DON'T Install DC Isolators On Solar, Electricians Warned

- Coming up on this week's news, electricians are warned not to instal DC isolators on solar panels, the alert follows a spate of house fires in which the PV panels are being blamed, and a county council admits its guilt following the tragic death of an electrician in a storm. Welcome to "Electrical News Weekly" in association with The Electric Heating Company. Whether you're listening in the van, onsite, or down at the wholesale counter, I'm Joe Robinson, and I've been through the best of the electrical industry news to save you the trouble. And as always, if you think you've spotted the two words that I've been challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win a prize. And for those of you watching the video version of the podcast, if you're wondering, "What's with the face fungus, Joe?" stay tuned till the end of the episode to find out. Do not instal unnecessary DC isolators with solar panel installations. That's the recommendation of the insurance industry, which says that the use of DC isolators should be eliminated wherever possible. The addition of the devices are being seen by experts as a possible fire risk. In its latest best practise guide, dubbed RC62, it points out that many inverters now have integrated isolators and these should be relied upon rather than a secondary device. The recommendations were drawn up by the insurer's body, RISCAuthority, with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, or MCS, with the support of Solar Energy UK, and it's published by the Fire Protection Association. That's quite the lineup of expertise. However, the 18th edition of the wiring regulations BS 7671 says clearly that you must provide a means of isolation and switching on the DC of a solar inverter. The way to square this circle is to ensure that the inverter has an integrated isolator made to BS EN 60947-3. Gordon's done a deep dive into this whole issue, so if you're involved in solar installations, take a look at his video. I'll put the link to that in the show notes. The alert on isolators comes as spate of house fires caused by solar panel installations is hitting the headlines. Industry sources fear the publicity could put a dent in the appeal of the technology."The Times" splashed on how a Lancashire family was left homeless after their panels burst into flames. It headlined the piece,"Our solar panel hell." The Kendall family told the newspaper of how they lost all their possessions when their off-grid home went ablaze. Now they're locked in a bitter dispute with the supplier Victron Energy over compensation. The families say they have a forensic report which they say shows the fire may have been caused by a faulty charge controller. This was manufactured by Victron, and is designed to regulate the voltage in six of their 20 solar panels. However, the Kendall family say it failed to do so and led to the system bursting into flames. For its part, Victron says the damage could have been triggered by a multitude of components, some of which it did not manufacture. Meanwhile, an Essex couple is suing its solar supplier for no less than 1.5 million pounds in damages after their five-bedroomed house was destroyed in a fire like it was made from gingerbread. Mark and Sarah Evans say that the blaze was caused by a fault in a photovoltaic panel supplied by Green Energy Electrical or by a fault in its installation. Green Energy Electrical dismisses the allegations as speculative, inherently improbable, and not the most likely causes. It says the fire was probably caused by someone else's defective installation of electrical wiring in the roof, micro cracking of the panels during the installation, and physical damage to the panels."The Mail" makes much of the fact that the firm uses climate campaigner Greta Thunberg in its advertising, which is about as relevant as stating that the couple owned an air fryer. The dispute continues. The fires highlight the importance of dedicated training in solar installations. If you want to get into the technology, we can now recommend a new course called The Green Spark Project. The course is being run by a Telford company, Teacher A Trade, which runs training boot camps for self-employed electricians and consists of no fewer than three Level 3 qualifications. These cover solar panels, EV charger, and battery system installation. In its Telford workshop, the firm has a full-scale tiled roof with fully functional PV system, a five kilowatt hour battery system, and an EV charger, all of which you can get your hands on and get practical experience. The Green Spark Project is funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority, and depending on the size of your business, could be either completely free or available at a much reduced rate. If I lived in that area, I'd be all over that to be honest. I've popped the link to the courses in the show notes. And now a major piece of news. This year's 30 Under 30 awards supported by the good people at Luceco Group is now open for entries. Now in its third year, this prestigious event recognises and rewards those young people who are going to carry the flame of the electrical industry into the future. Maybe you know someone who's set up their own business in a unique niche of the industry or who gives back to the local community. Maybe it's simply an apprentice or a full-time learner just starting out on their journey, but already impressing with their commitment and tenacity, or someone who's had to overcome serious adversity to succeed in their chosen career. Whatever the case, if you think you know a worthy winner, then get your entry submitted by clicking the link in the description. We've streamlined the entry process this year, so it couldn't be easier. Who knows, maybe you and your nominee could be joining us at the next exciting winners event. Entries closed on the 29th of February, and the awards will be announced on the 3rd of April. The clock is ticking, so don't delay. In other news, a county council has admitted its guilt following the tragic death of an electrician in a storm. Newry, Mourne and Down District Council confessed to failing to make appropriate risk assessments on September the 19th, 2018, the day that Matthew Campbell was killed. 