Romex and electrical devices under water

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Steve Ragan

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Does it state anywhere in the NEC book or the NFPA that if romex and electrical devices are under water due to a flood it should all have to be replaced. All was under water for 2 1/2 days. Yes I am a master electrician and I am having conflict with several other electricians. I say that it should be replaced due to the paper in the romex holds water and the devices are starting to corrode. Some are saying to clean the devices and let the wire dry out and everything will be ok.
 
What kind of water? 'Fresh' or salt? Problem with flood water is it's usually contaminated with all sorts of icky (technical term) things. At a minimum, I think any devices should be thoroughly sprayed down with clean water to remove any Things that may get in the way of their normal operation.

Household electronics would be OK if you could get at all the nooks and crannies to clean out who-knows-what on the circuit boards.

Romex-- the paper is mostly just filler around the conductors-- but because the outer wrapping is plastic these days, once water gets in, it's going to hide in the low spots... possibly for a long time!

What is corroding?
 
Somebody posted a link to definitive guidelines for what to do with wet and submerged electrical wiring and equipment, I believe, right after Sandy because we had a lot of questions like this. Has to be here someplace.

-Hal
 
augie47 said:
https://www.electrical-contractor.net/ESF/NEMA_Guidelines.htm
Click to expand...

Wire, Cable and Flexible Cords

When any wire or cable product is submerged in water, any metallic component (such as the conductor, metallic shield, or armor) is subject to corrosion that can damage the component itself and/or cause termination failures. If water remains in medium voltage cable, it could accelerate insulation deterioration, causing premature failure. Wire and cable that is listed for only dry locations may become a shock hazard, when energized, after being submerged in water.

The following recommended actions are based upon the concept that the water contains no unusually high concentrations of chemicals, oils, etc. If it is suspected that the water has unusual contaminants, such as may be found in some flood water, the manufacturer should be consulted before any decision is made to continue using any wire or cable products.

Items Requiring Complete Replacement


Any wire or cable that is listed for dry locations only, such as type NM-B cable, should be replaced if it has been submerged in water.
Any cable that contains fillers, such as polypropylene, paper, etc., should be replaced if the ends of the product have been submerged in water.



Items Which May Possibly Be Reconditioned by Trained Personnel in Consultation with Manufacturer


Any wire or cable product that is suitable for wet locations and whose ends have not been submerged should be suitable for use or continued use. A qualified person, such as an electrical contractor or others familiar with wire and cable terminology, should make the determination of the product's suitability for wet locations.
Any wire or cable product, not containing fillers, that is suitable for wet locations and whose ends have been submerged in water, may be considered a candidate for "purging" (using an inert gas under pressure to remove water contained in the product) under engineering supervision. If this procedure is employed, the wire or cable should be tested prior to energization. As a minimum, an insulation resistance test with a megohmmeter should be conducted.
 
NEMA has guidelines on water damage. Washington took the NEMA guidelines and added to the electrical rules. Basically anything sealed & NM cable, replace. If it can opened for inspection may not need replacement
 
I guess we should pay attention to the nema standards , because there seems to be a lot of weather related events calling for us to lately.....~RJ~
 
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