Fotoimpacto: La DANA en Valencia destapa los riesgos de no contar con instaladores certificados

Photoimpact: The DANA in Valencia reveals the risks of not having certified installers

Sara Portillo

Electrical Material (C of Communication)

11/25/2024

It has been almost a month since the natural disaster that was the DANA , whose floods affected different Spanish autonomous communities, with Valencia being the worst affected. The number of fatalities, which already exceed 220 people according to official data, and the missing, are the main characters of a scenario in which there are also flooded homes and businesses, unusable electrical installations and a great risk to people's safety.

In this context, solidarity has also been present in the form of volunteers , such as Joan Bosch Ávila, a FP teacher in IT and SAI, who, together with more than 300 volunteers from the #electricistasDANA group, has gone to municipalities such as Algemesí and Aldaia.

“More than 300 electrical and vocational training professionals have come together to provide basic lighting services, enable some sockets and minimise the risks of electrical contact between the residents of Ribera Alta, Ribera Baixa and Horta Sud,” he says in a post on LinkedIn that our photoimpact section recovers.

In it, he shows damaged installations and issues some warnings, as well as addressing the importance and need for professional installers. The Electrical Material area of ​​C de Comunicación has asked Joan for information about these installations, their risks, solutions and the work of these volunteers in the areas affected by the DANA .

The work of volunteer installers after the DANA in Valencia

“Following the DANA in Valencia, we have seen facilities severely damaged by water and mud, which in some neighbourhoods have reached more than 1.5-2 metres inside the home, even flooding electrical panels and meter cabinets,” says Bosch .

A situation that highlights the need to raise awareness about electrical safety. Installing or repairing without adequate knowledge not only violates the rules, but also puts lives at risk.

"The first thing that those affected need is the advice of a professional who acts with judgment, guaranteeing peace of mind and security of the facilities," he explains.

Thus, the team of volunteers made up of professionals and teachers of Vocational Training carried out tasks of:

  • Inspection and disconnection of affected lines: dismantling, drying and cleaning sockets and electrical panels damaged by water and mud. Flooded switches and commutators were also dismantled.
  • Replacing critical elements: checking differentials, circuit breakers and other protection devices, replacing them if they have been damaged by water.
  • Notices to distributors: in serious cases such as flooded meter panels, coordinate emergency solutions for people in vulnerable situations.

Detected dangers, common errors and warnings

During this work, the team of volunteers identified highly dangerous practices and situations , often the result of ignorance or hasty attempts to restore electricity.

“Based on what we have seen, I would like to issue a few warnings,” says Bosch, who also offers some recommendations.

Improper cleaning with pressure washers:

  • Using a Karcher or high-pressure tool directly on sockets or electrical panels without first disconnecting the power. This method, besides being dangerous, accelerates oxidation and can damage sensitive components. On the other hand, it can cause electric shocks if the circuit has not been disconnected beforehand.
  • Recommendation: Disconnect power, remove plugs, dry clean and apply dielectric spray (such as WD40) before reinstalling.

Bypassing electrical protections:

  • In some cases, differential switches , thermal-magnetic switches and other safety elements were disabled, or even direct connections were made to bypass these protections.
  • Risk: This leaves the installation and its users completely unprotected against electrical overloads and shocks.

According to Bosch, these practices are extremely dangerous: “Protective elements such as differential switches, circuit breakers or fuses are there to protect us. Never allow them to be bypassed.”

Overload on sockets and wiring:

  • Installations have been detected where multiple high-power appliances (washing machines, dryers, water heaters) were connected to cables with insufficient section (e.g. 1.5 mm²), which can cause overheating and increase the risk of fire.
  • Example: A 1.5mm² plug connected directly to 6mm² wiring supporting a power strip with several high load appliances.

Illegal connections:

Bosch emphasises: “Beware of direct couplings. Apart from being illegal, they are dangerous. We have come across several cases where, out of desperation, these practices were resorted to.”

  • Direct connections to the electricity grid or improvised connections between homes. “Some have been made temporarily when a home’s meter breaks down, but others were previously made conscientiously,” he says.
  • Risk: In addition to being illegal, these connections are highly unsafe and increase the likelihood of short circuits.

Mud on electrical components:

  • Water and mud that penetrate into electrical panels, differentials and magnetothermics hinder heat dissipation and can cause short circuits if conductive particles accidentally connect cables.
  • Recommendation: Disassemble the affected elements, clean them carefully and, if restoration is not possible, replace them with new components.

Relying on qualified installers is crucial

In cases like this, turning to qualified installers is not only a recommendation, it is a vital necessity. The professor stresses that, in emergency situations like this, attempting to repair installations without the necessary training can be catastrophic.

“Only people with the required training to work as an electrician should carry out these interventions. There are many intruders or people who want to help without technical knowledge and this can be dangerous both for themselves and for the people who live or work there. They can be exposed to fire or burn risks and especially to electrical risks that can range from minor injuries to disabilities or even death,” he explains.

On the other hand , many older homes do not comply with current regulations. This increases the risks when trying to restore essential electrical services under adverse conditions. These older homes, by not complying with current regulations, present electrical risks that are aggravated after phenomena such as DANA.

“There are still many old electrical installations in homes from the 1950s-1970s that do not comply 100% with current regulations. Starting in 1973 with the Low Voltage Electrotechnical Regulation, increasingly safer installations were made until the introduction of the REBT in 2003, which included more electrical safety measures,” he explains.

In a situation like the current one, people need to use pressure washers, wash a lot of clothes, use the dryer, turn on the refrigerator, charge the phone, watch the news on TV... "This leads them to try by all means to reestablish the electricity supply to the home and they usually find a differential that trips or a circuit breaker that trips due to being overloaded ," he adds.

“When the installation doesn’t work, they call an electrical installer, who is probably overwhelmed at the time and can’t help them. The next call is to their brother-in-law or friend who knows something about electricity so he can tell them what to do.”

Finally, they turn to YouTube to watch a video and “take a risk themselves,” he says. “Their lack of technical knowledge and lack of specialized PPE can put them in risky situations,” concludes Joan Bosch.

Link to the news https://material-electrico.cdecomunicacion.es/noticias/instaladores/fotoimpacto/180522/dana-valencia-riesgos-instaladores-profesionales

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