Hurricane Problems15632
 I had no way of knowing that 9.8 graded copies signed by Adam Hughes weren't what you were looking for.
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drchaos private msg quote post Address this user | |
| So my apartment is the top (third) floor of a house. About ten years ago Hurricane Sandy tore the roof off of the house. Water was dripping in every room from one ceiling fan and four vents. I lucked out when I woke up around 4AM to use the bathroom and saw some water on the linoleum floor in the kitchen. The three long boxes on that floor were wet but I was able to scoop out all of the books before any were damaged. The landlord was able to get a tarp up within a couple hours. Total losses were several boxes, some backing boards and one cheap trade paperback. Earlier this evening water started dripping from my ceiling fan for the first time since then. As my inventory expanded I ended up putting some shelves under the it a couple years ago. With a new roof after the last time I thought it would be safe. When tonight's auction ended I heard the water hitting the lid of one of the boxes. So far the water is only coming from the ceiling fan and I now have a bucket under it. As the water can quickly bounce or move from one place to another I lost several boxes and some lids. I had to wipe down a number of slabs and bagged comics that had water drops on them. I don't think I lost any books this time but I will inspect everything tomorrow morning to be sure. I do have insurance for the comics but am hopeful that a claim will not be necessary. Tomorrow I should also find out more about the damage to the roof when I get an update from my landlord. I thought it would be a good idea to share my experience and learn from others that may have been through something similar. |
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| Post 1 • IP flag post | ||
 I'd like to say I still turned out alright, but that would be a lie.
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flanders private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @drchaos sorry to hear about that, I hope no books sustained any damage. | ||
| Post 2 • IP flag post | ||
 Collector
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doog private msg quote post Address this user | |
| My daughter has a top floor apartment in NOLA. Did not think to ask about her books, she has a few long boxes, although I think the rain stayed out, not sure though. Good luck |
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| Post 3 • IP flag post | ||
 Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @drchaos I have some of my books segregated for potential triage. About 50% of my collection value is contained in about 35 books. These are each individually boxed in the slab shippers that companies like mycomicshop.com use when they ship CGC/CBCS boxes. Even if you put your best books in a safe place, consider putting a blanket or plastic over them. preferably a blanket that will shed more moisture than it absorbs. A sleeping bag thrown over the boxes can give decent protection against falling water. | ||
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I had no way of knowing that 9.8 graded copies signed by Adam Hughes weren't what you were looking for.
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drchaos private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by flanders I had some cardboard on the very top shelf adjacent to the ceiling fan. The shelf below had three banker boxes with lids containing bagged and boarded raw books. The shelves below had boxes of slabbed books with no lids. The CBCS books were all safe as they had the sealed plastic bags. Many of the CGC slabs were not sealed at the top. I took all of them out of their bags, wiped them down with towels and put them on the carpet upside down. As the water only dripped on the slabs for a brief time while I rescued he boxes on top I do not think any water got to the books or labels inside. If I had more time to think I would have rescued the slabs first instead of reacting the the immediate problem of the boxes with damp / wet lids. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. |
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| Post 5 • IP flag post | ||
 Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I am so sorry you are having to deal with this a SECOND TIME!! While I haven't had inclement weather douse my books, I have had an upstairs plumbing problem come through the ceiling. Because it was toilet water, HazMat got to come and collect the ruined ceiling and floor coverings. It was gross, to say the least. Anyway, at one point, I wasn't sure how far the water dribbling from the ceiling would spread (in the end, it didn't go far, fortunately), so I got a box of large trash bags and put each short box into one bag and taped it all up, making sure that there were no seams at the bottom so if the boxes had to sit on a wet floor for a while, everything inside would stay dry. Thanks to that strategy, I didn't lose any books at all and as soon as the clean-up crew saw the boxes, they said they wouldn't have to take them or the books away, just the trash bags they were wrapped in. I don't know if that helps your situation at all, but boxes-wrapped-in-trash-bags kept my books from major nastiness. Best of luck! I'm sending good thoughts your way! |
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| Post 6 • IP flag post | ||
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I had no way of knowing that 9.8 graded copies signed by Adam Hughes weren't what you were looking for.
