Flooded House

[lars3159]

I have been asked to go through the wiring in a home that was flooded by a plumbing malfunction. The inside walls are adobe and the wiring is old. We are going to replace the knob and tube that is exposed. The house was de-humidified and now seems to be very dry.
I am inclined to insist that we protect every single circuit with arc fault breakers and that the 2 pole circuits have GFI protection. The restoration company says that this is not necessary and does not want me to go this route. Has anyone else been in this situation?
I appreciate any thoughts.
Thanks

 

[Dennis Alwon]

If you do modifications to the circuits then you must use afci in the designated areas. I am assuming you are on the 2011 NEC. Gfci is not required except on the circuits in those designated areas.

Are you rewiring the entire house or tying on to old circuits?

 

[jumper]

I thought that Utah adopted the 2011 NEC for the IBC, but had stayed with the 2009 IRC.


Chris/Raider1?

 

[mlnk]

The insurance company should pay for the replacement of any wiring and electrical equipment that was underwater. If the AHJ requires you to do additional work, the insur. should pay for that also.Requiring AFCI is up to the AHJ on repair wiring. I think the 2011 Code requires AFCI for new construction, read new walls, only. I think that even if you re-wire a house 100% no AFCI required by NEC, but check with local codes.

 

[templdl]

The insurance company should pay for the replacement of any wiring and electrical equipment that was underwater. If the AHJ requires you to do additional work, the insur. should pay for that also.Requiring AFCI is up to the AHJ on repair wiring. I think the 2011 Code requires AFCI for new construction, read new walls, only. I think that even if you re-wire a house 100% no AFCI required by NEC, but check with local codes.

Please note that NEMA has a publication that includes guidelines for water damaged electrical equipment. Make sure that you review that before you address what needs to be done when you address what must be done to over hall the electrical of the structure.

 

[mlnk]

The NEMA material is a good resource, thanks for the reference. NEMA states that NMB or other dry location wire should be replaced if inundated. Wire suitable for wet locations can be reused if the ends have not been submerged. My take on this situation is that an insurance company is saying install a few devices and leave the old wiring. "it works." Ask them to put it in writing. Ask the AHJ to put the AFCI requirement in writing too.

 

[templdl]

The NEMA material is a good resource, thanks for the reference. NEMA states that NMB or other dry location wire should be replaced if inundated. Wire suitable for wet locations can be reused if the ends have not been submerged. My take on this situation is that an insurance company is saying install a few devices and leave the old wiring. "it works." Ask them to put it in writing. Ask the AHJ to put the AFCI requirement in writing too.

You are the professional. Unless the insurance company has something to justify what they are saying I would reject it and provide them with the standards that you are complying with and ask the for theirs. They may even have a cue.

 

[kwired]

The insurance company should pay for the replacement of any wiring and electrical equipment that was underwater. If the AHJ requires you to do additional work, the insur. should pay for that also.Requiring AFCI is up to the AHJ on repair wiring. I think the 2011 Code requires AFCI for new construction, read new walls, only. I think that even if you re-wire a house 100% no AFCI required by NEC, but check with local codes.

2011 requires AFCI for new circuits as well as where branch-circuit wiring is modified, replaced, or extended. Has nothing to do with whether or not the building is new construction or not.

Part of this statement was copied directly from 210.12(B).

Insurance Co really has little say in what code requires, code is code, but can require you to go beyond code if they want IMO.

 

[GoldDigger]

Insurance Co really has little say in what code requires, code is code, but can require you to go beyond code if they want IMO.

And whether or not they have to pay for all incidental work required by code in the process of doing the repair also depends on the details of their contract!

 

[kwired]

And whether or not they have to pay for all incidental work required by code in the process of doing the repair also depends on the details of their contract!

True, but codes and regulations still need followed, most insurance companies do not disagree with that, and in fact see following those regs as less liability in the future. I will also say I have had more insurance experience after fires than after floods.

 

[mgookin]

I can't speak for the jurisdiction in which this work is being done but in some jurisdictions there's your regular homeowners which pays to restore it to the condition that existed prior to the adverse event, then there's optional "ordinance and law" coverage which would pay, for example, to elevate a home above flood plain if greater than 50% damaged.