What happens if water gets in electrical outlet

If the water reaches high levels, electrical outlets will become saturated with moisture. Rain can also enter a home if the windows are left open. As a precautionary measure after storms, homeowners should inspect electrical outlets installed near windows. Everyday activities in the bathrooms and kitchens can cause electrical outlets to become wet.

Cooking with liquids, for instance, can lead to splatters that reach the outlet. Washing up in the bathroom sink can send splashes of water into a nearby electrical socket. Water triggers a process of rust and corrosion on metal surfaces. When affected by moisture, an electrical outlet will rust and corrode. Such an outcome is unsafe. The rust and corrosion act as insulators that interrupt the flow of electrical current.

The resulting excess heat can spark a fire. An electrical fire is also a possibility if a short circuit occurs. Water is a known conductor of electricity. Plugging a device or appliance into a wet outlet can cause the electrical current to rapidly increase. The overwhelmed circuit could produce sparks and end in an electrical fire. A wet electrical outlet is a dangerous one. In order to preserve personal safety, home and business owners are urged to immediately take steps to dry the outlet.

However, it is critical to handle the outlets knowledgeably. Otherwise, the property owner has a high risk for a severe electrical shock. GFCI is short for ground fault circuit interrupter. In a functioning outlet, the GFCI component triggers an automatic shutoff when the outlet is exposed to moisture. Small amounts of water, like bathroom humidity, that enter the outlet interrupt the flow of electricity and prompt an immediate shutoff.

However, automatic shutoffs are not always reliable. Manually shutting off the GFCI is advised. Turning off the GFCI outlet may be readily done by simultaneously pressing the test and reset buttons located on the outlet. Use a voltage meter to test that the GFCI outlet is properly shut down. Water levels can reach several inches high when major indoor flooding occurs. Consequently, multiple electrical outlets will be exposed to the floodwaters.

In such instances, the safest maneuver to protect the homeowner from an electrical shock is to turn off power at the breaker box. If there are several outlets with water damage, then it may be good idea to turn the power off at the main breaker. This is the best way to keep yourself and your home safe. This is especially if the outlets have been exposed to a large amount of water. When you are facing water damage in your home, affecting your electrical components, the best thing you can do is call the professionals for help.

They will be able to ensure the outlets are fixed or replaced and that they are safe to use once again. This is the best way to safeguard yourself, your family and your home. Kansas: I Missouri: I Lawrence: GFCI Outlet Shutoff GFCI, which stands for ground fault circuit interrupter, is a unique outlet designed to automatically turn off if the flow of electricity is interrupted for any reason.

If your electrical outlet s got wet, immediately turn off electricity and call an electrician and a plumber. You see, the signs that your house is in peril because of moisture in your wiring will be obvious — water leaking from electrical outlets is enough warning, for example. Also, if you fear that your outdoor electrical outlet got wet too because of any flooding water in fuse boxes is a greater danger! Should the damage be bigger than expected, contact a qualified electrician to survey the area and get sure that it is safe to return to your house.

You should only go back to your house if there are no more signs that water can, and will, affect your wiring. Your electricity supply must be also turned off until it is thoroughly checked, that it is safe to step into your house again. It is common for professionals to carefully and slowly check every outlet — might take days — to fully repair everything.

Sometimes, if the liquid penetrated deep down into a wire, electricians might have to cut out the wet area for safety measures; major damages may need a whole new set of wiring.

But in the end, and for your sake, this might be the best solution, after all. Outlets stop working because water hinders their performance, but wires do keep functioning and still carry electrical currents into them, as if nothing had happened.

How to dry out a plug socket, though? And what happens if an extension cord gets wet? Same process, but be careful if the extension cord has also a switch. You better have your hands dry for this one, too, and unplug it carefully, and then uncoil it so it can dry faster. What happens if water gets in an electrical outlet?

People tend to think that electrocution is the worst thing that can happen if water and electricity combine, as it is usually unthinkable that water can cause a fire.

And yet, electrical fire caused by water is far worse, and more possible, than getting electrocuted by a wet live wire. This is because leaks, no matter how big or small they are, will always find a way into the light fixtures and wiring buried deep within the cords. And the small sparks they produce, although seemingly harmless, can — and might — provoke a huge blaze in no time.

It's always helps to know how to tell if water damage is new or old. As a matter of fact, even if you tried to remove the grounding plug from a cord to create a two-prong outlet, it can also start a fire. Views: Share Tweet Facebook. Join My Firefighter Nation.