Copper Wire Discoloration

[hancock electric]

I have a customer who is selling their home and during one of those top notch home inspections, he found all of the bare copper in the panel to be "corroded". I took a look and the "corrosion" is simply the green/blue color copper turns when it's exposed to weather. This panel is located in a storage room that's in the carport. We are in the southeast and there is a good possibility that the humidity level in this room is high, especially durinf the summer. My question is does this have any adverse effects on the conductors?

 

[LarryFine]

My question is does this have any adverse effects on the conductors?

Not really, as long as the connections are tight. Plus, unlike aluminum oxide, copper oxide is conductive.

 

[hurk27]

I just repaired an outdoor meter with breakers for entrance lights several years old, breakers was loosing connection where they stabbed on the buss, pulling out the breakers showed the same green copper oxide coating the buss stabs and the EGC conductors were also coated, I replaced the breakers (4) and wire brushed the buss stabs which they looked like new again, using a dielectric grease to seal out any future moisture, and it was good to go, made sure all connections was clean and tight, I left the oxide on the grounding conductors because believe it or not, it will protect the copper from any other degrading just like rust will steel.

Ever notice that the Statue Of Liberty is green when you look at it, they leave it that way for the same reason.

But if I found this I would have checked the buss stabs for the breakers.

 

[jim dungar]

I would be more concerned with what the atmospheric pollutuion (i.e. humidity) is doing to the parts inside of the breakers than to oxidation on the copper conductors.