Shed flooded hedgetrimmer wet!!

[Andyd1606]

Just got home in the dark to find the river has burst its banks into my garden. Not normally a problem it does it every year but this is the highest it's been for a couple of years even last years wet winter! The problem is the shed where I keep my tools has about half a foot of water in it and my husky long reach hedge trimmer had fallen off the shelf and was sitting half submerged in water.

I've taken it out and brought it inside to dry off. What damage would the water do to the hedge trimmer and what do I need to do to it to get it running again or is it knackered?

Thanks Andy

[Ian Clarke]

I'm not a mechanic but dry out everything you can. Spark plug out and turn over to push out water. Check all terminals. Get a new air filter as the other one may still have damp in it. But I would say most of all check double check then check again.

[MATTMOSS]

Take it apart, dry it out, give it a blast with wd40, put it back together and get it running and re lube. Should be ok.

[wisecobandit]

I'm not a mechanic but dry out everything you can. Spark plug out and turn over to push out water. Check all terminals. Get a new air filter as the other one may still have damp in it. But I would say most of all check double check then check again.

Pretty much spot on.

Before you do anything take the plug out and pull it over to expel as much water as poss and shake any water out the exhaust. Also you can pour a teaspoon of 2 stoke oil or even wd40 thru the plughole to help prevent rust spotting on the rings.

Leave in a nice warm room for a day or so

Replace the fuel to.

[spudulike]

Engines and bearings rust damn quickly if they get wet, as others have said, pull the plug, get rid of the water, get some WD40 down the plug hole, try to get it around the crank bearings.

 

Make sure it is dry and then refule and try to get it started within a day or two and run it up for an hour or so with lots of lube and if possible, keep running it regularly every week or two.

 

You may find it will rust and seize if left over the winter period, probably worth keeping it in the warm for a while after it is running again.

[Ian Clarke]

Pretty much spot on.

 

thanks wise co:thumbup:

[agg221]

Which river? I'm on the Stour and it's been pretty high but we just got away with it in the shed.

 

Several of my things have been submerged. Water probably won't have got in through the carb but is likely to have got through the exhaust, so how far it got depends on where the piston is. As has been said, get it running ASAP, even if that means not properly dry first. There is no better way to get residual damp pulled through and the whole thing warm and dry than to run it (and whose hedges don't look better for a quick trim in November...)

 

I once had my dumper go right under - took rather more cranking than usual to get it running but it fired up in the end, spat out the water and away it went!

 

Alec

[Andyd1606]

Thanks guys I've taken it apart and dried as much as I can and got some wd40 in it last night. I'm going to run it up this morning and fingers crossed it starts! We're on a branch of the Brett which runs into the stour so must be the length of the Stour that's bad

[Andyd1606]

Quick update I got the thing started after a few pulls! I let it run up for a while and started a few times to make sure it's ok. I will give it a run tomorrow again to make sure it's ok fingers crossed.

Agg221 the rivers going down where we are but it normally empties into the Stour when it goes so may be coming your way

[agg221]

Glad to hear it's OK. I am upstream from you and it's also dropping well here.

 

Alec