Appliances that got submerged — can I dry them and keep using them?

Don't plug them straight back in. Submerged items (especially those with motors, circuit boards or insulation — air-con, washing machine, fridge, water pump) must be fully dry and professionally checked first; many need replacing, because moisture/silt causes later shorts or leakage — a shock and fire risk.

My home has solar — must I shut it down in a flood, and how?

Yes — panels still make DC in daylight even with the inverter off. If you can reach it safely (dry), shut down in the installer's sequence — usually the AC breaker off first, then the DC isolator. If you can't reach it safely, or it's already submerged, don't force it — call the installer and stay away from water near electrical equipment.

If the meter is submerged, do I need the utility to replace it?

The meter is utility property — don't remove/replace/reconnect it yourself. Call MEA 1130 / PEA 1129 so their staff can inspect and act per procedure; any cost and the replacement are decided by the utility case by case — ask the hotline directly.

Power went out in the flood — can I claim damages from the utility?

An outage during a disaster is separate from this safety page, and claiming for damaged goods has no fixed compensation table in official documents — it's assessed case by case. Read outage reporting and the claim question on outage: report & claim.

During a flood, where do I call for electrical help?

Electricity/meter: MEA 1130 (Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan) or PEA 1129 (elsewhere), 24 h · disaster help/flood rescue: the DDPM disaster hotline 1784 · medical emergency / someone shocked: 1669 · never touch a fallen wire in the water.

Flood-Season Safety

Flood, Electricity & Solar — When to Cut Power, Flooded Meter, Soaked Panels

Name: CapSolar
Address: 429/44 Sukhonthasawat Rd, Lat Phrao, Bangkok, 10230, TH
Telephone: +66 2 124 5414
Price range: $$$$

Water is coming — when should you cut power, who handles a meter or appliances that got submerged, what solar homes must watch for, and what to inspect before switching back on once the water drops — distilled from utility electrical-safety guidance, by principle, with no guessed numbers.

8 min readLast updated: 24 Aug 2026Data as of: Aug 2026

The iron rule in a flood is "water and electricity don't mix": cut power before water reaches the outlets or the main panel — pull the cut-out or turn off the main breaker while standing dry with dry hands. But if the panel or meter is already submerged, do not touch it — call MEA 1130 / PEA 1129; the meter is utility property. A solar home must know that panels still produce DC voltage in daylight even after shutdown, so isolate in the installer's sequence and never wade toward flooded equipment — and do not restore power until everything is dry and inspected. Detail below.

When should you cut power (cut-out / main breaker) if the house floods?

Cut it before water rises to the level of sockets, plugs or the main panel — not after it floods. Do it while the water is not yet touching you, standing on a dry spot with dry hands and feet. In a single-storey house or a fast-rising flood, kill the whole main; in a multi-storey house you may switch off only the at-risk downstairs circuits and keep essential upstairs power on where it is safe.

⚠️ If water has already reached the panel/outlets and you would have to stand in water to switch off, do not risk it yourself — you could be shocked. Back away to dry ground and call the utility 1130/1129 or the disaster hotline (DDPM) 1784 for help.

The electricity meter got submerged — who is responsible, what do I do?

The demarcation is that the utility is responsible up to and including the "meter", and everything after the meter into the house is the customer's. So a submerged meter and the service line before it are the utility's business — don't touch it, don't remove it, don't reconnect it yourself — call MEA 1130 / PEA 1129 to inspect. The consumer unit, breakers and house wiring after the meter are the owner's responsibility to have a professional check.

Costs to replace/inspect a meter after a flood are set by the utility case by case (public documents print no fixed amount) — ask 1130/1129 directly. For the owner-vs-tenant question, the same demarcation principle is on leakage — who is responsible.

Rooftop solar panels soaked or flooded — are they dangerous, can they shock you?

Solar panels are built to shed rain, so ordinary rain is not dangerous. The catch is that panels keep producing DC voltage as long as there is light, even with the inverter off and the breaker down. So if the DC wiring, connectors or the inverter (often mounted at a lower level) are submerged or damaged, there is a real leakage/shock risk in the water — never wade toward flooded solar equipment, and never touch wet cables/connectors with bare hands.

