Flooding & Electricity question

[KT2000]

A woman was taken out of a waist-high flooded home and she said they still had electricity. Wouldn't everything short out once the water hit the outlets? Is it safe to stay in the water if there still is electricity?
We might need to know this for future events.

[Mosby]

1. good questions

I know that it's quite different depending on whether it's salt or fresh water. Salt water conducts electricity pretty well plus it damages the wiring and boxes.

[TexasProgresive]

2. The breakers for the outlets would trip

if they were under water. The lights are one different circuits so they would still be on.

[KT2000]

6. thank you!

[tonyt53]

12. Exactly - as long as the home is modern. If their breaker panel get flooded, it will all trip.

Multiple main breaker trips and the power pole fuses would likely blow. Modern code keeps lights and outlets off the same breaker

[Hortensis]

14. My husband and son wired our house, and somehow

I never picked up on that. I was "the boss," but too busy making sure they put what I wanted where I wanted it. Women should always design houses. Do you know they wanted to put the HVAC thermostat on a living room wall because they felt it would give the most reliable readings there? Had to watch them every moment.

Thanks, guys.

[MLAA]

26. Funny! I thought they wanted it the living room to be closer to the tv 😃

[Hortensis]

28. It was, in fact, next to where the TV was to be mounted.

That seemed just too disloyal to mention, but I see you're also without illusions.

[tonyt53]

30. The t-stat should be mounted in a location, preferably away from direct outside wall exposure.

It should be mounted near a location where there is a return air grill. It should also NEVER be mounted near a heat generating appliance or device, as it will always read the wrong temperature.

[Hortensis]

31. Sure. We have a lot of windows in most areas,

and they, and the HVAC guy we purchased from, wanted it in a rare interior area away from windows, but I figured that wouldn't give the most common temp reading anyway and that we would soon learn which settings felt comfortable, which we did. A return is about 4 feet away from the discrete location I chose on an interior kitchen wall, but I don't know when the return placement was decided. Wonder if my husband remembers. I'll have to ask.

[tonyt53]

32. A return should never be close enough to a kitchen to draw smells. The HVAC guy was correct.

Kitchens also generate heat, so that can affect a T-stat.

[Hortensis]

33. Haven't thought about it, but return placement must be quite a trick these days

when so many kitchens are part of an open active living area. Our kitchen itself is a good-sized discrete room on a corner, but it has a high, wide and open doorway that looks across the central hall/library and through a similar open doorway to the fireplace in the living room. So, unlike most, it could have conformed to the optimally efficient placement you describe. There's some good information here, and you never know who might benefit.

[NutmegYankee]

27. There is a lot of older housing stock where that isn't true.

Anything built up through the 70s often shares lights and outlets.

[A HERETIC I AM]

3. Not an electrician, but it does depend on the amperage as far as danger is concerned

A regular 110V wall outlet with 15 to 20 Amps is not nearly as dangerous as say...a 220V outlet with 60 amps, like a dryer or a large welding machine or similar requires.

What would "short" is the breaker or fuse box may trip, thus rendering any outlets harmless.

BUT....and again, I'm not an electrician, just speaking from experience, exposing live wires or an outlet to water will not necessarily trip a breaker. If the house is still flooded when someone goes back in, the safest thing to do would be to turn off the entire house at the meter outside.

[KT2000]

7. thank you!

I live in a tsunami zone.

[rickford66]

19. "15 to 20 Amps is not nearly as dangerous"

I believe as little as 0.1 amps can kill you. Outlets are usually wired for and rated at 20 amps and lighting is 15 amps. All AC is dangerous. I've worked "hot" as an electrician and was very very careful. If you're not trained or worked seriously as an electrician, treat all AC as deadly. Your advice "the safest thing to do would be to turn off the entire house at the meter outside" is the best advice for these flooded homes.

[A HERETIC I AM]

21. I defer to your expertise and experience.

And thanks for the acknowledgement of the part I got right!

[rickford66]

23. Anyone can pull the meter.

There's a safety wire to cut, then lift up the cover and just pull the meter (hands on the glass only). Remember those copper buses are "hot". Maybe tape over the entire cover with plastic. The electric company will reinstall it if and when it has been inspected for safety. Do not plug it back in yourself.

[tonyt53]

29. Actually the "death" amperage is less than .005 amps.

[Yonnie3]

4. It is dangerous.

Individual circuit breakers will most likely trip if the water covers outlets, but if you are standing in the water near one when the water hit it you could be electrocuted. Especially if it was a high current outlet like an electric stove or electric baseboard heater.

If I was in a house that was filling with water I would turn off either the main breaker or all breakers feeding the ground floor and basement before the water rose to outlet level.

[KT2000]

9. thank you!

good to know.

[Warpy]

5. If the poles are still up and the meter isn't submerged, there will be electricity

Fresh water isn't that great a conductor but I would stay away from the plumbing, especially the drains.

If water starts to come into the house, hit the breakers off. You're not going to be using appliances in standing water, anyway.

[KT2000]

10. thank you!

[rickford66]

20. Electrical current travels from a voltage source to a ground.

If you are in water that isn't the ultimate ground, any voltage applied to that water will go through you and you will probably be dead. Don't stand in water near electrical sources. Don't do it !!

[Warpy]

22. Safest thing to do is hit those breakers

if water starts to come in. A lot of people are reluctant to do that since it will leave them in the dark but it beats getting a belt while you're waiting for that breaker to trip on its own.

[TheBlackAdder]

8. My mom's house had a roof leak and water was cascading in the 200 AMP main breaker. No issues.

We just stayed out of the water and fixed it quick fast and in a hurry when dry.

[KT2000]

11. thanks!

that does sound scary though.

[Pinna]

13. I would be as concerned

About coming in contact with what is in the floodwaters (sewage, etc) as well.

[Hortensis]

15. Me too, but if there's no cholera in town before flooding,

for instance, it's not going to spontaneously come to life in the water. I've read that people here are far safer than they realize. But don't drink it anyway.

Oh! For water disinfection using the sun, look up the sodis (solar disinfection) technique. Not much sun in the gulf area right now, of course; but done right, very plain plastic or glass bottles filled with water and then set in the sun for at least 6 hours will kill almost all pathogens. It's important that the bottles have smooth sides (not raised and indented designs, etc.) and that the water not be so murky that particulate matter interferes with the sun's rays, but there are treatments for the latter when filtering through a T-shirt, coffee filter, etcetera, isn't enough.

[bathroommonkey76]

16. Local TV stations in the Houston area warned people today not stay in their houses if

water was covering their outlets b/c of electrocution.

[dalton99a]

17. 4 Rules for Electrical Safety After a Flood

http://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/outdoors/tips/a8231/4-rules-for-electrical-safety-after-a-flood-14261065/
4 Rules for Electrical Safety After a Flood

[rickford66]

24. These are great rules. Thanks for posting.

I'm glad they mentioned the possibility of someone miss-using a portable generator. When I use mine, I turn off the main breaker and run separate extension cables to the few important items I need. The idiots who plug their generator into a utility socket have a good chance of killing a lineman trying to restore power to his neighborhood if they forget to turn off their main breaker.

[KT2000]

25. copying and sharing this

thank you.

[burrowowl]

34. Useful post!

Thanks!

[LisaL]

18. Electricity and water don't mix well.