Water-Damaged Telecommunications Systems - Asia

The Challenge

Severe rainfall in Malaysia caused widespread flooding across several states, resulting in both loss of life and significant property damage. Among the facilities impacted were numerous telecommunications sites, including a large number of mobile phone network Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) and fibre node stations. In many locations, floodwaters rose above the top of equipment racks, completely submerging the electronic systems inside.

Envista was engaged to assess the extent of the damage and determine whether the equipment could be reinstated from both a technical and economic perspective.

Our Approach

An Envista expert travelled to the affected BTS and fibre node sites to conduct a detailed assessment of the damaged electronic systems. At each site, the investigation included:

• Identifying floodwater levels

• Assessing the extent of water ingress within systems

• Checking for evidence of corrosion

• Evaluating potential electrical short circuit damage

All findings and recommendations were documented in a detailed technical report.

The Results

Despite being submerged for several days, most electronic systems and printed circuit boards (PCBs) showed virtually no corrosion. The exception was equipment connected to batteries (such as rectifiers), where moderate to severe electrolytic corrosion was identified.

Based on these findings, Envista recommended professional restoration to IPC-J-STD-001 cleanliness standards as a cost-effective and timely solution. This approach would return most recoverable items to their pre-incident condition.

Sample items were provided to a third-party specialist restoration company for decontamination. The successful results demonstrated the viability of restoration (see before-and-after photographs above). In the majority of cases, equipment can be restored to its pre-incident condition for less than 20% of the replacement cost. However, severely corroded rectifiers were deemed beyond repair and recommended for replacement.