Power Surge: Faulty Transformer Destroys Appliances

Anita Sather is burned up. So is her furnace, washer, dryer, stove, 27-inch Magnavox television and three hairdryers.

Forget the light bulbs.

All, says the Four Lakes woman, were fried over the last year by a faulty Washington Water Power Co. transformer that poured excessive voltage through her trailer home.

At one point, fused wires started a minor fire in her furnace, a problem she subsequently found out was shared by a neighbor.

Sather said her home, a 23-year-old trailer, had been an energy hog since she began renting it from her grandparents three years ago.

Even a plan that charges WWP customers the same amount each month, an option she considered early on, would have cost her $270 each billing period.

But it wasn’t until last year that heating elements, wiring and other components of her appliances started to burn out.

Sather said that after repeated visits by repair workers to fix progressively more severe breakdowns it became clear the problem was not the age of the appliances.

When comments from neighbors indicated they were having similar woes, Sather notified WWP of her concerns. That was June 1.

WWP spokeswoman Dana Anderson said the transformer serving Sather and her neighbors in an old trailer court was found to be defective, and was replaced.

And as a gesture of good will, the utility offered to cover the $250 deductible on Sather’s homeowner’s insurance, Anderson said. Others got the same deal.

Sather said the offer does not begin to cover her expenses. Her insurance company says the failure of each appliance was a separate incident requiring a separate claim, she said.

Filing multiple claims would likely hike her premiums, if not jeopardize her coverage entirely, she added.

Although the new transformer has noticeably reduced her bill, and eliminated appliance problems, Sather said she frets there could be lingering damage.

“I am really unsure of the safety of my home,” she said.

Sather said she does not understand why she, not WWP, is responsible for detecting faulty equipment. “I really don’t think it’s my job to monitor that,” she said.

Anderson said WWP has no way of identifying all the malfunctions in its transmission and distribution system.

“We rely on the customer to let us know if there is a problem,” she said.

And if there is no negligence on the part of WWP, she added, the utility is not liable for damages.

A spokeswoman for the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission confirmed that interpretation of the regulations governing the utility.

“The commission has no legal authority to award compensatory damages,” said Marilyn Meehan.

Anderson said remote meter-reading equipment and other devices under development may enable utilities to keep better tabs of their systems in the future.

That does not console Sather, who said she and her neighbors are considering a lawsuit to pursue their claims against WWP.

“I think we’ve paid enough energy bills,” she said. “I don’t get a choice.”

, DataTimes