Water In Electrics

In our homes we have several different systems all working together in harmony, well, mostly. Issues can arise when these systems decide to malfunction and create havoc by interfering with each other.

Our plumbing system is not designed to work forever without maintenance or replacement however most of us understandably do not wish to rip floors open and replace pipework unless there is a good reason to! Pipework and joints do occasionally fail and when they do the results can be catastrophic.

Water in electrics is a problem. Electrical installations do not like water and the ingress of water into electrics can have some unpleasant results.

1) DANGER

The ingress of water into electrical systems can present danger to you in your home. Older electrical systems do not disconnect power to circuits unless certain faults are present. Old fuse wire consumer units are unlikely to trip when water is present unless a suitable fault occurs. This can cause a situation where electric shock risk increases.

More modern consumer units can trip when they sense faults occurring such as water ingress into accessories and cabling but again, these are not fool proof either.

There is no one device in an electrical installation in our homes that is designed to trip specifically when water leaks into electrics! There are devices that MAY be triggered but not necessarily.

2) Water and Electrics are not compatible

The photograph we can see above is a consumer unit that has been flooded by a leak from the bathroom above. If you look closely you can see that the water is still dripping of the cables inside the consumer unit!!

In this instance we recommended a complete replacement was carried out. Once water has penetrated switch-gear in this manner then it is fairly certain that the equipment is ruined.

Water is a reasonable conductor of electricity and this can present a danger when it penetrates equipment and cabling. Even after the water has been thoroughly dried out it can leave residues such as salt deposits that can ruin cabling and equipment.

The only way to see if water in electrics has ruined an electrical installation is to have the installation checked by an electrician.

3) What do I do if I get water in my electrics???

• The first thing to do would be to see if the circuits can be safely turned off. Never touch wet electrical switches, sockets or equipment.
• There is sometimes a large switch before your consumer unit, this can be used in a emergency to turn off all the power to the property and protect your wiring and prevent any risk of electric shock.
• Call an emergency electrician like ourselves. We will come and attend the property and make safe where possible. We can install a temporary supply of sockets and a light for you if needed.

4) What happens after a severe flood into my electrics?

After such an event it is strongly recommended to have a temporary supply installed, large dehumidifier to remove the water from the fabric of the building and electrical system and then an Electrical Inspection carried out.

We can come and inspect the electrical system and ascertain its suitability for continued use. We can see if circuits are safe to turn back on and produce a report for you on the condition of your electrical installation.

5) How quickly can you come out?

We are emergency specialists and can attend most emergency calls within 2 hours. Advice can be given on the phone prior to our visit to attempt to remove any immediate danger. We will then turn up and make safe. This can be done by disconnecting the electric supply to your property, disconnecting individual circuits or isolating parts of a circuit. We may be able to carry out testing and dependent upon the extent of the damage we may be able to repair immediately and get you back up and running.

6) What are the charges for emergency attendance?

If you look at our pricing page on our website you will see our charges. We normally require payment for the attendance / first hour at the time of you making your call to us. We often have to drop work for other customers / leave a job or severely interrupt our plans for the evening (on the odd occasions we get a night off 😊) to attend your emergency.

7) Will you be able to repair the problem straight away?

When there is water in an electrical system it is often not possible to rectify the issue immediately. Water needs time to dry out, to drain, to evaporate. Switching a wet electrical system back on is madness!

Certain repairs can be undertaken, for instance, if an electrical plug socket has become wet due to water ingress then we can replace the socket immediately and test the circuit again to see if there are further issues or if replacing the socket has fixed the problem. If water has penetrated junction boxes that are hidden or buried, has entered cabling or penetrated elsewhere into the system in places that cannot be easily accessed then the solution would be to make safe and test the installation within a few days.

You may need to contact your insurers and seek alternative accommodation or we can provide a quote to put you on a temporary supply to keep your fridges and freezers running and provide basic minimal power for a short duration of time.

8) What happens if the water has damaged my wiring?

If you wiring has been badly affected by the water then it may be necessary to rewire the property. Only a full electrical test will be able to determine if this is necessary. It helps if there have been previous electrical tests carried out and the paperwork is available. In these cases we can compare our test results with the test results from previous inspections and see if any serious deterioration has occurred.

If you have had water in electrics and require someone to come and make safe, reassure you or carry out electrical testing then you are reading in the right place. If you have had any of these problems then please give us a call on 0151 351 4011 and we will come and assist you.