protecting hoist base from rusting (snow melt)

[James Wieler]

Hi guys,
I'm brand new to this forum, I got here via Petrolicious after watching Jack Olsen's video. Anyway, I have a Rotary brand scissor lift in my garage but because I live in NewEngland and that bay is used by my wife's minivan in the winter, the floor always has water on it. The lift is fine but it won't be that way forever.

I need ideas as to how to protect the base of the lift from rusting. I squeegee the bay out on the weekends as needed but I know there is a thin layer of water under the base. It is not bolted to the floor yet so i can move/lift it still. I was thinking of these potential solutions:

1) running a bead of caulking around the perimeter to seal it, but I'm not sure if that would seal in moisture coming up through the concrete
2) adding another piece of steel to the bottom of the base, sort of a sacrificial idea
3) combination of the above two

But I wanted to poll this list for better ideas
thanks
James

 

[CamarosRus]

Find and buy a can of FLUID FILM to help ward off RUST...............

Not a miracle cure, but very good help ......................

 

[atty5420]

Not cheap, but a can of Boeshield will do the trick.

http://boeshield.com/

 

[sberry]

A little water vapor from the bottom wont mean squat. What does is salty filthy brine stuck in clay and sand. Wash out with water, let dry modestly so the sheet sticks and run a big ole fatty bead of silicone around and thru/under as it will and call it a day. I could and should caulk mine a bead but its really hi and dry most of the time and I clean a car before it comes in. You cant always do that. Silicone is your super secret weapon, better than duct tape cause you cant always see it.

 

[Caman]

Get a roll of this stuff. Cover and wrap the entire base.

 

[sberry]

Wash it with a little clean water, blow dry and apply stuff. Done in 1 hr with materials on hand that cost 2$ on sale.

 

[timewarp]

What about a sheet of UHMW plastic between the floor and the lift? then the water could run between the plastic and floor all it wanted but wouldn't get between the lift and the plastic.

 

[SALIV8]

If you can lift the base, I would clean and apply a few coats of quality oil based paint whichever color.