How is this happening?

[Scoop789]

I got a service call from a homeowner about electrical floor outlets that had been submerged in water due to flooding.
The water had now receded but there was smoke coming from them he was saying. When I got there I lifted the brass cover which was really warm to the touch and I could then clearly see water still inside bubbling through the hot, neutral and ground slots. I then put a volt stick in and sure enough still hot, electrically and physically.
I found the circuit and shut it off, turned out there were two other dedicated floor outlets in this room with circuits also not tripped and the same waterlogged condition.
This wasn’t an old Zinsco panel either, it was a Murray panel and breakers probably from about twenty years ago.
How did these circuits not trip?

 

[Seven-Delta-FortyOne]

Pure water is actually an insulator.

The more salts and particulates, the more conductive it is.

Apparently, there was enough conductivity to create a load, but not enough to create an *over*load.

 

[junkhound]

There are vaporizers on the market that are simply a couple of metal rods stuck into water. Instructions say to add some salt if not enough vapor.
Yer floor outlets are simply 'vaporizers' <Grin>

 

[letgomywago]

How long of a run for the circuit too. Enough of a run will lower the voltage then since it's a resistive load it might not trip the breaker. Same deal as needing to upsize a ground for voltage drop conductor increases.

 

[ptonsparky]

There are vaporizers on the market that are simply a couple of metal rods stuck into water. Instructions say to add some salt if not enough vapor.
Yer floor outlets are simply 'vaporizers' <Grin>

Yes, I've seen them They worked until the lime built up.
Water heating elements can fail in the same fashion.

 

[farmantenna]

haha. READ this one!! brand new apartment building with ITE Siemens Power Mod 800 or 1000 amp service and 30 meters in a small basement utility room (special permission by Utility). Across the room are 3 presently unused capped (both ends) 4" TEL/Com conduits going outside to area of site not done. Basically they're in large slightly lower hole. The cable TV contractor installs their cable and left things unsealed and 1 uncapped. A 45 min thunder storm goes through dumping record rain levels. The water level in the utility room was about 33?" deep with many of the energized meters underwater and nothing happened. nothing tripped or shorted. Inspector made us replace all the APT feeder breakers and dry everything.

 

[Scoop789]

Definitely did a good job of heating the water inside the floor boxes

 

[hillbilly1]

Get to see it a lot in quazite boxes, 480 volt parking lot lights, eventually flash’s over and trips the breaker!