Equipment burned out due to a power surge: what to do?

Why does the network voltage fluctuate?

In accordance with GOST 29322-2014, which is now used instead of the outdated standard 29322-92, the voltage in the electrical network under normal conditions should be at the level of 230 V. Deviation from the norm is allowed, but within small limits: long-term cannot exceed 5%, short-term - 10%.

But in practice, more significant power surges often occur. The reasons for significant differences may be the following:

A sudden power outage is one of the most common causes of electrical equipment failure.
Short circuit on power lines.
A tree falling causing a break or short in an overhead line.
Cable damage during trenching.
Thunder and lightning. These natural phenomena create almost the same effect as during a short circuit.
Poor contact of conductors, resulting in phase imbalance.

Any power surge caused by the above reasons can be disastrous for equipment. It remains to be seen who should compensate for losses in such cases.

Reasons for rapid power outages

The main groups of reasons why the voltage indicator deviates from the norm are emergency, natural, and man-made . Most often, the situation does not depend on the person, but the task of specialists is to correct it as quickly as possible.

IMPORTANT! The standard voltage in the electrical network is 220 V. Permissible deviations of no more than 10% are also allowed.

The consumer, in turn, can take care of his equipment with the help of special devices that smooth out surges and compliance with the rules for operating the devices.

Increased electricity voltage may be due to the fact that several high-power appliances were turned off in the house at the same time (for example, an automatic machine, an electric stove). Electrical overvoltage is especially common in older residential buildings with wiring that was originally designed for low-power appliances. New, modern technology requires appropriate electrical equipment;
If the voltage jumps in the network at home, then it may be connected to a transformer with unstable operation. Such transformers, as a rule, have a long service life, outdated and weak , worn-out equipment. Cases of power surges occur regularly. Consumers need to file a complaint with the energy supply or other responsible organization, and install stabilizers at home to protect the network;
The reason for the fluctuations can also be a weak electrical network with a long service life. If the highway was laid a long time ago and has not been modernized, it will not be able to reliably withstand a large load. An improved power grid throughout the city or between settlements can improve the situation;
Another reason is a weakened grounding, a break in the zero. Such factors are the most dangerous; most equipment connected to the electrical network burns out when the zero line breaks and cannot be repaired;
Bad weather sometimes leads to damage to power lines, broken wires, and falling poles. And during an accident, there may also be a power surge before the power goes out. Lightning also poses a danger to power lines - this factor is one of the natural causes of surges.

Equipment burned down - where to go and who to file a claim with?

Responsibility for the good condition and functioning of electrical networks lies with resource supply organizations, that is, regional power plants. Accidents on power lines, transformer substations and other similar facilities, as a rule, occur through their fault. These facilities are equipped with equipment that detects power surges. If the equipment burns out, the consumer has the right to submit a written request and receive such testimony.

When the voltage in the sockets reaches 380 V, a phase imbalance may have occurred. Since the management company is responsible for problems with the electrical panel installed in the entrance, it is necessary to contact it for clarification and compensation for damage

Another common situation is when performing renovation work. During such activities, trenches are dug and special equipment is used. Despite the fact that the specified work must be coordinated with organizations whose communications run nearby, cable breaks often occur. In this situation, the contractor responsible for the repairs will compensate for the losses.

The TV burned out

xKing wrote: laughed

Here's the literal translation: I can answer this with experience. Once upon a time, (circa 1987) we experienced some fantastic experiences with our lights and a whole house fan. the whole house fan is what tipped us off to the issue initially. All this is sudden just slow. Some lights were bright, some were dim. Television would not have advanced. After poking around a bit, I took out the (analog) meter and found some outlets had about 80 V and others had about 144. Then, some like, I had the bright idea to turn on the oven. When I turned the oven on, the fan returned to normal, normal lights. The 240v load is obviously a balanced system. I was over a loss of sorts at that point. I wasn't nearly as experienced in electrical things back then. I called my electrician friend, he came down poking around in a box of some and decided to loosen the base on a kiss. "ABOUT! ASSUMPTION WHAT? Start the fire,” he said. I'm like, "what's that mean"? He said “well even though I've never seen this before, it looks right as an open neutral. So I get on the horn with the power company. FYI, it was the Kansas City Power and Light. They come out and basically look at what I'm experiencing and the first thing the guy does is voltage meter. Then it measures the voltages on the incoming legs. Doesn't matter. Then he tells me that the problem must be on the inside. Sets the meter aside and instability returns. “yes, he says, the problem is on your side.” So at this point, I'm at my wit's end, not knowing what to do, so I call the fire department and they say, 'do you have a fire'? I say no, but I will unless someone fixes this power imbalance. So that triggers a little higher level of action from KCPL and they come out again. The maintenance guy does all his checks and then talks on the radio for a while. His observer says "You know it's like an open neutral." The guy comes back and says they suspect an open neutral. At that point, I'll explode. I didn't say "SHERLOCK SHIT", I told you guys that 3 hours ago. They ran a bare wire from my meter can to a junction box outside and lo and behold, everything becomes normal again. (did I mention that I have underground service?) They came out the next day and started digging. About a foot from my water meter at a depth of about 16″ the neutral wire was corroded clean in half. Apparently this was marked by a backhoe turning on the water line, 10 years prior. Well anyway, they installed the wire and everything was good for exactly a year to the day. It was so fantastic, one year later, HALF of the stuff in the house was left working. I had a dead leg. When they came out, I explained what happened the year before and so they dug again. Sure enough, about 2 feet from the neutral problem, one of the hot legs had corroded in half. Well anyway, that's my long and drawn out story of open neutral. I forgot to mention, I took all the paperwork from the open neutral service down to the KCPL office in downtown KC, MO and collected ch

