house went on fire

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wireperson

Senior Member
Location
Florida
this is a house that went on fire , I have to go see it later today , the gc says that maybe we can use j boxes in the attic so we don't have to re wire the whole house.
usually I re wire almost the whole house , what do u think about using j boxes above the burnt out panel to just replace the home runs part that is damage and keep the existing wiring in place , HO actually wants to save money from insurance to his pocket .
 

dwellselectric

Inactive, Email Never Verified
What if the wire is damaged further down the line? I would do as you say and redo all the feeds. It's sad that the H.O. is willing to do the minimum just to put a few bucks in his pocket... You would think that the safety of his family would come first
 

tommyrice

Member
house on fire

house on fire

was romex used to wire house?did water from fireman's hoses soak concealed romex?i've written estimates to ins. companies stating romex isn't approved for wet or damp locations.i'll replace any wiring i think was affected.
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
It all depends on the severity of the fire. If the fire was confined to the panel then it may not be an issue. I would not get involved in insurance fraud. I would bill for what I did and no more.
 

renosteinke

Senior Member
Location
NE Arkansas
I was in a similar situation ... a fatal fire in an SRO hotel room, and the hotel operator wanted to get clever with the insurance company.

Remember that "West Point Honor Code?" Well, the situation was neatly solved when the insurance company took over the repairs, and I billed them directly.
 

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
what do u think about using j boxes above the burnt out panel to just replace the home runs part that is damage and keep the existing wiring in place , HO actually wants to save money from insurance to his pocket .

What the GC wants and what the homeowners wants doesn't figure into it.

I have worked a small fire before where the building officials wanted quite a bit of the wiring replaced even when it wasn't damaged. The problem is that when there is a fire and they pull that meter the house will require a new "certificate of occupancy" and the local jurisdiction gets to decide what they will accept before they issue a new certificate.

My advice ( this has worked for me ) is to talk to the local authorities and see what they think. Make a list of what you think needs to be done to make the home safe and then run it by the electrical inspector and building official. Some areas will at least make you bring the smoke detectors up to code after a fire just so the can say they had you do something. A lot will depend on the condition of the house and the electrical system before the fire as to what will need replaced or brought up to code.
 

dana1028

Senior Member
was romex used to wire house?did water from fireman's hoses soak concealed romex?i've written estimates to ins. companies stating romex isn't approved for wet or damp locations.i'll replace any wiring i think was affected.

Even though you are correct that Romex is not approved for wet locations, the inside of a house is NOT a wet location, whether it got wet or not....see the definition for Location, Dry [it allows conductors to get wet].

NM mfr's also allow these cables to get wet [as long as they are not submerged, as in floods].

I have sent photos of NM soaking wet, water dripping off the cable to mfr's and have been told the cable is OK and does not need to be replaced [told to check the paper in the cable and cut back any sections where water had 'wicked' into the cable through the paper].
 

ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC
HO actually wants to save money from insurance to his pocket .

Not sure about Fl. but NC it is illegal to profit from an insurance claim. Most of the time the insurance co. will bring in a EE to state what they think should and should not be replaced. Even if they don't the only thing you can do is bring in the local inspector and find out what he is going to require to reissue a CO. and what you know needs replacing. The HO can like it or not.
 

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
I don't know that we know enough to decide if all the wiring needs replaced or not. I cannot think of any good reason why wiring that was not damaged should be replaced.

I do not think incidental moisture is a problem, and IMO, being sprayed with water and then drying off shortly thereafter is incidental.

OTOH, if the house was seriously damaged by the fire, it might make sense to do a lot of gutting, not just of the electrical system.
 

Rockyd

Senior Member
Location
Nevada
Occupation
Retired after 40 years as an electrician.
Read 110.11. No idea how bad your water situation is/was, but there is protective verbiage if it is bad.
 
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