The power company cut the wires to the house and dug a trench. The trench is about 2' deep and on the house side the wires come up PVC conduit about 2' above ground, through the sill of the house and down about 4' to the panel in the basement. One the pole side, the lines were spliced to the overhead lines that were cut off and run down a PVC pipe that goes into the ground. There is no PVC covering the wires between the pole and house.

When the electricians did this, they cut the wire and when they were trenching it they commented that they had cut the wire short and hoped to have enough. They installed the wires in the main panel and buried everything back up. We did the rest of the electrical work.

Now this year we have had a lot of rain, more than even the old timers remember. Earlier this season I noticed water dripping down the sheetrock below the panel. DH opened up the panel and the bottom was filled with water. There was no water what so ever at the top part of the panel where the PVC holding the incoming main wires is located. We shut the power and started pulling breakers and seriously looking at what was happening. There is no doubt in my mine or DH's mind what we saw. The water was dripping OUT of one of the main incoming wires. Not along side, the outside of the wire was bone dry. To be sure, I went outside in the rain and opened up the back of the elbow where it goes into the house, and everything there was bone dry.

By the time someone from the power things had dried up. They looked at the water stains and the corrosion marks in the box and basically said what we say could not happen, but if we saw it again to call them.

It's rained for the last several days and today DH was doing some wiring and noticed water on the breakers. Again there is no water anywhere else in the panel except dripping from the left main incoming wire and down the left side of the panel. I took some pictures but they don't show things that well.

The power company said they would send someone out Monday afternoon to look at it - and its suppose to be dry for the next several days.

At least this time the Power company said it is possible, but highly unlikely. Let's assume that the water IS coming from inside the wire, what needs to be done to fix this? Would it be good enough for them to try to seal the ends so no more water comes in or should the line be replaced since it already has water inside it.

The pole by the shed

The wires going to the house - the PVC down the center of the pole in this picture

From the other side, the double splice that is along side the main shutoff is one of the lines going to the house.

The water stain below the panel

The panel showing how the main wires come in at the top (the ones going out the side feed a sub panel for the heat circuts)

I know it's hard to see in this picture (unless you enlarge it) but you can see two water drops on the left side right below the main breaker. All the breakers along the left side had water on them. This time it was not bad enough to make it all the way to the bottom of the panel. This was taken today and since we didn't flip the outside disconnect, we weren't about to stick our fingers in there.

This is an old picture, but it shows how the wires comes into the house

And last, the guys that did the work.

Cathy

AND it cannot be causing a short and blowing the supply fuses of the transformer, anywhere along that run.
aaahhh-hheeemmmmm.

the water is running inside the insulation, all the way from the pole to the panel?! that is some fish story.

i think it is much more like a leak from the attic, running into the pipe at an open joint, and BEHIND the wire in question in the panel. i wouldn't hesitate for a second to open the drywall on the first floor to trace the moisture trail to the attic. this is a very serious problem and needs to be fixed before the next rain storm.

you'll see the water trail, i'm positive of that.

rick

Have one installed.

An open pipe facing up WILL collect rain, and water can find the slightest defect in the insulation of the wires.

Depending on exactly what type of insulation is present, it may have more than one layer.

While scratches and defects i an outer layer are not uncommon, this could easily result in an entry path.

The biggest issue right away though is the lack of a weather head on the conduit.

Have one installed with correct drip loops.

Have one installed with correct drip loops.'

brickeyee, look at the pic with the LB fitting above grade. in order for the water to rise above that fitting and travel down the other side (inside the house) you would have to pour water into the other end. even 2" of rain wouldn't come close to overcoming that rise.

if you've pulled wire out of conduit, you'd know that all underground pipe has lots of water in it.

now, let's not talk about copper wire 'wicking' water up to the level of that lb fitting. copper wire doesn't do that.

rick

Capillary action does not require any static water pressure (head) to move water around, even against gravity.

I have seen plenty of panels fed from underground lines without a break in the line have moisture in them from capillary action.

That PVC conduit needs a weather head and correct drip loops.

To answer a few remarks, there is no water coming in through the roof or anywhere else, DH and I looked at those options when we first saw the water. Though some might think DIY means "hack job" my husband and I have been doing major building projects for about 20 years and we do know how to look for water damage and leaks.

As to why the power company is doing this - we hired them to run the lines in the first place. Paid $700 for the work too. Since we are rural, the power company is usually the only one that will come out and do the jobs. The two electric companies in town are busy with residential/commercial projects and don't want to be bothered by something like this - unless they are doing the entire house.

The lineman checked things over and rearranged the lines and wrapped a few of the connections. He said not to be all that concerned about water in the line as it wouldn't cause problems for a while. Since we are going into winter, I expect we'll not see any more water issues until it starts to rain in the spring.

If we weren't having one of the wettest years on record, this problem may have never surfaced - I think that is what the power company is betting on.

But it is an interesting thought that maybe the problem is water getting into the PVC pipe and then into a break in the line - though we couldn't put a real cap on (we can't disconnect the lines) I think we could fabricate a cover that would do the same thing.

Thanks for all your help.

Cathy