Pedalboards and Rain

[motis1953]

If your pedalboard gets rained on is there anything you should do besides wiping it off and putting a fan on it? Mine got surprised by a rainstorm last night that came out of nowhere. I figure if I don't plug it in for a few days and let the fan do it's work it's about all I can do. Any helpful tips?

[jhumber]

Might be an idea to pull out each connecting jack plug and dry it with a cloth. It's possible some water have got inside the pedals that way....and make sure the power supply (and all 9v leads) are dry before powering it up! I hope no damage was done.

[mlt1214]

I know it's kind of a pain, but whenever my phone or other electronic devices get wet, I take out the battery and put it in a little tub of rice to absorb all the moisture. And I would definitely wait a little bit before powering it back up. Good luck!

[strat56]

Take the backs off the pedals and dry them out? Seems like you could be sure much more sure they're dry that way.

[motis1953]

I put a fan on the pedalboard and the guitars for about a half a day and fired everything up this afternoon and everything was fine. I got lucky.

[Magicpad]

Saran-wrap and duct tape! I live in Colorado and it's not uncommon for us to get a summer shower in the afternoons. For gigs I check the forecast the night before, and if it looks like there's gonna be rain I pack a roll along with my cable bag.

[tdk8709]

Have a backup plan next time. I keep a nice big piece of air barrier (the clear plastic stuff) with me for all outside events just in case. The clear stuff is nice because you can stop, cover and tuck your board, and keep playing.

[tdk8709]

Saran-wrap and duct tape! Isn't that what the beauty pageant girls use?

[Preacherofrock]

Isn't that what the beauty pageant girls use?

You, sir...you win!:rotflmao:spit:bow

[Cableaddict]

Also, if you regularly play outdoors, consider spraying all your jacks & exposed circuits with Bullfrog spray.

That stuff is great. It semi-weatherproofs your gear & absolutely won't harm anything. You can even spray it onto computer motherboards & chips. (I know, because I've been doing this for years)

[motis1953]

Actually we were well prepared and carry five tarps with us. When it starts raining in South Florida, it can be much like someone dumping a swimming pool on your head and there is often no warning. By the time you start packing it in the stuff's already soaked.

[Magicpad]

Isn't that what the beauty pageant girls use?

Bwahahaha! Are you one of my singers in disguise.... they always make fun of my pedals :(

But it does work! You can even stop on the settings and see the indicator lights.

[teleclem]

Those packs that absorb moisture also work nicely with gadgets. I (luckily) haven't had to resort to them lately.. my board was in its Trailer Trash soft bag when it suddenly rained walking to a gig. Philippine storms are really bad. But somehow nothing really got wet and I was still able to play with it.

[AbstractLunatic]

I work in R&D consumer electronics. I regularly wash populated circuit boards in the sink to get rid of (rework)flux and the like. The only issues are applied power.

I don't keep batteries in my pedals(and also make sure to tape the 9v connector inside). So just dry your pedals with a hairdryer or heatgun(sparingly), and you will be fine. Just don't apply power(or allow battery connections) when wet.