# All expose copper turned black



## GabrielRorke (Oct 18, 2016)

For some reason all the copper on the wires was black. I have never seen this in a house that has been recently build. Why this happened?


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## FaultCurrent (May 13, 2014)

It has been suggested that using the infamous Chinese drywall causes this. Since you said it's a new home that's most likely the cause.


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## StriickeN (Sep 11, 2017)

What year was the home built? Iv had this happen in a house that was just 6 months old, I had no idea what it was from.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

That doesn't look like a new house to me.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

MTW said:


> That doesn't look like a new house to me.


If you can tell that from those pics you must have psychic ability.


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## readydave8 (Sep 20, 2009)

I remember someone else with this topic, probably on this forum

And besides Chinese Drywall, some of the responses had to do with chemicals stored in same room as panel box, in particular swimming pool cleaning products


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

MechanicalDVR said:


> If you can tell that from those pics you must have psychic ability.



I'm just that good. :thumbsup:


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

When was the last time you saw #12 stabbed into a receptacle or ITE branded breakers? Those two things alone disqualify this house from being new.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

readydave8 said:


> I remember someone else with this topic, probably on this forum
> 
> And besides Chinese Drywall, some of the responses had to do with chemicals stored in same room as panel box, in particular swimming pool cleaning products


Yeah man, some turn the copper bright green and others black.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

MechanicalDVR said:


> If you can tell that from those pics you must have psychic ability.


ITE breakers. Stone age.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

MTW said:


> I'm just that good. :thumbsup:


Just busting your balls, I figured it was the black wirenuts!


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## papaotis (Jun 8, 2013)

looks like a moisture/ mold problem? EVERYTHING in there is coated with something if that is new!


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

99cents said:


> ITE breakers. Stone age.


Could be an area thing!


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## electricguy (Mar 22, 2007)

Why do I feel like I have to vacuum out all the device boxes when I am upgrading customers devices lol half of that drywall dust usually comes out when pulling on the wires and devices


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## Navyguy (Mar 15, 2010)

Does the house have well water? Sulfur / sulfite?

Cheers
John


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## lighterup (Jun 14, 2013)

This electrical work looks really old. 1980's or earlier?
Finding it hard to believe this is new home....I mean 
at one time this was a new home ...right?


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I've seen it an awful lot when the panel is in close proximity to the laundry equipment. Maybe sulphur from the well water? Maybe the vapors from chlorine bleach? Laundry equipment seems to be the common denominator in my observations. Lucky part is that the electrons don't care if the copper is oxidized.


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

A shiny surface is a better conductor. 
For the purpose of building wiring is it critical? Not as far as I know.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

MikeFL said:


> A shiny surface is a better conductor.
> For the purpose of building wiring is it critical? Not as far as I know.


Before it's terminated is the only time that matters. The wire under the termination will still be shiny. The termination point is gas tight.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I've seen whole basements where the copper piping was as black as black iron pipe. These were normally always dirt floor cellars. I wonder if radon can oxidize copper?


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

Here are common oxidizers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxidizing_agent

Exposed to earth there can be anything. After all, that's where all elements come from, right?


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## mitch65 (Mar 26, 2015)

humidity is the most likely cause.


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## JohnJ65 (May 8, 2008)

When working in a waste water treatment plant I put a shiny piece of copper wire over the grate with the incoming wastewater flowing below it late afternoon, it was black as coal the next morning. 

I am positive that the ammonia in the air did that to the copper. I have seen a lot of corrosion in load centers when there was a kitty litter box under it for some time. 

I wonder if the Chinese drywall contains ammonia or this house had a pet hoarding issue at one time.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

I opened up a septic system box recently to inspect it. The hack who wired it ran romex in PVC conduit underground to feed it, but used THHN to the floats and pump. Anyway, the bare grounds in the romex had turned completely black and were oxidizing inside the box, presumably from sewer gas seeping in from the conduit that went out to the float/pump j-box.


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## GabrielRorke (Oct 18, 2016)

Thanks to everyone. The customer claims that was built around1990


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## joebeadg (Oct 7, 2008)

Funny, the house I'm working in now from my post about arcfault problem has this same black soot on the exposed copper in one loadcenter, the second loadcenter is right next to it and no black soot at all. The house is one year old


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_drywall



> Copper pipes, electrical wiring, and air conditioner coils are affected, as well as silver jewelry.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

joebeadg said:


> Funny, the house I'm working in now from my post about arcfault problem has this same black soot on the exposed copper in one loadcenter, the second loadcenter is right next to it and no black soot at all. The house is one year old


You sure it's one year old? Chinese drywall was/is a major problem in Florida.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

GabrielRorke said:


> Thanks to everyone. The customer claims that was built around1990


That makes sense now.


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## Wiresmith (Feb 9, 2013)

sulfur does that to copper, could have sulfur well water at the property which would do it, you can usually slightly smell the sulfur. also if it is from sulfur, that black coating is an insulator so clean it off before any connections.


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## paulengr (Oct 8, 2017)

What you’re all talking about is hydrogen sulfide the “rotten eggs” smell. It is very aggressive towards silver, and less so on tin and copper. Only way to stop it is coating everything like brushable tape or silicone or at least noalox. You can smell it down to 1 ppm but metal gets corroded badly down to 0.1 ppm. In severe cases you can get tin and silver whiskers (google it) where the reaction reversed for some reason and forms long hair-like crystals of pure metal that grow at millimeters per hour and short everything out. Some of my best customers are waste water plants because the stuff just destroys equipment and they can’t justify buying conformal coating or charcoal filters.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## joebeadg (Oct 7, 2008)

yea, 1 yr old


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