Insurability

Insurable
sites

A transformer, a cable reel, or a container of batteries is not ordinary warehouse stock. Sites are screened for low natural-catastrophe exposure and FEMA flood-zone status, and storage zones are specified to FM Global data sheet guidance.

Site selection

Low nat-cat.
Every site.

Outside FEMA flood zones

Candidate sites must sit in FEMA Zone X - outside the 100-year Special Flood Hazard Area and the 500-year floodplain. A flood determination is obtained for each site before it is accepted.

Low wind and hail exposure

Sites are limited to regions without hurricane, storm-surge, or Tier 1 wind exposure. Roof and envelope condition is assessed against regional hail and monsoon-wind loading before a site is accepted.

Low wildfire exposure

Sites are screened for wildland-urban interface exposure and defensible space. We do not accept locations in mapped high or very-high fire-hazard severity zones.

Low seismic zone

Sites are screened for low seismic design category, keeping stored transformers, switchgear, and racked equipment away from ground-motion risk.

Fire protection and water supply

Buildings must be sprinklered, with municipal water supply and fire-department response verified and evaluated against FM DS 8-9 for the commodities to be stored.

Clean neighbors

Sites are screened for adjacent high-hazard occupancies and shared walls with unknown tenants, and must allow controlled site access.

Storage Standards

Built to insurer data sheets

FM DS 5-4

Transformers

Storage and maintenance of equipment-breakdown spare transformers: protection from physical damage, moisture, dirt and contaminants; suitable natural-hazard and fire exposure; inspection clearances; oil management; energized cabinet heaters; nitrogen blankets where configured; periodic inspections; and annual oil-quality analysis for liquid-filled units.

FM DS 7-112

Lithium-ion battery storage

The governing document for stored lithium-ion equipment. State of charge is central: higher SOC makes thermal runaway easier to initiate and increases fire intensity, so receipt, SOC limits, and storage arrangement are controlled accordingly.

FM DS 5-33

Lithium-ion battery energy storage systems

Applies where assembled or energized BESS equipment is held rather than transported components. FM continues to update 5-33 from its ongoing BESS research, and the BESS zone specification tracks those revisions.

FM DS 5-19

Switchgear and circuit breakers

The governing document for HV and MV breakers and switchgear rated 600V and above. It covers protection, inspection, maintenance, and testing, on the basis that breaker failure comes mainly from poorly maintained mechanisms and insulation.

FM DS 8-9

Storage of Class 1-4 and plastic commodities

The general warehouse fire-protection overlay for ordinary commodities, packaging, pallets, plastics, and racks. Where storage involves hazards beyond these commodity classes, the occupancy-specific sheet above governs - exactly as FM directs.

Read FM DS 8-9

Segregated storage

Segregated
storage zones

Different equipment carries different risk. Each class is assigned its own zone, specified with the floor, protection, environment, and handling controls that class requires.

Transformer zone

  • Impact recorders, gauges, and gas-space dew point read and logged before the unit leaves the truck
  • Engineered pads and floors rated for the unit - not a standard warehouse slab
  • Dry nitrogen or dry-air blanket held at positive pressure (1–3 psi); logged weekly on arrival, then on a fixed schedule
  • Units held under gas beyond the OEM limit are vacuum-filled with oil and fitted with a breather
  • Control cabinets powered and heaters energized to prevent condensation
  • Oil containment with leak inspection; annual oil sampling for dielectric, moisture, and dissolved gas
  • Bushings and radiators crated, sealed, and stored indoors; four-point rigging from lifting lugs only

HVDC / HVAC cable zone

  • Dedicated drum storage on engineered bearing surfaces and chocks
  • Cable-end sealing and protection; UV and weather exclusion
  • Bending-radius, lifting, and handling controls
  • Environmental control and periodic drum rotation per OEM
  • Strict forklift and impact controls
  • Inspection records aligned to OEM long-term storage procedures

BESS zone

  • Indoor/outdoor physically separated fire compartment or building, sited outside FEMA flood zones
  • State of charge verified at receipt and held at or below 50% throughout storage
  • Conditioned space - units are never left to sit at ambient in summer heat
  • Temperature and humidity logged continuously; any excursion triggers an OEM support call before the unit is touched
  • Thermal and off-gas detection; sprinkler and water supply engineered for the battery hazard
  • Quarantine area for damaged or suspect units
  • Storage terms and inspection intervals set against the OEM's maximum untended storage period

General electrical infrastructure

  • Switchgear, PCS and inverters, GIS, HV breakers, bushings, and spares
  • Storage environment set by the OEM's preservation requirements, with the OEM document on file for each unit
  • Segregation by equipment sensitivity
  • Dust, moisture, and contaminant control
  • Documented handling and lifting plans
  • Condition checks on receipt and at release

Asset preservation

Preservation,
not just storage

Equipment is held to the manufacturer's preservation standard and released to the project with its records.

OEM preservation schedule

Each unit is stored to its manufacturer's receiving, storage, and installation instructions, obtained before the unit arrives.

Environmental records

Continuous temperature and humidity logs for the zone holding your equipment, available on request.

Oil and gas-blanket condition

Gas-blanket pressure logs and annual oil analysis for liquid-filled units; results go in the unit file.

Photographic condition reports

Documented condition on receipt (before unloading), at each inspection, and at release.

Chain of custody and security

Controlled access, custody records, and site security from arrival to release.

Insurance documentation

A site and equipment dossier your broker and carrier can underwrite against.

Next step

Discuss your equipment

Tell us what you need to store and where it is headed. We will walk through the zone, the applicable data sheets, and the documentation your carrier will want to see.

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