NEC’s unconventional approach and Bioagra’s support give hope for faster restoration of hot water and heating in Nysa. The CHP plant workers save flooded electronics with special ethanol, which was supplied by a company associated with Mr. Corn.

W Nysie zalanych zostało ponad 116 tzw. węzłów ciepłej wody i ogrzewania. Każdy z nich zawiera urządzenia elektroniczne czułe na wilgoć i zabrudzenia. Są drogie, ale też nie można ich kupić na poczekaniu. Bez nich systemy ogrzewania i dostarczania ciepłej wody są praktyczne „martwe”. Pomaga niekonwencjonalne podejście NEC i 1000 litrów izopropanolu, który dostarczyła Bioagra.

Over 116 so-called hot water and heating nodes were flooded in Nysa. Each of them contains electronic devices sensitive to moisture and dirt. They are expensive, but they cannot be bought on the spot. Without them, heating and hot water supply systems are practically “dead”. NEC’s unconventional approach and 1 000 liters of isopropanol, which Bioagra provided, help.

An idea as old as the flood

NEC has experience in electronics repairs gained during the 1997 flood.

– At that time, we managed to save many devices and today we are successfully restoring a very large part of the flooded (and, in theory, irreversibly destroyed) electronics to operation – says Artur Pawlak, president of the NEC management board. – So far, employees of the municipal company have managed to save 40 out of 50 modules managing hot water nodes.

Pawlak explains that sometimes the effect will be short-lived, but each repair gives more time for long-term solutions. On average, the effectiveness of repairs of individual electronic boards is 50 percent. The process involves disassembling electronic cabinets, washing the modules in specialist ethanol (isopropanol) supplied by Bioagra. The electronic boards are rinsed in an ultrasonic cleaner, blown with compressed air and heated in a regular… oven.

The use of isopropanol, a specialist alcohol used to clean and remove moisture from electronics, plays a key role in the device rescue process.

– Nysa residents cannot wait for hot water and heating until November – says the president of NEC. – A certain batch of parts can be purchased, but specialist devices or modules will arrive at the end of October. We are searching online even for individual parts. We have to act quickly, saving what we have. Access to 1 000 liters of isopropanol, which we received practically immediately from Bioagra, allows us to work faster. When saving electronics, every hour counts – he adds.

The “repair, don’t throw away” philosophy

NEC’s approach is rooted in a company philosophy where employees are accustomed to repairing devices – even those that are deemed indispensable without destruction.

Flooding of consumer electronics devices poses additional difficulties. Water carries various substances, which – in combination with moisture – can be corrosive, settling on microconnections in the form of dirt that cuts off the flow of electricity.

The only solution for electronics in such a condition is to buy new devices or… use isopropanol and the method implemented by NEC. This gives hope for a faster restoration of hot water and starting the heating in all apartments in Nysa.