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drchaos private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by EbayMafia That is a good idea. I keep all of my slabs alphabetized. These were from Walking Dead to Zatanna. The X-Force 11s signed by Zoe Beats and others were in the CBCS bags. The two Wonder Woman books (# 83 & 94) worth a total of $2K were not. This is why I have insurance. |
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| Post 7 • IP flag post | ||
 Collector
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Darkseid_of_town private msg quote post Address this user | |
| 85 percent of the value of my collection is 32 books. They never emerge from their safety deposit box for said reasons. I refuse to live in fear of things that go drip in the night | ||
| Post 9 • IP flag post | ||
 Miss Chanandler Bong
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jake private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by drchaos Eeesh! Sorry to hear about your water issues. I bought a house with water issues. Didn’t know it at the time. Had 2 sump pumps and a French drain installed in the basement. Had concrete poured around the perimeter of the house. To make it look nice and subtle was another expense. As for the comics care, put comic book boxes on shelves with the lowest shelf bottom at 7 inches from the floor. I think the recommended might be 6 inches. Then I put a tarp over the boxes. Also I have a dehumidifier which gets full about once a week during dry times, but I have to empty it twice a day because of the storms. The dehumidifier holds 6.25 gallons. The things that we do to protect our comics  |
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| Post 10 • IP flag post | ||
 The apple sauce and pudding were the best part...
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Bronte private msg quote post Address this user | |
| One thing that came to mind is to switch to corrugated plastic comic boxes. The boxes are water resistant to a point and are going to last a lot longer than the typical cardboard boxes. They sell long and short boxes. https://www.bagsunlimited.com/product/5410/bultra-boxxb-font-colorredplastic-corrugatedfontbrbfont-color2e4053-compact-comic-storage-box-bfontbr11-x-7-1316-x-11-brholds-up-to-100-comics |
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| Post 11 • IP flag post | ||
 PLOD
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theCapraAegagrus private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by drchaos You gotta be good to be lucky and you gotta be lucky to be good. |
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| Post 12 • IP flag post | ||
 If the viagra is working you should be well over a 9.8.
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xkonk private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Good luck, @drchaos . We were waiting for the worst down the shore but lucked out. Just some wind and rain. Mullica Hill wasn't so fortunate. | ||
| Post 13 • IP flag post | ||
 Collector
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jeffreyk1965 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I keep a plastic bag on the top of each cardboard box in case of a roof leak. It gives me some peace of mind in the event of a roof leak. | ||
| Post 14 • IP flag post | ||
 Collector*
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Towmater private msg quote post Address this user | |
| 2 storms and 2 times your roof leaked in the same spot. Take action to not place anything of value in that area in the future when a storm is predicted. Buy plastic storage containers with lids and put your books in them when a storm is coming. That should limit your damage. Example found by doing a search. Those look like they would keep water out dripping down on them.   |
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| Post 15 • IP flag post | ||
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Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Those bins are great. I have a few that I got at a local office supply store. Light weight and stackable single-piece construction plus lid. I may never buy short boxes again. PS: Super-jeally of your pretty newsstand edition of Thor #337. |
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| Post 16 • IP flag post | ||
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I had no way of knowing that 9.8 graded copies signed by Adam Hughes weren't what you were looking for.
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drchaos private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Towmater After about eight years with no problems I put shelves there. As the landlord put up a new roof it was easy to attribute the earlier problem to the old roof. As the water only found one point of entry instead of five I would say that the roof is better than the old one. With that said I got complacent and was very lucky the consequences of that mistake weren't far worse. If you keep buying books and have only yourself for labor it becomes harder to find places to put things. |
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| Post 17 • IP flag post | ||
 If I could, I would. I swear.
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DrWatson private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Darkseid_of_town I would worry about air circulation and staple rust being inside a safety deposit box and a bank vault. |
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| Post 18 • IP flag post | ||
 " . "
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Davethebrave private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Safe deposit boxes are not great for comic protection. In fact, they are a poor choice for a host of reasons. Unless specifically designed for art or preservation of documents and unless specifically insured for the type of loss you may expect (environmental in addition to theft), I would have that option low on my list. Most safe deposit boxes are not fully secure. Most are not ideally climate controlled. Most are not regulated. I would even hesitate to put my more expensive watches in one. Best thing is to be aware of risks and mitigate specific risks. Then either self insure or specifically insure for damage. |
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| Post 19 • IP flag post | ||
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I had no way of knowing that 9.8 graded copies signed by Adam Hughes weren't what you were looking for.
