With drastic storms and flooding impacting large swaths of the county, there will obviously be schools, theaters, and other venues whose audio and lighting equipment has be inundated with water. So what can be salvaged exactly?

 

Certain larger pieces of equipment can be refurbished, but it isn’t as easy as simply drying them out. It involves using the proper cleaning agents, and the success of refurbishing depends of the electrical function of the equipment, the extent of flooding, the equipment’s age, and the amount of time it was in water. Another issue is that a flooded piece of equipment is not only wet, but also contaminated with whatever pollutants were in the water.
What does that mean for a theatre, school auditorium, or other venue? Here are some key items that should be replaced.
-Fuses, switches, circuit breakers
-Components containing semiconductors and transistors. That means lighting and sound control consoles, dimmer rack control and power modules, and all LED fixtures.
-Transformers. If the transformer feeding your dimmer racks was submerged, it has to be replaced.
-Outlets and switches
-Wiring in conduit
-Stage cables
-Uninterruptible power supplies
-Communications systems
-Batteries
What might be successfully reconditioned? Not much.
Conduit and tubing, if it can be completely dried out
Motors. Consult the manufacturers of your stage and pit lifts.
Yes, it’s a lot. But, it’s better to replace damaged equipment than to risk failure, or worse, of equipment with hidden damage.

If you find yourself in a possession of flooded audio-video equipment and aren’t sure if it can be salvaged, give Zeo Systems a call at 800-837-8935. Our expert staff will be able to tell you everything you need to know.