ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Hurricane Frances

Thanks for the reply E57.

Bill, thank you for directing me to the NEMA web site, for now I am using the article:

NEMA and ESFI Warn Hurricane, Flood Victims About Hazardous Water-Damaged Electrical Equipment
07 Sept 2004

I will talk to some of the electricians working the claims as I run into them to see what type of actual damage they are running into or anticipate over the long run.

Thanks,
EB

When a hurricane hit us here in NJ several years ago ( I think it was the remains of Andrew) We had some flooding damage. The state said that as an AHJ I was to allow the people to use the piece of equipment if it looked good, didn't go under water and if a lic. elec. contractor took out a permit for the job. This way he took the responsability for the equipment. If the equipment went under water, Again we would be able to leave the equipment in place ONLy IF a contractor took out a permit and was responsible for the equipm. Or else we could get it field tested, but as you figure out, that was the most costly route. Long story short, equip. that went under water was normally junked.

 
I wonder if it’s at all practical to use the NEC 550-550-12(a) AC-“junior hipot” 900/1080-volt test on once-flooded premises wiring?

[I have no firsthand experience with this, but offhand, it sounds like AFCI retrofit of previously waterlogged circuits may be suicide.]

I don't want to push this thread in another direction, but for this statement, Ms Burns deserves an award for "Quote of the Year". Not only do they pick and choose what they report, I often get the distinct impression they are working off a bulleted list of "common violations" provided by their online/home-study college, and what's not on that list isn't noted.

A couple of things we are running into.

Drip loops that are no longer in tact.

Mult-strand aluminum service entrance cables where some of the strands are broken.

Blown off a/c condenser disconnect covers.

EB

quote:
"I don't want to push this thread in another direction, but for this statement, Ms Burns deserves an award for "Quote of the Year". Not only do they pick and choose what they report, I often get the distinct impression they are working off a bulleted list of "common violations" provided by their online/home-study college, and what's not on that list isn't noted."
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When we get to the inspection repairs, the first thing we hear is, I don't want to do anymore, then the work on the list, If you can't do it, then I will get someone that will.

Ellen, you can see why there is, a turn off position to Home Inspectors, once the home inspector makes the list of repairs required, then that becomes the the that's all I will do list, for the seller.
When we arrive, and find other violations, they question our motives.
We find many missed, serious violations after an inspection " provided by their online/home-study college, and what's not on that list isn't noted." inspector.

LK, Great response.

We recommend to our clients that they hire their own licensed contractors for further evaluation to design repairs, give cost estimates etc. We tell them that they will be living with the results of the repairs, not the seller and not the realtor. That contractor I hope would notify the buyer of any additional problems that were not reported/missed by the home inspector. The educated buyer will get the estimates from a contractor they would like to have the work done by and take a cash settlement. That is the ideal situation, which I know is not always the case. We try to get it across to our clients they want someone working for them.

What LK brought up definately is a problematic situation, especially if your working for the seller but the buyer is the end user and will be living with hazardous conditions that may be present that were not disclosed/documented by the seller or contractor.

So, if the home inspector was not performing the inspection in the first place the buyer and seller most likely don't know a potential hazard exists. If the home inspector is there the seller and buyer may be made aware of potential hazards.

When the contractor comes to do the work on the problems that are documented by the home inspector he/she finds additional problems. (That does not surprise me that an inspector would not know about a problem(s)and/or one problem reveals another.) How do you guys usually handle this?

EB

I have had varied experience(s) with home inspectors. Some know their stuff and others are simply horrible.

If you have any doubt about wiring being safe or not, jot down that they should have their wiring checked out by a licensed and insured electrical contractor. And you can tell them that "NO!"; this does not fall under the "FREE ESTIMATES" category! If a tool comes out of my pocket it's a service call.

A licensed/insured contractor will not likely put his name on a job (and assume liability, even if limited) unless he is sure it is safe.

Depending on actual damage the house may need to be re-wired completely. It all depends...

CJS

Hello all, first post on these forums.

Ellen,

I am an electrcian working in the central Florida area, and am currently working on several storm damage related jobs. The types of damage we have seen so far have been flodding or run-off damage, shearing (or tearing) and crushing damage as a result of the high winds.

Where we have been called out to deterine if devices are "safe" we have recomended replacement of all "appliance" type devices such as ceiling fans or exhaust fans (and/or heaters) that may have come in contact with substantual water. We also provide an estimate for a full inspection of all electrical connections.

The majority of the storm repair has been to electrical devices installed on the exterior of residences and commercial property, primarily the service entrance point.

In the event of flooding (standing water) I would recommend replacement of all devices affected, if water exposure was brief complete replacment may not be nessasary.

Oh, just for the record, we went 11 days without "commercial" power. I wouldn't be much of an electrician if I couldn't provide it for myself at least temporarilly . Although, it still wasn't enough for the A/C, maybe by next season.

Dave

Crisco,
We are in Melbourne, send me an email if you are interested in referrals for residential fixtures, outlets etc change outs. You probably have heard of our company and have seen our reports if you do residential work.

CJS, you are definately correct there are some horrible inspectors and they are a detriment to the profession as with all professions.

Do any of you call the home inspector in which you are following and let him/her know what else you found that they did not? Just as a courtesy? Anytime I recommend a contractor I ask him to give us a call and let us know if they found anything else they can tell us about.

EB