24-year-old Campbell died when he was struck by a falling tree as strong winds lashed Northern Ireland during Storm Ali in 2018. Campbell was working on restoring power to a water pumping station in Slieve Gullion Forest Park as winds reached 91 miles an hour. It's alleged that both Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and the building company Lagan Construction Limited failed to make appropriate risk assessments. Campbell and his fiance were due to be married the following August. The pair had sent out save the date cards, and they'd collected their wedding rings on the day the tragedy struck. Lagan Construction Limited with offices on the Sydenham Road in Belfast face the same two charges, and their trial begins later this month. In product news, Marshall Tufflex has expanded its range of under floor to desk products with the launch of the Icon Desktop Module. Aimed at small offices and educational facilities, the module contains two individually-switched UK power sockets and integral USB-A and USB-C charging ports as standard. In addition, there is the option to purchase the Icon Module with two Cat 6 data ports, Cat 6 and HGMI ports, or with blanks if data and multimedia connections are not required. The module is available in black and white and comes with an angled face surface to allow easy access to the sockets and ports and is fixed securely to the desktop using the supplied G clamp. It also includes reset thermal fuses and complies with the BS 6396 2022 standard. And if you're interested in this kind of product, be sure to check out the free training package that we've made to help you with the CPD in association with Marshall Tufflex on the subjective of underfloor wiring. You'll find the link to that in the show notes below. Also new this week is a power converter from Makita that lets you keep working even if you're not near a standard AC socket. The BAC01 Power Converter turns DC power from Makita's own 36-volt battery packs into AC power for using cable tools in outdoor job sites. It offers multiple outlets including two AC outlets, two type-A USB output ports, two type-C USB outlet ports, and one DC 12-volt cigar socket. And just a reminder that we're in the market for your stories, your projects, and your recommendations as we'd like to share them with the wider eFIXX community. In the month of January, we're focusing on residential circuit protection with the launch of a brand new CPD from Lewden that's coming up in the next couple of weeks. In that, we bust a few myths and give you a few frights about circuit protection, but we'd particularly like to hear from you about AFDDs and your experiences with them. Are you fitting them at all? Have they uncovered any problems on installations where they've been retrofitted? Do you have them on your own house? Then in February, we'll be moving on to residential solar and battery instals. Have you installed a plant room to rival Gary's over on our sister channel eFIXX ENERGY, or are you a solar sceptic? Send us some pictures of your best instals, tell us about your experiences, or let us know if you've come across any new kit that's making your job easier and you could be featured on the next episode of the news. And just before we get to your favourite bit of the show where I reveal last week's challenge words and winners, we want to thank our premium partners. We couldn't make the news without you. First up, they're the people who've created the Swiss Army knife of solar inverters along with all weather batteries, very much the Boy Scouts of the solar industry, it's Sunsynk. And testing, testing, one, two, testing. If you've got something you need to measure or a piece of test equipment to calibrate from multimeters to power quality analyzers, then it can only be Test Instrument Solutions. Are you a bit of a control freak, motor control, that is? If so, with huge stocks and excellent service, check out Crompton Controls as they said to me in a recent conversation,"If we don't have it, then we can build it." Up next for all your circuit protection needs, they're like having an Italian star striker in your Premiership team, it's Lewden Palazzoli. The best thing to come out of Yorkshire since stainless steel, the home of EV Ultra and other groundbreaking and quality products, it's Doncaster Cables. With an incredible range of equipment from EV charge points through industrial sockets and switches to kit for explosive areas, plus they supply gear for a Campari factory, so they'll always have a place in my heart, it's Scame. Big thanks to you all. We really appreciate your ongoing support for the news. If you think you know the words I've smuggled into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments and we out a goodie bag prize to the first to get the right answers. The words from the last episode were Instagrammable and parachute. And the first person to get both right was adamdavies8076. Well done to you, Adam. Make sure you click the link in the show notes to claim your prize. And if anyone watching the video version is wondering why I'm turning into Grizzly Adams, it's because I had the flu over the holidays and my personal grooming standard slipped for a while, but now I'm thinking,"Let's see where this goes." Feel free to give me your opinions in the comments. Thanks for listening to this episode of "Electrical News Weekly" in association with The Electric Heating Company. Make sure you subscribe to receive the next update. Thanks for listening, and until next time, have a great week, stay safe out there, and remember, there's no such thing as a torque-calibrated arm.