Powertools saved from death-by-saltwater.

[Davidhoy]

I recently had some of my favorite (read most expensive) powertools take a swim - long story for another time. This included my Fein Multimaster, Makita router, and Makita drill. After washing them thoroughly in fresh water, I then doused them in WD-40 and let sit overnight, upright in a bucket so that any excess would drain out. The next day I wiped off all the visible residue, and, with some trepidation, plugged them in. Much to my delight, they all seemed to run without issue, even the variable speed rotary switches worked great. After another week, I tried them again, all still good. Looks like I dodged a bullet :-).

That said, I wonder at the long term effects. Will this dunking affect the lifetime of these tools? I also read something about WD-40 and carbon brushes not getting along too well.

I suspect that battery-operated tools might not fare so well, certainly the batteries themselves would short out and need to be replaced.

-David

[LoudMusic]

I am surprised they came back to life and would be suspect of their longevity.

Did you actually disassemble them to clean out the internals?

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by LoudMusic

I am surprised they came back to life and would be suspect of their longevity.

Did you actually disassemble them to clean out the internals?

I did not disassemble them, just sprayed WD-40 liberally into every opening until it was dripping out the bottom, then stood them up in a bucket to catch whatever drained. I used the Fein yesterday, and it worked as well as it ever did.

[thinwater]

I can't count how many times I've personally forgotten or seen good quality tools, like Milwaukee, get left out in the rain at night. Guys dropped them in salt water around the docks and generally didn't wash them out. We had a bunch go under water for weeks during Katrina. Mud puddles were common. I've dropped them in crude oil vats and they still last years of more use than yours will see in a lifetime. They are not cell phones, don't have electronic components, and are built to withstand a LOT of abuse.


I would have rinsed then very well in freshwater to get the salt out, dried, and skipped the WD-40. Just get the salt out. But I doubt the WD-40 did any harm.



I doubt any harm was done.

[roverhi]

If you don't turn on/plug in the tools, wash away the salt, and let them dry out before turning them on there shouldn't be any problem. The problem is it's not always easy to get the salt out. Spraying with WD 40 seems to make a big difference. There is also some stuff called salt away that may be worth trying. Have no experience with it, however.

Back in the last millennia had a Sony multi band radio that liked to go swimming at the slip. Fished out the radio and stuck it in a bucket of water for a couple of hours and left it out in the sun to dry for a day or two. It kept coming back. Of course the radio didn't have the ultra delicate printed circuits in most electronics today but it didn't seem to mind an occasional swim and rinse off.

[svlamorocha]

I had excellent results in resuscitating AC motors of watermaker high-pressure pumps that had been flooded un saltwater (typical when the ETD of a Sea Recovery watermaker locks up and the high pressure pump keeps going because the switch is in the wrong location). The trick is to rinse several timea in a big vat filled with RO water, then dry thoroughly. We even built a system to pump dry hot air through the vents of the motor. Several years have gone by and none of the motors have failed.

[skipgundlach]

my apologies for dictation...

My kiss wind generator took a swim. It destroyed the housing. I took it apart, Rinsed it in fresh water, soaked with corrosion x and put it back together.

Still working great eight years later.

[uncle stinkybob]

I found my cheap H.F. drill motor in the bilge, wet, rusty, battery still on it.
cleaned up contacts on battery and drill, put on charger. It took a charge. I had to pound the chuck with a hammer to loosen the rust (nothing to loose) then sprayed wd40 everyday for 3 days, working it and brushing with wire brush, more pounding.
Hosed out the whole drill motor with wd40. Pulled brushes, cleaned them up, cleaned up commutator as best as possible.
That was a year and a half ago or more, still works fine. I didn't expect it but I'll take it.

[sailormed]

I had a french SS welder working on my boat. His assistant dropped the new polisher in the Med. It was not the assistant that went for a swim to pickup the brand new polisher. I gave him a towel and a bucket that he used to rinse the polisher several times in fresh water. He dried it the whole night above the radiator in the workshop. Started the next morning and still working.

[hellosailor]

The freshwater rinse, to get rid of the salt, was critical. And then getting rid of the fresh water, which the WD40 probably did a good job of. The usual way to get rid the fresh water is with a soaking of isopropanol (plain rubbing alcohol with no additives is usually that) which can be left to evaporate cleanly.

With the WD-40, you have to ask how or if that affects anything else, plastics, rubbers, lubricants, internally. So it might just be fine, but personally I would open up every last one of the tools and check to see if anything needed to be re-lubricated, or if any crud (algae, dirt) got in along the way.

[stormalong]

Another way to dry them after a fresh water soak is to put them in the oven on the lowest heat setting for a couple of hours. Wouldn't go over 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

[Bradwithnoboat]

Just another option here....
Wash in fresh water, a good wash to make sure the salt is shifted.
I then use an air compressor to dry. Not always available to folk but it's what I use with good results. It shifts the fresh water and you're back in business pretty quickly.
I'd have to say that any battery operated tools might not survive. The 'skin' might but the battery is likely to be toast as the batteries generally have a multitude of electronics in them for charge sensing and load capacity. Since the electronics will always be powered on, any ingress of salt water is likely to let the smoke out. I guess it depends on how well sealed they are.