Oozing Rust at Breakers

[Shawn Rowe]

Came across a panel at an oceanfront condo. History of moisture intrusion (hurricanes) from years ago. Looks like some moisture got into the panel. Several of the breakers had oozing, corrosion.

Question: Would most electricians recommend replacing these breakers?

[bkelly1]

Yes, any breaker that is "oozing" anything needs to be replaced.

[Roy D. Cooke, Sr]

Good call and I agree it needs to be seen by a qualified person.

Roy Cooke

[Marc D. Shunk]

I might also ask if the proper panel was used (ie, rainproof). I'm not at all famaliar with coastal conditions, but the breakers appear to me as though they might have been installed in an indoor rated panel mounted outdoors. I see this pretty regularly in older homes, when the former installer tucked an indoor rated panel under a porch roof, thinking it would be okay. That's what the condition of those breakers puts me in mind of.

[Shawn Rowe]

The panel is located inside. The condo is at the bottom floor, underneath the inside corner of the upstairs patio (it leaked)

[Doug Edwards]

I see this condition regularly in homes located on or near the water, especially the beachfront. The high salt air and humidity in these locations causes extremely rapid deterioration of almost all of components in the home. The AC outside units lasts about half the normal service life due to the fins just rotting away and crumbling. Door hardware, window frames, screens, bolts in the foundation pilings all show heavy corrosion after just a short time. Even components inside the house show rapid deterioration.

I spent a lot of my cavity prone years (8 years) in Jax and would make week end runs to St. Augustine to get away from the phones and the world. Great place! Is the Old Mill Top bar still in business? In those days you could still drive your car onto the beach. Don't know if you still can. Spent a lot of time cruising the beach.

[Shawn Rowe]

Hey Doug,
Lot of change here since I spoke to you last in L.A. (lower Alabama) for the EIFS class a few years back. You should see the areas of US1 between Jax and St. Augustine now. Yes, you still drive on some beaches. Not allowed at Anastasia Park since a couple of young girls got injured while laying on the beach (quite a trajedy).

Yes, Mill Top is still there but I believe one of the owners (or past owners) just recently passed away.

You are correct about the salt air..the rebar is rusting all to heck. Look at the photo below.

[Doug Edwards]

Shawn,
I can just imagine what it looks like now. Back when I was there (left in 1980) they were practically giving land away. I looked at some land for sale over in Mandarin. It was pine trees, scrub oaks, palmetto and sand. They tell me now all of that area is very very expensive. Between Jax and St. Augustine was mostly undeveloped especially down US-1. Missed opportunities abound.

That photo of the cracks in the arch way. That is just going to get worse too. People want to build homes on the beach and I admit it is tempting but Ive seen so many with serious problems. Lots of snowbirds buy down here to find out later it isn't for the faint of heart. I did a lot of work on Penscola Beach, Perdido Key after hurricane Ivan. Mostly slabs or only pilings left standing. Some of the homes left were just junk not only from the hurricanes but from that constant exposure to the sand, salt, rain and sun. It works on a house something fierce.
Are you doing much EIFS over your way? Only get it here occasionally. Always wrong with many problems. Ive seen one house it was done right since the training we did.

[Shawn Rowe]

Doug,,, only one EIFS residential and it was a brand new home and some commercial applications....there is always something wrong with the installation.

[Greg Fretwell]

That arch looks more like stucco over wood.

[Shawn Rowe]

Actually, its a concrete beam cantilevered to create the patios/porches. (it does look like an arch from the first photo).