Shop Fire

bbaker143143

Active member
My shop caught fire last week due to a mouse eating thru an electrical cord on a small fan. Luckily on 20% of the shop structure will have to be replaced and the large tools were only smoke and water damaged. All hand and power tools are being restored. Its amazing the amount of rust that forms from a fire hose. The question I have for everyone is, all of my wood was stored in the shop and has major smoke and soot damage. Mainly Walnut, Mahogany/Sapele, Cuban Mahogany, Popular, and Hard Maple. Does anyone have any experience with smoke damaged hardwood? Can the wood be saved?


Thanks in Advance
Bob Baker
Dunlap TN
 
The wood is probably fine. If it got wet the moisture got on the outside of the wood, it's not the same as getting in the cell structure. Sticker it and it will probably be fine in a few days.


The top few boards may have gotten scorched enough that they are no good, and you may need to cut a few inches off the side and ends.


Not sure of how your insurance works where you are. I went through this about 15 years ago when my garage burnt down (where some wood was stored). My insurance company wrote it off and gave me value from the local hardwood dealer. They offered to have their company replace the building and lost items. I opted for the check and handled it all my self.


While cleaning up I found that almost all of the lumber was fine. I just had to cut the ends off.


Double check everything on the insurance list. By the time I got done adding light bulbs, scraps of rope, rags, 2x4 cut offs, and items like that they increased my check by about $2500. You are to be made whole, so if you needed to cut up a 2x4 into 8, 1' pieces to have your scraps back, they need to provide it.


The insurance company's job is to low ball you. and what they are sending you is an offer. No matter what ask for more. Tell them you will not accept final payment until you have a final bill. Whose going to pay for moving your stuff out of your shop so it can be painted? Whose going to clean the rust off your tools? Is the tool still good? or did the heat cause the grease to seep out of the bearings etc.?


I would push for new tools, or a guarantee from the insurance company that they will pay for future repairs.


Having gone through this I can tell you your insurance company will be fine.

 
Well, the insurance company paid off. They totaled all my wood and veneers 100%. All large tools were sent off to be refurbished with a one year guarantee. Most small electric tools were totaled. Smoke damage is bad stuff for electronics. I was shocked at the amount of small supplies I had, razor blades, pencils, tape, …. The insurance company was dumfounded, I had over 350 pictures of the tools and supplies before the fire and had taken over 480 pictures after the fire. Sure helped with the claim list.
Thanks


Bob Baker
 
Bob,


Did the insurance company increase your premiums? Or did you not yet receive your next bill? If it is like auto they might/will increase your rates. They like to do this. Let us know.


Dennis Bork
 
I had just paid the yearly premium about a week before the fire. I'll let you know if I hear anything about raising it but it might be a while.
The insurance company talked with several cleaning companies and had one of them take several boards to their facility and tried their standard cleaning process that included Ozone cleaning. Since the wood was unfinished they said they couldn't remove the smoke damage and smell. After some discussion we decided that if it were rough sawn you could have planed it and removed the smoke damage. Most of what I had was already planed to finish dimensions. Bottom line they totaled all the wood.


Bob Baker
 
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