Flooding in PeeDee Area – Electrical Inspections & Safety.

The floodwaters from Hurricane Florence still pose a serious threat to the PeeDee Area including Georgetown County and Horry County and it is important that everyone prepares for the worst.

Transworld, Inc. Electrical Contractors always emphasizes safety and we want to encourage everyone to practice electrical safety when handling water damage due to flooding. If your business or home experiences any water damage due to flood waters, remember that electrocution is a serious threat.

If you experience any flooding it is important you have your electrical system inspected by a licensed electrician.

Here are some electrical safety guidelines to help keep you safe:

1. ALWAYS take care when stepping into a flooded area and NEVER touch electrical equipment with wet hands or while standing on a wet surface! Submerged outlets or electrical cords may energize the water. The only way to ensure the house is completely disconnected from the grid is to remove the home’s electrical meter from its socket. This should only be completed by a licensed electrician or the utility company. Even if your power is out, you can still be electrocuted if someone is running a generator nearby.

2.  Many electrical hazards may be hidden; therefore any electrical wiring and equipment that was submerged in water can be a fire hazard. Only a licensed electrician is qualified to perform an electrical inspection to know if the electrical equipment can be reconditioned or needs to be completely replaced.

   Ocean waters and salt spray can be particularly damaging to electrical equipment due to the corrosive and conductive nature of the salt water residue.

3. Do not turn on or plug in any electrical appliances that have been wet unless you have a licensed electricians tell you it is safe.

4. Pay increased attention to grounding and bonding as it can be severely damaged by floodwaters. Only a licensed electrician is equipped and trained to examine the damage and conduct a thorough electrical inspection of the system

5. Professional cleaning and drying might not be enough to remove all the sediments and toxins from floodwater, most electrical equipment will still need to be replaced even if they were only briefly submerged in water.

If you’ve experienced any flooding in your home or business the following needs to be inspected by a licensed electrician:

• All electrical wiring systems. Including plastic-sheathed building wire (Romex), armored cable (BX), circuit panels and circuit breakers, fuse boxes, and fuses, sub-panels, etc.

• Light switches, thermostats, outlet receptacles, light fixtures, electric heaters, and ceiling fans.

• Furnace burner and blower motors, transformers, elements and relays for furnaces and hot water tanks

• Hot water tanks

• Washing machines, dryers, furnaces, heat pumps, freezers, refrigerators, humidifiers, vacuums, power tools, exercise equipment, and similar appliances.

• Electronic equipment, including computers and home entertainment systems

A licensed air conditioning or a heating/cooling contractor can advise you whether your heating or cooling equipment can be salvaged. It depends on the type of equipment, the depth of the floodwaters, and the duration of submersion.

Transworld, Inc. has been a local electrical contractor for over 30 years in South Carolina. You can trust that our licensed electricians are prepared with the skills and experience necessary to ensure that your home or business’s electrical system is safe after flooding