I recently noticed some rust in the bottom of my breaker box in the basement. I cleaned it up, and figured it was due to age or dampness.
The other day I noticed some rust tracking on the main breaker. I removed the front panel, wiped everything down, but couldn't tell where its coming from.
Yesterday it poured for about an hour, so i went down there to see if I could spot any leaks, but didn't see a thing. This morning, long after the rain stopped, the box is wet, and its dripping steady from the inside of the gray service cable.
I pulled the meter, removed the wet breakers, blow dried everything real well and gave a good look at where the water is coming from.
The cable going in the top is sealed, both with a gland nut and a ton of putty. The bottom of the meter box is also wet and rusty.
There's no seal around the meter itself and nothing around the side of the cover. It sits out in the open on the wall. I see no way for water that gets in around the meter to get out the bottom other than filtering through the wire casing or when it fills up and runs out around the meter. When I pulled the cover, there was a half cup or so of water sitting in the bottom of the box.
I asked if I could put some foam around the meter and they said no, There's a good 3" of casing intact on the wire at the bottom, for it to run into the cable it would need to be at least that high in the box before submerging the open end of the cable. My guess is rain is getting in around the meter and following the cable into my box inside.
Any ideas?
The other day I noticed some rust tracking on the main breaker. I removed the front panel, wiped everything down, but couldn't tell where its coming from.
Yesterday it poured for about an hour, so i went down there to see if I could spot any leaks, but didn't see a thing. This morning, long after the rain stopped, the box is wet, and its dripping steady from the inside of the gray service cable.
I pulled the meter, removed the wet breakers, blow dried everything real well and gave a good look at where the water is coming from.
The cable going in the top is sealed, both with a gland nut and a ton of putty. The bottom of the meter box is also wet and rusty.
There's no seal around the meter itself and nothing around the side of the cover. It sits out in the open on the wall. I see no way for water that gets in around the meter to get out the bottom other than filtering through the wire casing or when it fills up and runs out around the meter. When I pulled the cover, there was a half cup or so of water sitting in the bottom of the box.
I asked if I could put some foam around the meter and they said no, There's a good 3" of casing intact on the wire at the bottom, for it to run into the cable it would need to be at least that high in the box before submerging the open end of the cable. My guess is rain is getting in around the meter and following the cable into my box inside.
Any ideas?