Damaged electrical equipment MUST be replaced or reconditioned
Capital Electric - August 1, 2011
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Capital Electric has many flooded facilities including this vacuum fault interrupter, which sectionalizes lines so that only a few people are out of power in case of an underground fault. Crews will be inspecting, cleaning and replacing facilities as needed when the floodwater recedes. |
As a result of the flooding, the N.D. State Electrical Board urges residents to use extreme caution when dealing with water-damaged electrical equipment, and emphasizes the importance of re-energizing electrical wiring and equipment exposed to flood damage which can be extremely dangerous.
Although it may not be apparent, the electrical system and its components may have been severely impaired, jeopardizing the safe electrical wiring system due to contaminations and sediment lodged in the equipment along with the corrosive action that will develop.
In order to assure safety to life and property, the N.D. State Electrical Board is requiring all water-damaged electrical equipment to be replaced or reconditioned by a North Dakota-licensed electrical contractor and be inspected by the authority having jurisdiction. This will assure the installation is safe to energize before Capital Electric Cooperative can furnish power.
Gordy Wiese, Capital's operations supervisor, asks members to call a licensed electrician for repairs if electrical circuits have been exposed to flood water.
"Those circuits will need to be disconnected in the panel and a licensed electrician will need to repair them once the flood danger has passed. A wiring certificate is required to restore service to any flood-damaged home," he explains.
Wiese cannot overemphasize the danger of working on damaged electrical equipment or circuits in wet conditions.
"The safest thing to do is have a licensed electrician set up a temporary electrical service, which Capital will energize. Then members can safely clean, inspect and repair any damage they may have," he concludes.
For more information, do a site search for "Guidelines for Handling Water Damaged Electrical Equipment" on the National Electrical Manufacturers Association's Web site at www.nema.org. If you have questions about your electrical system, call a local electrical contractor, a city or state electrical inspector, or the N.D. State Electrical Board office at (701) 328-9522.
Capital Electric thanks the N.D. State Electrical Board for sharing this important safety message.