Last week I was caught in a torrential downpour and ever since then my Powertap readings have been waaaaaay off. I know that I did not average 500 watts for 5 hours yesterday or else I would be going to Le tour instead of IMF.
I know that rain can be an issue with the hubs although I have never had an issue with it until know. How can I rectify the problem or is the hub messed up for good?
take the 2 screws out, remove the cover and batteries…let air dry over night (some people put a small fan on too).
should be fine after this.
Kurt
What model? Pro or SL
I rode the pro model this spring until I got into heavy rain in March during a camp in Europe. And bum, out for good. Very poor service per email to help me out overseas, they basically dropped me. I took the cap off with the two screws, tried to dry it, but it never came back. Three months later, after the wheel sat unused in the basement in the States, it worked again. This is how long it took to dry. However, I did not want to bother with it anymore and am now selling my PowerTapWheel. Not even 1000 miles on it.
from Seattle-
do as stated above and let it dry completely it will be fine.
oh yeah, good luck in the TdF 
Kind of funny how the mileage varies with some of these. I’ve ridden my PT Pro in torrential downpours and never had a single problem with it.
Also, I would be curious about the specifics on your issues with customer service. I also had zero issues there when I had the hub rebuilt recently (a 10000 or so mile bearing service, they also replaced the torque tube…no charge). I wasn’t overseas at the time, but I could be at any given time I might need more service (I’m military). Just curious, not looking for dirt. You sound pretty dissatisfied and I’d like to know why.
From the wattage forum faq:
Q: What can I do to improve the waterproofness of my PowerTap hub?
A: (Chris Cleeland and Lindsay Edwards) Get some tune-up grease, also known as dielectric grease (or heat sink grease in the electronics world, although that tends to have thermal conductivity properties as well as being dielectric) from the nearest auto parts store (or “auto spares” as they say in the U. K.) This is the stuff that’s made for the inside of spark plug wire boots to ensure that they can be removed, but won’t conduct electricity. Squeeze a liberal portion of this on to your finger, then smear it all over the leaf contacts both on the cradle and the nubs on the back of the CPU. This will keep water and moisture out of the contacts, but maintain the connection.
The other issue is water in the hub itself, which happens to me less often, perhaps 1/3 of the time I ride in rain (though I have yet to be caught in an all-out downpour). It also happens in heavy fog occasionally. A simple overnight period where you take the cover off is enough to dry it out and get things working again. I’d suggest using tune-up grease here, too. It’s a little thicker than Pedro’s syngrease, doesn’t break down in heat as much, and if it does, it won’t affect electrical connections. Here’s a link describing Permatex’s product and to a place selling it online:
http://www.permatex.com/products/prodidx.asp?automotive=yes&f_call=get_item&item_no=22058
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/autoaccessconnect/digr.html
Finally, apply some silicone sealant around all the joints of the receiver, paying special attention the point where the cable enters the body of the receiver.
Thanks for everyone who responded with advice 
My powertap is back to normal.