Concerns of submerged stove

Having had the misfortune of being the recipient of a backhand slap from Irene, I am now facing up to some of the damaged items. One of which is my VC Defiant stove. It was submerged entirely for a few hours, not more than 5. Beyond the rust that is everywhere, I am seeing the newly installed seals falling off the doors. Is there anything else that may be an issue for repair/maint. that I need to consider?

Im sure you will get some good advice here but you may want to also call the manufacturer and see what they have to say. Sorry for your loss and good luck to you.

Was it a flood or a basement water issue? Have you checked if it's covered by homeowners?

Water categorization is up in the air. I have no creeks or water bodies to rise around me, and there was no property wide water buildup. As of today, I have not heard from an adjuster yet. Not drinking our water and just waiting now that most of the damaged stuff is removed. 8 days of 15 hours/day to get me to that point. One of the worst weeks of my life for sure.

Sorry to hear about the damage. Lots of people need a lot of help. was a devastating blow to our Northeast.

Hope everything works out for You and your Family/Friends.

I would agree with most of the responses here. Since the stove was only in water for under 5 hrs I cannot see there being any real damage coming to the stove except seals and maybe some cement replacement. Of course the exterior will need some attention, I wouldn't wait too long on that either, the sooner the better on any exterior rust. Once you get the seals and cement replaced I would get right into a small fire to get that metal dry.
I'd be curious what the stove manufacturers recommendations on your situation would be.

You probably already know this, but the reason for the slow, cooler fires is that the metal parts expand and contract with heating and cooling. If two pieces that normally would slide past each other are rusted together, the slow fires give the rust a chance to break up slowly, rather than cracking or bending the metal.

including the metal itself...
Metal holds quite a bit of water for those who don't know.

Not sure how much it would soak up in 5 hours or if it would even matter, but steel definitely absorbs water.

Good point, I remember seeing a post not too long ago of a fella with a new stove and some early brick damage on a startup fire. Moisture content in the brick most likely.

I had the foresight to clean out the ashes on the second day. It was just mud. My only concern there is that there could be some fine stuff still lurking in the upper areas. My intention for the stove was to rebuild it (cracked fireback) in August/September, before the season will begin. However, having lost over a week to cleaning up the mess, and at a time when I am usually busy with work (pre- opening of schools), I doubt I will have the time to dedicate to that task. Ticks me off that I spent the time and money replacing the door seals, just to see them fall off the doors.

Still waiting for the adjuster to call..............

Dehumidifier is running, and I am going to open the doors right now. Thanks for the tip.

OK, all together, say it with me......F**K Just broke the new handle assembly truing to get the side door open. I give up. Just too much going on here to accomplish anything productive.

Instead of dealing with the insurance company directly you may want to hire a public adjuster,basically they represent you and know all the tricks the insurance company will pull and have some of there own.Well worth the cost.Good luck with the stove

This is one of the craziest things I've ever heard. Ever.
I've worked with steel for 16 years. Steel does not absorb water. Water may cling to the surface, but you could remove that surface moisture with a hair dryer.

As to dealing with the rust, personally, I'd put a wire brush on a cordless drill and hit all the surfaces you'll be painting, then wipe it down with either mineral spirits or denatured alcohol. (Denat. alcohol also removes surface moisture.)

I'm wracking my brain trying to think of how submerging a stove would ruin it, and I can't think of one. It's all reversible. Hang in there, man.

It certainly is all reversible but take your time and make sure the firebox seals do not get affected. I am only speculating here but my concern would be if the seals retain moisture for a long time than corrosion over the long term wood be a factor. If it was mine I would clean it up real good, get some major air circulation going around and in it for a good long time. Fix the door seals and then burn a lot of small warming fires.... never getting too hot to touch. The purpose is to do a deep dry out without boiling the moisture out. Then I would clean it up and paint it.

Once you begin the hotter fires, keep an eye out for control problems. If she wants to burn like the devil you may have some leaks but I doubt you will. You can find the leaks with smoke from incense. Just hold the burning incense close to the stove and move it all around during a fire looking for it to get drawn in.

Steel doesn't absorb moisture but, not that this matters to you.... it will absorb certain things like propane gas. Used propane gas cylinders outgas propane for a time after.