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drchaos private msg quote post Address this user | |
| So far I have gone through about half of the boxes of slabs with no damage of any kind. I may have dodged a really big bullet. |
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| Post 20 • IP flag post | ||
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Collector
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Darkseid_of_town private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by DavethebraveI guess it depends on what you are protecting from what sort of potential threats doesnt it? They are in fact a PERFECT choice if you are protecting against breaking and entering, theft, and flooding . They are in fact a perfect method of protecting comics if you are concerned for potential fire loss. My local bank is on some of the highest ground within the city...in addition the box I selected is over three feet above ground level. This means the entire city would have to be under water at the highest point within town . ....and then at a height of another three feet. "Most safe deposit boxes are not fully secure..." ...right, those four foot walls of concrete lined with reinforced steel, and with an airtight entryway, with a two foot thick solid steel door could potentially be breached by the Hulk, or Galactus. The alarm system and anti theft measures within this Federally insured facility I am sure could be compromised if the Abomination decided he really wanted my comics out there...but the point is, they are far more secure where they are than in my HOME. Also the entire bank IS climate controlled....the vault is sealed overnight and on non business days, with the same environment it had when the door was open. "Most (Safety deposit boxes) are not regulated...umm , you do realize to even enter the vault at the place you have to sign in with a time stamped signature, that HAS to be verified against the one on record, and you have to have the key, which you then provide and is one of two keys required to open the box, the other being the property of the bank, and once you leave the glass bullet proof door is again closed to the vault until someone needs to enter again. I am unsure what you consider regulated, but yeah that is regulated rather well and in multiple redundant steps. Put your watches where you like, but dont tell me how and where to store my comics which have been in the same place safe for 35 years. It isnt me with a new thread in a comic forum whining about storm damage and sitting there hoping a leaking roof did not damage mine, you know? Best thing is to not listen to idiots. Protect your things in facilities designed and guarded against theft, fire, and flooding, with secure , well guarded and protected measures. |
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| Post 21 • IP flag post | ||
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Collector
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Darkseid_of_town private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by DrWatsonUnsure why you would worry about air circulation, during business hours the vault is often opened and closed for customers. Plenty of air is being stirred around ...as for rust, its an AIRTIGHT room when not in use. It also has natural moisture barriers like any bank vault. Noone is storing water bottles in there, and the entire outside surface of the vault is moisture sealed, I know, I watched them build this bank. I would be more worried for fire damage, theft, flooding, and breaking and entering risks in my home than where the books are stored now. |
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| Post 22 • IP flag post | ||
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The apple sauce and pudding were the best part...
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Bronte private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Not siding either way, but air tight isn't always an actual good thing. Fire proof safes in an air conditioned house is still a bad thing. Borock has a thread on CGC forum that states its a bad thing to store books in fireproof safe without additional measures. https://www.cgccomics.com/boards/topic/61106-important-information-about-storing-comic-books-in-fire-proofresistant-safes/ |
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| Post 23 • IP flag post | ||
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Collector
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Darkseid_of_town private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Sure, if it stays airtight as a constant and is never flushed with new air, but a bank vault is opened and utilized repeatedly throughout a business day. | ||
| Post 24 • IP flag post | ||
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" . "
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Davethebrave private msg quote post Address this user | |
| There are many more reasons to not use safe deposit boxes if you want to maintain your books in ideal conditions but here are some general reasons: www.nytimes.com/2019/07/19/business/safe-deposit-box-theft.amp.html In terms of climate control, most banks focus on saving money. Even the most profitable, and will not run AC or heat on weekends or holidays in areas not open to the public. Most safe deposit boxes are not 24/7 accessible so consider that. Consider when long weekends and bank holidays are… Also there are many times where systems are shut down for maintenance. They won’t do any sort of personalized preventative maintenance or additional precautions because safe deposit boxes are effectively at customer’s risk besides some base coverage up to relatively low limits. You also have no control on what is placed in adjacent boxes. There are minimal controls on what goes in/our of boxes. The boxes themselves can oxidize - consider what they are made of and compare to what is deemed safe to store paper in/around. Now if you are fully insured but also don’t trust your house as secure or ideal for whatever reason, then the only real risks are obviously sentimental loss and whether your insurance covers slow, progressive damage (likely not). |
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| Post 25 • IP flag post | ||
 I'm good with splotches.
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Nuffsaid111 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I store my valuable slabs on an anchored 10 x 10 barge in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. Its covered with waterproof roofing and a dehumidifier nearby. Im good |
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| Post 26 • IP flag post | ||
 I hear their hourly rate is outrageous!
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sportshort private msg quote post Address this user | |
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| Post 27 • IP flag post | ||
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Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Nuffsaid111 Well you know, there are some drawbacks to that... But if you watched the barge being built you should be in the clear. |
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| Post 28 • IP flag post | ||
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Collector
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Darkseid_of_town private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Have to admire those who takes the cheap shots.....they truly show you who they are. | ||
| Post 29 • IP flag post | ||
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Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by EbayMafia Quote: Originally Posted by Darkseid_of_town I took a non-partisan poke at both sides of the argument. Not every jab or criticism needs to be taken personally. Thick skin is among the most admirable of all qualities. |
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