Turning consumer unit on after water damage

[ipf]

Just think, how many water leakage problems there are every winter, especially in extreme conditions. If there was a 28 day 'dry out' period, people all over the country would have been freezing to death up until a week ago.

 

[buzzlightyear]

28 days to test it, what is it 28 days old beef. Post here where you live and some one
Might help near your localation.

 

[plugsandsparks]

Possible issue with CU is if water tracking along the cables and then running inside CU. I had a similar issue with a large house with a large DB and a shower leak upstairs caused excessive water to run along the cables, all the way back to the breakers and fill those, eventually ccts started to trip and by the time i arrived, it was a rights old mess, in the end for various reasons, i changed the whole board and breakers.

 

[freddo]

Damp components in the CU would change things completely. A main switch, RCD or MCB that leaks current in the off position would be extremely dangerous to anyone working on the electrics..

Water in the mechanical parts of the MCBS RCDs etc. can also cause corrosion that can cause the mechanisms to seize or the contact parts become high resistance. If water has entered any of the internal parts of the consumer unit they must be replaced.

 

[brianmoooore]

Water in the mechanical parts of the MCBS RCDs etc. can also cause corrosion that can cause the mechanisms to seize or the contact parts become high resistance. If water has entered any of the internal parts of the consumer unit they must be replaced.

Yes, safety critical components, so this is a given.

 

[ancienthistory]

Yes, safety critical components, so this is a given.

Thanks this makes sense. However in our case I think this is exceedingly unlikely since as I say the unit has tested ok, and indeed there is no evidence of any water damage to the consumer unit in the first place.

 

[snowhead]

So nobody knows what this 28 day rule could be?

There couldn't possibly be a fixed 28 day rule anywhere, as 28 days may not be long enough for some flooded properties and may be far too long for others.

 

[Markyd]

Sounds like 28 days is when his sparky is next available

 

[Markyd]

Sounds like 28 days is when his sparky is next available.... If you had a sparks in to do some testing and he was happy, why did he not energize some of the circuits?

 

[cliffed]

Agree with all comments I had a call out to a Care Home the other week water damage in the kitchen, water from roof leak.
Disconnected affected fitting checked elsewhere, left with electric on, returning when ceilings are finished refitting new Led VP fittings.