ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area water damage on lugs and buss

Tesla:

Point made & taken.

Flood damage is a lot more involved than just 'drying out'. The only documentation that I accept would involve large comm (800 amp & up) equipment. The docs would have to be from the original mfg, OR a UL certified rebuilder/reseller. Aftermath of the recent hurricane & flooding produced NO re-certifications. The few comm sites replaced a few transformers (75 to 150 KVA), feeders, and a few fused disconnects.

ALL the resi flood affected electrical was removed & replaced with new. (One complex was 125 meters & mains)

John,


Yes, I was talking about the larger commercial services. The EC can remove a main breaker and get them re-conditioned.

And yet ....

Back during the 1995/96 holidays, Reno, Nv., suffered a major flood. One of my customers - an RV/trailer park - was submerged under 6-8ft. of water.

PoCo distribution was underground, stopping every so often to feed a 4-ft. tall cabinet with six PoCo meters in it. Feeds from these meters went to each trailer's pedestal. These cabinets - which were not gasketed - were completely submerged.

To this day, if you open these cabinets you are likely to find an inch or two of silt left by the retreating floodwaters. The cabinets weren't even cleaned, let alone replaced. I suppose it's possible that the meters might have been replaced. Maybe.

We know the main breakers were not replaced, by the silt left on them.

Yet, nearly sixteen years later, I am not aware of any failures of this gear. Is it possible that this whole 'flood damage' issue is drivin by engineers/marketing folks playing at being lawyers, rather than actual experience?

Of all the things, I would think the meters would do the best. Aren't they hermetically sealed units? I have seen one bobbing around in the water after a fireman popped it out and it was dry inside. (the Hurricane Agness flood in Md)

As for flood damage, it really depends on how long something was wet and what was in the water. I guarantee the trip curve of your breakers won't be the same if they get salty water in them. It will probably be the classic FP flat line, essentially a one cent fuse.

John...

I'll bet there is no fire insurance at hazard.

It's the insurance industry that'll have a cow.

Greg,

In the one housing complex I inspected, there were 300 electrical meters that went underwater. At least half of them had water in them when I got there a week later to get the power turned back on to the complex.