# Hurricane Sandies toxic juice



## Eaglei (Aug 1, 2012)

I would like some oppions on salt water soaked electrical outlets and bx cable that was under 5ft of water from hurricane sandy . There was also heating oil and some diesel and who knows what else . Do i need to replace everything or just replace switches and outlets .


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## HARRY304E (Jan 18, 2011)

Eaglei said:


> I would like some oppions on salt water soaked electrical outlets and bx cable that was under 5ft of water from hurricane sandy . There was also heating oil and some diesel and who knows what else . Do i need to replace everything or just replace switches and outlets .


Salt water is a corrosive and if it is inside walls that have been under water those will need to be ripped out as well,I would not take a chance with any of it just rip it all out..


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

12/2 that's been soaked (and is still soaking) in salt water is no longer 12/2. It needs to go. :sad:


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

Insurance should cover a full gut since it was declared a disaster.


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## MAULEMALL (May 16, 2010)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> Insurance should cover a full gut since it was declared a disaster.


If they have flood insurance


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## WarriorWithWood (Jun 30, 2007)

Eagle didn't have flood insurance, is there any way to save the wiring? There must be a way to neutralize the salt water's effects. 5 days isn't that long.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

You don't neutralize salt; at best, you rinse it away. Wires that have been immersed in salt solution even for one day are already corroding, and most likely do not meet manufacturing specs.

There's just no practical way to get the salt out of the sheathing and insulation.


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## WarriorWithWood (Jun 30, 2007)

That sucks.


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## woodchuck2 (Feb 27, 2008)

I would not mess with it, salt water is so damn corrosive the wire will just be a constant problem. You have to figure the BX wire is not going to "drain" so you will have pockets of salt water inside rotting out the corrugated metal and it will be penetrating the casing of the wire eventually. Rip it out and start over with new.


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## HARRY304E (Jan 18, 2011)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> Insurance should cover a full gut since it was declared a disaster.


It should that is what we are paying them for.


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## HARRY304E (Jan 18, 2011)

woodchuck2 said:


> I would not mess with it, salt water is so damn corrosive the wire will just be a constant problem. You have to figure the BX wire is not going to "drain" so you will have pockets of salt water inside rotting out the corrugated metal and it will be penetrating the casing of the wire eventually. Rip it out and start over with new.


That BX will be glowing in the walls with it rotting out like that.


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## MAULEMALL (May 16, 2010)

HARRY304E said:


> It should that is what we are paying them for.


Flood insurance is completely different that disaster insurance...

Many Affected by Sandy Lacked Flood Coverage 
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204712904578092743393773424.html
Only a fraction of homeowners in some parts of the Northeast who incurred property damage from Sandy have insurance that covers losses from floods, a Wall Street Journal analysis finds.

Across the region, there are large disparities in the number of homeowners who have bought coverage under the government's National Flood Insurance Program, according to the analysis of data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which runs the program.

Buying that coverage is crucial because standard homeowners policies don't cover floods. After last year's Hurricane Irene, many people were shocked to find this out. Now thousands of people across the Northeast are scrambling to figure out what is—and isn't—covered by insurance policies. 

In Ocean City, Md., a seaside town chock full of beachfront houses and condominiums, for example, 90% of housing units had coverage as of the end of August.

But in New York City, where the threat of flooding hasn't been as obvious a threat, only 1% of housing units had the coverage. In Moonachie, N.J., which was devastated by the storm, only 21% were insured, the analysis found. That is lower than in some other cities in New Jersey—33% in Hoboken, 41% in Atlantic City, 47% in Seaside Heights and 66% in Cape May.

Cities in Connecticut also have relatively low percentages of housing covered by the federal flood insurance program: 6% in Norwalk, 12% in Fairfield and 13% in Westport.

Despite advertising campaigns by the federal program, many people aren't aware they need the flood-coverage policies until it is too late. And since there is a 30-day waiting period for policies to go into effect, new policies would not retroactively cover damage from Sandy.

Policies can be purchased from local insurance agents and are administered by insurance companies but paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

The price tag for the flood program, on average, is about $585 per property annually, although the cost can be much higher in riskier areas. Lenders mandate the coverage for properties in areas that are deemed at high risk of flooding, but the policies are available nationwide, and about 5.6 million homeowners and businesses participate.


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## CompleteW&D (May 28, 2011)

How could someone living right on or very near the ocean NOT have flood insurance? New York City (except for maybe the island of Manhattan), or the burroughs farthest from the coast I can understand.


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## Eaglei (Aug 1, 2012)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> Insurance should cover a full gut since it was declared a disaster.


Only if you had flood insurance . No more note on building and the last time it flooded was in the 50s . Live n learn .


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## Eaglei (Aug 1, 2012)

CompleteW&D said:


> How could someone living right on or very near the ocean NOT have flood insurance? New York City (except for maybe the island of Manhattan), or the burroughs farthest from the coast I can understand.


Staten Islands Todt Hill is the east coasts highist point . The majority of the island is above the 100 yr flood plane .


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## Eaglei (Aug 1, 2012)

woodchuck2 said:


> I would not mess with it, salt water is so damn corrosive the wire will just be a constant problem. You have to figure the BX wire is not going to "drain" so you will have pockets of salt water inside rotting out the corrugated metal and it will be penetrating the casing of the wire eventually. Rip it out and start over with new.


Easier said than done . Water was around 4ft high and soaked for less then 10 hrs . Bx cable runs up and down , left to right and everywhere that is impossible to get to . I was planning on gutting sheetrock and insulation 4ft from floor up . Gotta be a better way .


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## Greg from K/W (Jan 28, 2010)

Nope even the studs and bottom plate would have to come out. The nails would rust away to nothing and you would be left with a crap load of mold in those walls.Even if you dried it all out and left it for a while I would not bet mold would not start up.


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## TAHomeRepairs (Jun 18, 2012)

Greg from K/W said:


> Nope even the studs and bottom plate would have to come out. The nails would rust away to nothing and you would be left with a crap load of mold in those walls.Even if you dried it all out and left it for a while I would not bet mold would not start up.


Mold? Just curious but aren't those mold neutralizing agents that they sell in the spray bottles at the depot basically sodium chloride? Ie salt water


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## woodchuck2 (Feb 27, 2008)

Eaglei said:


> Easier said than done . Water was around 4ft high and soaked for less then 10 hrs . Bx cable runs up and down , left to right and everywhere that is impossible to get to . I was planning on gutting sheetrock and insulation 4ft from floor up . Gotta be a better way .


Well, you half there, might better go the 8' and see what you can do then. I know it sucks and is expensive but what choice do you really have? You can clean the connections and hope for the best but i am willing to bet you will have constant wiring issues down the road and the problems will be buried under new drywall. Will this be a fire issue? Do not know, if you have a bad connection on a device then you chance a fire when it melts down. If you have a problem with a wire inside the metal sheathing then it just may short against the casing and trip the breaker, or it may short out and burn through the casing and catch a stud on fire. Who really knows? Is it really worth the risk?

You may even need to drop the ceiling down to rewire. Like you said the BX is never run in a straight line and who knows where it goes, most commonly they went to a light fixture though.


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## thom (Nov 3, 2006)

This is a situation where romex might be a better product than bx/armor cable. As long as an end of the romex was not submerged the jacket should protect it from salt water, not so for bx.


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