Resurrection of a CFEI 100 KVA Induction Furnace

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awemawson:
That's a shame Matthew but I fully understand.

Having managed to dry up the major flood (brushes, mops, then a powerful blower) I was able to carefully ply a hose on the threshold strip and totally proved that nothing was getting under it or round it. I then propped the hose up the channel that the shutter runs in and left it for a while so the water ran down the vertical channel as would rain hitting the shutter. Not a drop came in :scratch:

Still need to test if rain is blowing over the threshold strip where the shutter D seal doesn't press as hard due to the sloping floor, but that's a two man job. Might be able to persuade the other half to help this afternoon.

awemawson:
So the good news is that I've not had water come in the Foundry now for several days. I've been busy slapping Cromapol on various joints, mainly the main vertical outside corner between the foundry and main workshop, which I'm sure has been a problem at times. Where the foundry abuts the original building where it is 'feather edge' wooden cladding, the gaps had been left as raw expanding foam which I have trimmed back with a knife and Cromapol coated. It doesn't look very pretty but it's certainly more water proof!

However it must be said that we haven't really had much rain - what we have had has mostly been over night - so I see wet paths in the morning but no real idea of quantities. Often what is forecast bears little relationship to what actually falls so I decided to rig up a 'rain gauge' . At it's crudest just a tin can, but then you have the pain of remembering to empty it out so I researched commercial devices and found a self emptying radio link jobby for only about £30 so not worth re-inventing the wheel!

It's a clever design that gathers the rain in a funnel and funnels it to a tipping rocker that when enough water is gathered tips over so the other bucket gets the water and transmits a signal to the receiver - all automatic, no emptying, and it accumulates data by hour, day, month and year.

Last night was the first 'active' night with rain - 2.5 mm - not a lot but still no leaks :thumbup:

. . . time will tell

vtsteam:
Cool device Andrew. :thumbup:

I feel funny wishing you this but I hope it rains hard where you are in the next few days, so you can feel confident enough to get the foundry going.

We, on the other hand just got an unwanted and insufficiently predicted Noreaster day before yesterday that put down 60cm of snow with high winds. Negative 17 C out this morning. Miserable! To add to the problems my plow tractor had it's front wheels off waiting for new rims and tires a few days before the storm hit which were then delayed. Shoveled third of a mile to the cars through this arctic mess to pick them up. Just getting them back on the tractor this morning.

Anyway, I wish you rain (only if you want it) !

awemawson:
Oops Steve yes that sounds pretty bitter :bugeye:

Odd isn't it, wishing for rain but yes that's the situation !

Now tell me about earth worms - tentatively moving one of the clothing lockers in the foundry that are waiting for that corner to be 'cured' of leaks I found a nice big juicy earth worm under it's base - locker at least 12 foot into the foundry from the outside world. Raising the roller shutter to throw it out, there was another equally juicy fat one under the shutter seal waiting for a chance to dash in (do worms dash?).

I have cameras pointing at the potential leak areas and first thing this morning doing my 'in bed by iPad' inspection there appeared to be a long thin trail of water from the base of the shutter inwards. When I got out to it an hour later I found it actually was ANOTHER worm trail but by this time it had dried out and there was a dead worm at the end of it :(

. . . what is it with these worms . . . what's so attractive about my foundry :scratch:

vtsteam:
Well I'm no expert but they respond to negative stimuli generally by going above ground. Vibration for one -- their mortal enemies, moles, make characteristic vibrations when digging, and the escape route is up and out of the ground for that. Subsoil life is kind of like undersea warfare with sonar signatures. Anyway, they can get fooled by equipment vibration. They also respond to stray electrical currents and will go above ground for that. Excess water will drive them above ground. And finally chemical irritation. So, any of that going on by your workshop: vibration, stray electrical currents, chemical compounds and solvents, or excess water?

Or moles?

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