you

 

[pop-pop]

A voltage surge could possibly damage a motor. Hard to believe smoke doing any significant damage other than discoloration. IMO, the adjuster is either wrong or bullsh*tting you for some other reason (that probably involves $).

 

[AT_T_2D]

Thank you for the feedback. Things are kind of a blur right now, but it had something to do with the corosiveness of the smoke over time on anything metal. Also said over time that it eats the coating off of circuit boards and will cause shorts in the pathways.

 

[Jim M.]

Got curious about this myself so after a little googling found this post with practical experience.

Electric motors dying from fire smoke damage?

A wood shop nearby had a fire (started in an idle powerstrip after hours). Lots of heat and smoke. Fully insured luckily. The insurance adjuster said that the electric motors from equipment that did not appear to be affected would start dying in a year or so after the fire. Sure enough, they...

www.practicalmachinist.com

 

[ssmith]

+1 on @pop-pop's answer - damage is very unlikely as long as it was not running during the fire or is totally enclosed. Either way, little chance of water or smoke getting into it.

If an open motor WAS running, it may have ingested smoke (maybe corrosive depending on the source?) or water and you may want to consider replacing it or having it torn down and cleaned by a motor shop. Or, you could just run it and see what happens.

 

[mdbuntyn]

If you're on Instagram or Facebook, reach out to turningsawdustintogroceries. He had a shop fire late last year, and may be open to answering some questions

 

[bob vaughan]

Smoke 'damage' is one thing. The burnt smell can usually be eliminated by rubbing or washing the surfaces with alcohol. I came across some smoke damaged equipment that reeked of smoke. Took the machines apart and wiped them down with alcohol (the stronger, the better). The smokey smell went away. Its a commitment of time and effort that may or may not be worth it.\
Water damage is another thing. If the motors have been under water for any length of time, the motor can be taken apart, dried out, replace the bearings and you're good to go. A totally enclosed, fan cooled motor is the worst because the water has a tendency to stay in the motor. (TEFC doesn't mean water proof).'
If the motor was submerged with flood mud, the motor can be brought back but its a nasty and time consuming mess.
As far as the term "internal smoke damage" goes, that's a little vague. A motor sitting idle in a smoky environment will accumulate a smoky film like other things that were in a smokey room. Wipe it down with alcohol and you're good.
If the fire got hot enough to burn the windings, the paint on the motor will be pretty much burned off. That's a scenario that will be self-evident for ruined motors or anything else.

 

[tri4sale]

I thought they died when the smoke escaped the tool, not when it got in ????

But yes, I've heard this too, and had one person explain they would rather pay for value/replacement now then for you to call in 6 to 12 months saying the other equipment is failing. Especially if it's smoke from plastics burning, that stuff is bad news.

 

[mpeele]

In a fire there is smoke damage and there is heat damage. A fire generates lot of heat in a confined space( 600 to 1500 deg). Enough to damage the varnish on magnet wire used in motor windings, boil the oil in capacitors and possibly damage the bearings. If there is paint blistering there is possible damage to starting capacitor and other wiring. You can check the motor windings with an ohm meter and damaged capacitors will distort or leak. Bearings in the motor and other places will fail over time.

 

[Skymaster]

FIRST am very glad all made it out safely. 2nd Sounds like your insurance is going to cover all materials that were in the smoke, I wouldnt touch a blasted item, claim everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have rebuilt one house after a lightning strike, cant begin to tell you about all the hidden damage that is there

 

[Oka]

I have cleaned motors on our ranch. Rubbing alcohol or denatured. Test the Amature and windings to make sure they are OK.
Couple of cans of electric cleaner( menthonal and something else like brake cleaner) clean and replace the bearings they are cheap. They will be fine

 

[Craptastic]

Smoke damage to the winding coatings and unsealed bearings is a real thing. Have a inlaw that had a commercial shop up in Milwaukee that had a fire in the neighbor's plastic milling shop where all he had was smoke damage. Pretty much right on a year later motors on his equipment started dying left and right. You should take up the insurance on getting them replaced right offhand. Sounds like the adjuster is treating you right.

 

[jcz]

Having been thru a house fire. I feel for you and family. Glad you all are safe.
I lost all of my wood working equipment. No way to save any of it. Worst of all was losing my granddads drill press. It was so much nicer than the powermatic I replaced it with.
As far as the motors on your equipment. If it is just smoke damage I'd replace it all except the old bandsaw. You can keep it for sentimental reasons. If the other equipment was just equipment I'd get new.
We kept a treadmill out of our house. It was in the room farthest from the fire. It smelled of smoke for a while. It is still going strong. Had no issues from smoke damage.

 

[marinosr]

Yeah smoke can be quite corrosive, especially on thin electronic traces on circuit boards. I'd clean everything, but take the insurance money and then replace things as they break.

I have cleaned motors on our ranch. Rubbing alcohol or denatured. Test the Amature and windings to make sure they are OK.
Couple of cans of electric cleaner( menthonal and something else like brake cleaner) clean and replace the bearings they are cheap. They will be fine

EXCEPT if you have very old motors where the windings are insulated with shellac. Then you definitely do not want to be using alcohol!

 

[bphaynes]

My grandfather had a similar thing happen in his shop a few years back. He's always told me he should have had the insurance company replace his tools, but he liked them and thought he would refurbish them himself. He never did, but he passed them down to me and they're working fine after some elbow grease. I can't speak to a bandsaw, but he gave me his 1990s Delta drill press, floor model, and it's been fine just had to get the rust off, but no problems with the motor as far as I can tell.

 

[Mike Wilkins]

Depending on what was burning from the fire, that smoke can be damaging to some surfaces. Having worked in insurance claims for 25 years, I have seen smoke and soot from the fire destroy plated surfaces such as faucets and circuit boards on electronic items. Painted and cast iron surfaces usually can be cleaned with general cleaners.
If the insurance company is willing to replace the damaged items, I would take them up on it.

 

[AT_T_2D]

A big thank you to everyone for all of the great information. I should know more about how the insurance company wants to handle this in the next few days. At least now I can go into the conversation with a good understanding of the options and impacts.

They have a specialist coming out soon for the arcade games, hopefully this week too. I am very concerned about all of the circuit boards in the pinball machines. They are in the room that had the heaviest smoke other than the shop itself.

 

[tri4sale]

They have a specialist coming out soon for the arcade games, hopefully this week too. I am very concerned about all of the circuit boards in the pinball machines. They are in the room that had the heaviest smoke other than the shop itself.

Ouch!!! Pinball prices are thru the roof right now, that could be very expensive.

 

[AT_T_2D]

There is a specialist coming out to assess the smoke damage and determine next steps. I sure hope there is a way they can save them. I would cry if I lost my Twilight Zone that I bought back in '97. My Toy Story is only 3 weeks old, but I had the glass off of it to do some tweaks on the playfield. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[bowman]

Did you have a rider on your policy for the arcade games/pinball machines?