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How resistant to water are speakers and xover components?

Today we were hit with a flash flood down here in the RGV and area was pounded with 15" of water in a few hours. We ended up having over 5" of water in the house and about 9 in our garage. Unfortunately I left at 7 in the morning, but my wife was able to get off of work and head home as tge water was rising. By 9:30 water was coming into the house. My newly built T39's were in the garage. Unfortunately one had the mouth facing up and the half the speaker got submerged with the rising water. About half way up to the voice coil. So I took out tye spesker and set it out to dry. What are the chances it is ok?

Now inside I had my J12Lites stacked and the bottom one got some water up to the lower rim of the speaker. I think the speaker will be ok, but the xover components were submerged. Are the caps water resistant?

This was at 7:50am as my wife drove out
https://www.facebook.com/SpeedShed/vide ... 524242609/ This was taken at 10:15 am after she got home. You can see the water level on the white car change Let me know if there in anything I can do to hopefully keep from buying a new speaker

Thank you

I'm no expert, but I want to say they should be ok. If there wasn't any power connect to the drivers while wet, you shouldn't have to worry about anything shorting. Just make sure everything has had plenty of time to completely dry out before testing them.

Same for the capacitors, (I could be wrong) but if they are sealed well enough to keep the chemicals inside of them from oozing out, the should be able keep water out too.

My only real concern is that the water may have weekend the glue attaching the cone to the surround of the driver.

Good luck!

Gee Oscar.....so sorry this happened. Texas weather.....

I hope the water didn't damage your equipment but in my experience with electronics vs. water, it usually ends up with water winning the battle. I'd also be concerned about the wood swelling and causing issues with your cabinets.

Thank you guys. Fortunatly all the amps and gear was on top of the 2 Jack's so no damage there. Ok. Worst case I will need a 12 HO and LF or min recon kits. I have a wedding on the 30th. Hope the wood on the subs will be ok. I still beed to paint them.

The spiders on the drivers are very sensitive to water, they tend to lose their accordion shape when they get wet. Unless the factory had a coating on them . As was mentioned, the surface of the wood would swell. Dry them out and sand them down with a random orbital sander, then duratex (or whatever you use).

This is one of the reasons I chose marine ply for my speaker builds..

Good luck, I hope everything is ok once dry.

Marine ply differs mainly by its use of waterproof glue, and many interior plys use waterproof glue as well. Baltic Birch tends to use waterproof glue, as it's used in kitchen cabinets that are subjected to heat and humidity. Unless protected by a finish the wood of marine ply will swell and warp.

I hope that the spider will be ok. Haven't looked at it since yesterday. The T39's seem to be dyring well. Maybe I will hook them up tonight and see what happens. Should I put them in the sun tomorrow and let them take in the 95+ weather.

Thank you all for the input. Much appreciated

Heat plus water is probably a bad idea.

10-4. Maybe I should take them to work and put them in the warehouse with a fan blowing on them so they can air out in the shade

Water in and of itself does damage, but the type of water you get in a flood is filled with nasty stuff, and tends to be pretty corrosive. If you have insurance, you will probably be making a claim anyway... just let the insurance pay for it. If you don't have insurance... well... I'd plan on replacing the drivers for sure and probably the crossovers. Even if you get them dried out, the material properties of the driver will have changed, and there will be residues on the electronics. Your best bet on that is to wash with distilled water, or use an electronics cleaner of some sort, but if the corrosion has started, it's going to be hard to restore.

As far as drying out the cabinets, while they are damp, wash them as best you can and rinse with clean water. Get them in a place with moving air and a dehumidifier if possible. Wood and water don't go well together either, unfortunately.

BrentEvans wrote: ↑Sat Jun 23, 2018 7:42 pm Water in and of itself does damage, but the type of water you get in a flood is filled with nasty stuff, and tends to be pretty corrosive. If you have insurance, you will probably be making a claim anyway... just let the insurance pay for it. If you don't have insurance... well... I'd plan on replacing the drivers for sure and probably the crossovers. Even if you get them dried out, the material properties of the driver will have changed, and there will be residues on the electronics. Your best bet on that is to wash with distilled water, or use an electronics cleaner of some sort, but if the corrosion has started, it's going to be hard to restore.

As far as drying out the cabinets, while they are damp, wash them as best you can and rinse with clean water. Get them in a place with moving air and a dehumidifier if possible. Wood and water don't go well together either, unfortunately.

Thanks Brent, I fired them up yesterday and it all sounded good. Played some jams from in the garage with speakers facing the street for about 7-9 at about 3/4 volume The house was rattling inside, one of my neighbors said it sounded good and he was inside his home. The inspector came today. We did some demo on the house and Removed drywall and insulation Man I am glad I have friends that helped me today.

Yes I will be submitting speakers in the claim for reimbursement. I will order ordering a spare sub and xover components We will see hoe long it hold up

If you have replacement cost insurance be sure to submit them at the equivalent retail value on Bill’s website, or get a quote from an authorized builder. Your sweat equity is worth something.

Thanks Brent I plan on doing that. Thought about just doing the speaker, but never thought about asking an authorized builder for an unfinished cab quote.