Update: That time a junction box in a basement flooded

I was finishing a panel upgrade in a house in Tacoma last month when I found a junction box under the basement stairs full of water. The homeowner had a small leak from a washing machine hose they didn't know about. I shut off the circuit, used a wet/dry vac to get the water out, and let everything dry for a full day before redoing the connections. Anyone have a good trick for checking for hidden moisture in old boxes before you start work?

3 comments

3 Comments

mia_hart9022d agoMost Upvoted

Got a cheap moisture meter? The kind from the hardware store. I poke it in the back of old boxes now, saves a nasty surprise.

terryk2823d ago

Seen that happen way too often with hidden leaks.

jamesm3822d ago

Yeah, hidden leaks are the worst. I once spent a whole weekend thinking my basement wall was just damp, only to find a tiny crack behind a shelf that had been slowly flooding the place for months. The cleanup was way worse than the fix. Feels like they always show up at the worst possible time too.