It's power washing season

Status
Not open for further replies.
goldstar

goldstar

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
Power washers - keep up the good work. I'll keep making all the repairs :) This was the third one this week and the worst so far

Burnt GFCI.jpg
 
retirede said:
I’m having trouble understanding how that damage could be caused solely by a power washer. Can someone educate me?
Click to expand...
I'll try. This particular GFCI receptacle was on a brick faced wall that was under an overhang and behind a shrub bed. It was protected from most normal weather conditions. The chances of it getting wet from a normal rainfall would be a shot in about 10K. It was intended to power a transformer for landscape lighting so, the cord for that transformer was plugged in and the expandable cover was out. The power washer came too close to the cover and shot the water right at or close to the gasket (which didn't make a perfect seal to the brick). He stopped spraying once the sparks started to fly.
 
Coppersmith said:
I'm curious if he also fessed up to causing the damage and paid for it. I have on occasion broken a sprinkler head, or valve, or some drywall. I always get it repaired on my dime.
Click to expand...
Not sure. I billed my customer. If she wants to back-charge him that’s up to her
 
goldstar said:
I'll try. This particular GFCI receptacle was on a brick faced wall that was under an overhang and behind a shrub bed. It was protected from most normal weather conditions. The chances of it getting wet from a normal rainfall would be a shot in about 10K. It was intended to power a transformer for landscape lighting so, the cord for that transformer was plugged in and the expandable cover was out. The power washer came too close to the cover and shot the water right at or close to the gasket (which didn't make a perfect seal to the brick). He stopped spraying once the sparks started to fly.
Click to expand...

I guess he was using some chemical additive to clean the brick? I wouldn’t expect plain tap water to initiate sparking.
 
retirede said:
I guess he was using some chemical additive to clean the brick? I wouldn’t expect plain tap water to initiate sparking.
Click to expand...
agree.

Looks more like what you find in a bell box with no bottom entry or weep hole to drain moisture. Usually hard to fill a flush box with enough plain water to do something like that, unless maybe it was a FS/bell box that was installed flush.
 
Take a look at the exception to 406.9(B)(1).
Exception:
15- and 20-ampere, 125- through 250-volt receptacles instal⁠led in a wet location and subject to routine high-pressure spray washing shall be permitted to have an enclosure that is weatherproof when the attachment plug is removed.
Click to expand...
However I doubt that the installation in this thread is subject to "routine high-pressure spray washing".
 
don_resqcapt19 said:
Take a look at the exception to 406.9(B)(1).

However I doubt that the installation in this thread is subject to "routine high-pressure spray washing".
Click to expand...
Those don't hold out high pressure spray all that well either.

If you ever work in food processing plants - particularly meat or dairy you learn pretty much nothing keeps out high pressure spray.
 
Just to clarify, this receptacle was installed several years ago and intended to be used for a landscape lighting transformer. The JB was a 4" square box with a 1-G mud ring installed from the inside before sheetrock was installed. The GFCI receptacle was installed with a Taymac expandable cover. It was well protected from normal weather conditions but was never expected to withstand an attack from a pressure washer. I have no idea if a chemical was used prior to the power washing. However, if the water pressure was high enough to penetrate behind the gasket and leak onto the device I believe sparks would fly IMHO.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top