Translation made by PROMT™ program

Appliances in the house burned out: procedure

If the owners discover that one or more electrical appliances have burned out, the following steps must be taken:

Call the emergency team from the building management. To do this, you can submit a written application or apply in person (including by telephone). The dispatcher records each such request in a special log. Electricians who arrive on call record the fact of a voltage drop and electrical equipment breakdown. Based on the results of the inspection, a corresponding report is drawn up.
Damaged devices must be taken to a licensed service center for examination and repair. The specialist will issue the results of the examination with the causes of the breakdown, certified by the organization. The document should state that the malfunction occurred due to voltage surges. It is also necessary to keep all receipts from the workshop: they will be useful when recovering damages. The cost of an expert opinion is approximately 1,000 rubles.
Another mandatory step is sending a request to the resource supply company about whether there was a power surge during the specified period of time. Since such a problem usually affects several apartments, it is worth reaching an agreement with your neighbors and filing a collective complaint.

Based on the results of the appeal, it is possible to draw a conclusion about who is to blame for what happened. Now it's time to collect evidence and claim damages

Legal services in Kursk - Lawyer O.N. Umerenkov

QUESTION: The TV burned out due to a voltage surge. The TV broke. The service center said that the power supply had failed and was caused by a voltage surge. In this case, it cannot be repaired under warranty, so TV repair is paid. Is it possible to recover from electrical networks for repairs if the TV burns out due to a voltage surge?

ANSWER: Article 1095 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation establishes that harm caused to the life, health or property of a citizen or the property of a legal entity due to design, prescription or other defects of a product, work or service, as well as due to unreliable or insufficient information about the product (work, service), is subject to compensation by the seller or manufacturer of the goods, the person who performed the work or provided the service (performer), regardless of their fault and whether the victim was in a contractual relationship with them or not. By virtue of clause 1 of Article 38 of the Federal Law “On Electric Power Industry”, subjects of the electric power industry that ensure the supply of electric energy to consumers of electric energy, including energy sales organizations, guaranteeing suppliers and territorial network organizations (within the limits of their responsibility), are responsible to consumers of electric energy for reliability of supplying them with electrical energy and its quality in accordance with the requirements of technical regulations and other mandatory requirements. These provisions provide that liability is assigned to a person who, as a result of improper performance of his duties, caused damage to the consumer’s property. Since the energy supply organization provided services under the energy supply agreement, it should also be held responsible for the fact that the TV burned out due to a voltage surge.

According to Article 1098 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, the seller or manufacturer of goods, performer of work or services is exempt from liability if he proves that the damage arose as a result of force majeure or violation by the consumer of the established rules for using the goods, results of work, services or their storage. In accordance with clause 5 of Article 14 of the Law of the Russian Federation “On the Protection of Consumer Rights”, the manufacturer (performer, seller) is exempt from liability if he proves that the damage was caused due to force majeure or violation by the consumer of the established rules for the use, storage or transportation of goods (work, services). According to the explanation contained in the first paragraph of clause 28 of the resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated June 28, 2012 No. 17 “On the consideration by courts of civil cases in disputes regarding the protection of consumer rights,” when resolving consumer claims, it is necessary to take into account that the burden of proof of circumstances exonerating from liability for non-fulfillment or improper fulfillment of an obligation, including for causing harm, lies with the seller (manufacturer, performer, authorized organization or authorized individual entrepreneur, importer) (clause 4 of article 13, clause 5 of article 14, p .5 Article 23.1, Clause 6 Article 28 of the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights, Article 1098 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation). From these provisions it follows that the consumer does not have to prove that the TV burned out due to a voltage drop (jump) or for other reasons, since it is the energy supply organization that bears the burden of proving that the TV burned out not from a voltage drop (jump), but due to the consumer’s violation of the operating rules or due to the fault of the manufacturer. At the same time, the consumer must prove the fact that the TV is broken. An act from the service center can serve as such evidence. Taking into account the above, the energy supplying organization must be responsible to the consumer for the fact that the TV burned out due to a voltage drop (surge), since it was they who provided energy supply services. The responsibility to prove that the TV burned out through no fault of its own falls on the energy supply organization. However, the responsibility to prove the very fact that the TV burned out rests with the consumer.

The procedure for obtaining compensation for burnt equipment

To receive compensation, the owner of burnt electrical appliances will have to collect a number of documents:

Technical data sheets of equipment affected by voltage surges.
A conclusion from specialists documenting the causes of equipment failure.
Receipts for payment for repair work.
An act confirming the impossibility of restoring the device (if this is true).
If the equipment was purchased recently, it is advisable to attach a warranty card.

The collected documents along with the claim are sent to the guilty organization. The second party is obliged to consider the appeal and give a written response within a month.

Unfortunately, management companies and resource supply organizations rarely admit their guilt in what happened. They usually refuse to compensate for the damage, underestimate its size, or delay the paperwork in every possible way. In such a situation, there is only one way out - filing a lawsuit.

The statement of claim must be filed with the magistrate at the location of the defendant. If the plaintiff has collected enough evidence, winning the case and receiving compensation will not be difficult.