Small Flood

[thomo27]

Hi
An old lead pipe has burst at my Mothers house and she had about an hours worth of leaked water , the downstairs was under water about an inch , the main switch at the fuse board is off , however other than visual inspection can you advise on any other checks that I can do to see if there has been any damage to the installation and equipment

Im thinking if there is water in the installation then id imagine this would have an effect on the resistance values , If I find out R1 & R2 and enquire about ZE then I could get ZS is this necessary ?

 

[ColJack]

since it was 1 inch under water can we assume that this is a solid floor rather than a suspended wooden floor ( which I'd assume the water would run through the cracks and into the dirt underneath? )

this would mean that the sockets and lights would usually be fed from above so unless the water was spraying on the accessories or they happen to be at floor level in / on the skirting boards, or the leak was on the second floor ( again though I'd ecpect it to run through the floor and ceiling ) then the odds are the electrics won't be affected..

a PIR would be a good idea though to be on the safe side with all the IR tests at the board etc to confirm that there's not a JB under the floor filled with water still..

 

[Lectrician]

Does it not seem obvious to you that the most important thing to check is the insulation resistance of the final circuits?

I would start there before any other tests.........

Carrying R1+R2 and Zs tests on an installation that suffered flood damage in order to determine if it is safe to turn on is madness.

 

[ericmark]

Insulation resistance is what needs to be measured but likely you will need to leave a week before trying to test.

Any tests while wet can cause tracks and once the carbon track is laid then it will need physical removing.

So better waiting until you think it will likely be dry before testing to ensure it is.

 

[thomo27]

Thanks for the advice , coljack the upstairs is all carpeted , the downstairs is laminate in the dining room and lino in the kitchen these were the only 2 rooms flooded downstairs. 'lectrician' thanks I was overcomplicating things

 

[JohnD]

as regards the lead pipe I had almost exactly the same thing in my old mum's house recently (though the leak was in the ground). You can probably m,ake an insurance claim for the damage esp to the laminate floor and carpets, and any kitchen cabinets that will be ruined if the chipboard got wet. Lift all flooring to let it dry quicly or you will get rot and mould

see plumbing forum

I believe I will be getting a £210 subsidy from Thames Water for fitting a new pipe.

Try to get your water co to test the water for lead content first, if you can get them to replace their bit in the pavement with plastic, it will be very much more easy for you to connect a new pipe to, than the old lead and brass that I had to deal with.

Sadly Thames Water only came to do the lead test yesterday, after I had already replaced all the consumer's side lead.