If you can reach it safely (dry), shut down in the sequence your installer set — typically the AC breaker off first, then the DC isolator/disconnect. If you can't reach it safely, stay clear and call your installer/O&M company; don't dismantle panels or pull cables yourself. After the water drops, the installer must inspect the panels, inverter and the cabling's insulation before it goes back on — see general upkeep at solar maintenance guide.

In a flood, who handles which equipment — and what to do?

Here is the responsibility line and the action, as a table — anchored on "the utility up to the meter, us after it" and the safety rule that anything submerged is off-limits until inspected.

Equipment / zone	Who handles it	What to do
Service line + meter (up to & incl. meter)	Utility (MEA/PEA)	Don't touch/remove/reconnect; call 1130/1129 to inspect first
Consumer unit/breakers/house wiring (after meter)	Home/building owner	Cut the breaker before water reaches it; licensed electrician inspects before restoring
Submerged sockets/plugs/appliances	Owner	Do not plug in; must be fully dry and checked/replaced first
Solar panels/inverter/DC wiring	Owner + installer (EPC/O&M)	Panels are live in daylight; shut down per installer sequence; keep clear while submerged; installer inspects before restart

Rule of thumb: anything submerged is unsafe until inspected — whether it belongs to the utility or to you. And "the power went out" during a flood (where to report, can you claim) is a separate topic — see outage: where to report, can you claim.

After the water drops, before restoring power — the 5 checks

Don't rush to switch on — moisture left in wiring and equipment is the cause of post-flood leakage, shorts and fires. Follow this order.

Keep the main off until dry and inspected
Let the wiring, sockets and any appliances that got wet dry out completely first (this can take days). Don't flip the breaker just to "try it".
Have a licensed electrician inspect
Have them check the service wiring, consumer unit, breakers, sockets, in-wall cabling and insulation resistance; water-damaged parts may need replacing, especially submerged breakers and sockets.
Test the earth-leakage breaker (RCD)
If you have an RCD, press its test button to confirm it still trips, and check the grounding is still intact — it is your key shock defence after a flood.
Solar: installer inspects before restart
If you have solar, have the installer/O&M inspect the panels, inverter, connectors and the DC cabling's insulation before energising — don't switch the inverter on yourself until it's checked.
Report the meter to the utility + request reconnection
If the meter or the line before it got wet, call MEA 1130 / PEA 1129 to inspect/replace and reconnect per procedure — restoring power after a flood should pass inspection on both the house side and the utility side.

This page answers "flood × electricity/solar" — related topics live elsewhere

If the main issue is an outage (where to report, how many hours until power, can you claim) see outage: report & claim · for short circuit / shock in general, short circuit: causes · for leakage & responsibility, leakage · and for the rainy season's effect on solar output, solar in the rainy season.

Who wrote this page

Compiled by the CapSolar team, a commercial solar provider in Thailand, and reviewed by Frank Lee (Founder). It draws on PEA/MEA electrical-safety principles whose accessibility we verified as of Aug 2026 (links below) and on commercial-solar O&M experience. Where a figure is installation-specific or a cost the utility does not publish, we don't guess — we point to 1130/1129. General safety information, not site-specific engineering advice.

FAQ

If water is likely to reach socket/panel level, or is rising too fast to manage, cut the whole main first for safety. In a multi-storey house where you're sure the water only reaches downstairs, you may switch off just the downstairs circuits and keep upstairs on — do it while the floor is dry and your hands are dry, and don't wait until water is already in.

Keep reading

Power Outage: Report & Claim

Report to 1130/1129, restoration hours, claims.

Short Circuit & Shock: Causes

Water ingress is a top cause — how to prevent it.

Solar Maintenance Guide

Keep a solar system safe and producing.

What a Ground Wire Is

A key shock defence — even more in the wet.

Is your commercial solar ready for the rainy/flood season?

For factories and commercial buildings, standards-compliant solar design/installation plus a post-flood inspection plan cut risk and protect output — CapSolar assesses free of charge, no obligation.

Talk to CapSolaror call +66 2 124 5414