What to do after a flood
A Litt • 17 February 2020
Electrical safety after a flood
If you have been affected by flooding, once the water has subsided it is understandable that you will want to go straight back into your home and try to get things back to normal.
However, there could be damage to the electrics in your property, so before you do anything, follow our advice.
DO
- Make sure the property is safe before you enter
- Try to avoid direct contact with any water which remains. It may be contaminated
- Have a torch at hand when entering the property
- Switch off the electricity supply at the fuse box, if it is safe to do so. If there is evidence of water inside the fuse box or if there are signs of arcing or overheating, seek professional advice
- Unplug damaged electrical appliances and move all portable ones away from the area affected by flooding
- Arrange for other services, such as gas, to be switched off. Electricity and gas supplies should not be turned back on until you have had professional advice that it is safe to do so
Don’t
- Use candles to guide you when entering the property
- Use any mains powered electrical appliances in areas affected by flooding until advised by a registered electrician that it is safe to do so
- Go near any exposed wiring. It may still be live
- Start to clean up or carry out repairs until you are sure it is safe to do so
Cleaning up and making repairs
- Contact your insurance company, and the landlord if applicable, for advice and to get approval to carry out any repairs.
- Take photos of the damage and keep records
- Seek professional advice about the restoration of your property and hire appropriate and qualified professionals to undertake the repair work
- Use a registered electrician to assess the condition and damage to electrical wiring, equipment, and appliances that have been affected by the flood
Struggling to make electrical repairs?
786 Electricals can help you in any electrical situation. We cover all domestic and commercial electrical work and no job is too small.
If you’re needing any assistance or free advice, call us on 0116 238
9915
or 07584 321 989, if you need to email us, you can contact us - info@786electricals.co.uk
Electrical Safety Advice
- Do not attempt any electrical repairs or connection of temporary supplies yourself – always use a registered electrician
- Arrange for periodic inspection and test to be carried out on the property. The registered electrician will issue you with an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) which will identify the condition of the wiring and equipment in need of repair
- All of the portable appliances affected by the flood will need to be tested to make sure that they are safe for continued use, as well as fixed equipment such as electric cookers.
- If the water damage to electrics is relatively minor and caused by clean water, i.e. a burst water pipe or tank, then it is likely that the registered electrician will just need to dry out cables and replace any accessories affected by the water (sockets, switches, plugs, etc.)
- If there is major flood damage to the electrics caused by clean or contaminated water, then it is likely that parts of the electrical installation will need to be rewired
- When rewiring is necessary, ask the registered electrician about the possibility of raising the height of the newly installed electrical equipment, including raising the fuse box and sockets to above any future expected flood level
Fire and Rescue Assistance
The job of the Fire and Rescue Services is primarily to save lives, but they will assist in other ways in severe cases involving the evacuation process and help to limit the amount of damage to property wherever possible. If in any doubt, call the fire service for advice.
Useful Contact Numbers
Floodline: 0845 988 1188 (For England, Scotland & Wales)
For flood Information from local UK regions:
England: 0845 988 1188
www.environment-agency.gov.uk
Scotland: 0845 988 1188
www.sepa.org.uk/flooding
Wales: 08708 506 506
https://naturalresources.wales
Northern Ireland: 028 9054 0540
www.doeni.gov.uk
Fire Safety: www.facebook.com/firekills
The Environment Agency emergency hotline:
0800 80 70 60
The National Flood Forum: 012 9940 3055
https://nationalfloodforum.org.uk
The Association of British Insurers: 020 7600 3333
www.abi.org.uk
Remember, 786 Electricals covers Leicester & Leicestershire. We are leading experts in the Electrical industry which is backed by our accreditations.
If you need any assistance or free advice please contact us on 0116 238 9915
or 07584 321 989, if you need to email us, you can contact us - info@786Electricals.co.uk
If you have had any doubt about the condition of your electrical installation, especially if you have just had a flood or water damage to your property. We will always recommend having an Electrical Inspection & Testing report done.
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