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Squirrel damaged our Overhead Electrical Equipment

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sgtfroggy

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California.

Ok. This is the story. About a month ago Southern California Edison, my power company gived my house to much energy and caused our washer machine to get burnt out. I filled a claim the next morning because the website was down that night. The claim was for 450 dollars. Last week they mailed me and told me my claim of denied because a squirrel damaged the overhead electrical equipment. I was wondering can I go to a small action court and sue them for the money owed? The claims representative called me back today and told me that there was nothing they can do. I told her that the day after I called the person who answered the phone said that she turned the energy to my house down. Doesn't that mean that she admitted the to problem and fixed the problem by turning down the energy? Later that night they sent a man to my house to look at the equipment. Is this fair?
 


Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California.

Ok. This is the story. About a month ago Southern California Edison, my power company gived my house to much energy and caused our washer machine to get burnt out. I filled a claim the next morning because the website was down that night. The claim was for 450 dollars. Last week they mailed me and told me my claim of denied because a squirrel damaged the overhead electrical equipment. I was wondering can I go to a small action court and sue them for the money owed? The claims representative called me back today and told me that there was nothing they can do. I told her that the day after I called the person who answered the phone said that she turned the energy to my house down. Doesn't that mean that she admitted the to problem and fixed the problem by turning down the energy? Later that night they sent a man to my house to look at the equipment. Is this fair?
What did Edison do to cause the power surge? Nothing. Sue the squirrel.
 

sgtfroggy

Junior Member
What did Edison do to cause the power surge? Nothing. Sue the squirrel.
But it was a preventable problem. I think it is weird because even the person I called admitted to the problem. Could they be masking up the real problem?
 

FlyingRon

Senior Member
Having run a physical plant for a large university system which pretty much entailed playing power company, phone, network and cable TV provider for a small city, I can tell you that squirrels will get into equipmemnt, chew on cables, etc... .there's no negligence here. "Sharp objects" will not have any affect on squirrels PERIOD. Might keep birds from roosting there, but not squirrels.
 

Bali Hai

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California.

Ok. This is the story. About a month ago Southern California Edison, my power company gived my house to much energy and caused our washer machine to get burnt out. I filled a claim the next morning because the website was down that night. The claim was for 450 dollars. Last week they mailed me and told me my claim of denied because a squirrel damaged the overhead electrical equipment. I was wondering can I go to a small action court and sue them for the money owed? The claims representative called me back today and told me that there was nothing they can do. I told her that the day after I called the person who answered the phone said that she turned the energy to my house down. Doesn't that mean that she admitted the to problem and fixed the problem by turning down the energy? Later that night they sent a man to my house to look at the equipment. Is this fair?
Ohm's law: E=IxR.

Sounds like you had a low voltage supply condition which would cause the amperage to increase to the appliance. It appears YOUR current limiting device (i.e. fuse/circuit breaker) failed to protect the appliance as it should have before damage occurred, or the motor was already on its way out when this event occurred. You need a replacement motor and not a whole new wash machine. You can find lots of them on ebay for $50~.

Have a qualified electrician install the motor and check the circuit serving the equipment and all of the circuits in your whole house for that matter. This is important because improperly fused / circuit breakers protecting circuits can lead to fires.
 

Just Blue

Senior Member
But it was a preventable problem. I think it is weird because even the person I called admitted to the problem. Could they be masking up the real problem?
Why would the electric comp "gived" you extra power? Especialy in a elecrical shortage state as Cali? Power serge was caused by a "squirrel-a-side".

We have that happen all the time in my neighborhood. :(
 

Bali Hai

Senior Member
Why would the electric comp "gived" you extra power? Especialy in a elecrical shortage state as Cali? Power serge was caused by a "squirrel-a-side".

We have that happen all the time in my neighborhood. :(
There was plenty of electricity to go around in CA and the whole country for that matter before deregulation. The local utility everywhere did just fine supplying the demand. The idiots that broke up the local utility and invented electrical freewheeling caused the "shortage".

The shortage is only on paper to drive up the cost. High demand and low supply equals higher cost.
 

Just Blue

Senior Member
There was plenty of electricity to go around in CA and the whole country for that matter before deregulation. The local utility everywhere did just fine supplying the demand. The idiots that broke up the local utility and invented electrical freewheeling caused the "shortage".

The shortage is only on paper to drive up the cost. High demand and low supply equals higher cost.
I don't live there...I just watch the news and see power issues in Cali. But thanks for the clarifaction Bali. :)
 

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