Solar system DC isolator fire on rooftop a warning for home owners to have ageing equipment checked
It was a usual weekday morning for Sharron Booth when her husband noticed the waft of smoke and flames coming from the roof of their home. Solar Circuit Breaker
Ms Booth said luckily her husband happened to be home from work, meeting with a tradesman.
"There was flames, full-on flames and black smoke," Ms Booth said.
It was a mad dash with a ladder and fire extinguisher to put out the blaze, but they saved their family home.
Now Ms Booth is warning others to get older solar systems checked after an electrician confirmed the fire began in faulty DC isolators.
"This is just a wake-up call. We were just very, very lucky," she said.
Ms Booth lives in Emerald in central Queensland and said she was not aware they should have been getting regular maintenance checks.
"It makes you feel sick to know that you probably could have avoided it," she said.
In the decade since Ms Booth first installed her solar panels there have been changes to how isolators are kept safe.
In 2018, breather valves were introduced to ventilate the switches and stop them from overheating.
Isolators are safety devices used to manually disconnect power to the panels, and fires can ignite if exposed to the elements.
Peak body for the renewables industry in Australia, the Clean Energy Council, said if a system was regularly maintained, fires were rare.
"It's a bit like any other major device — if you think of a car after 10 or 15 years it's not running as effectively," said policy director Con Hristodoulidis.
Mr Hristodoulidis said systems should be inspected by an accredited installer "at least" once a year, focusing on the isolators and wiring.
"That way they can check the equipment is free from any water ingress, and if there is, action can be taken to avoid any incidents occurring in the future," he said.
Mr Hristodoulidis said home owners should be particularly vigilant after major weather events.
He said if you notice any damage, such as wires sticking out, avoid touching the system and call in a professional.
Despite being concerned by the incident, Ms Booth said she was still pleased with solar power and the money it had saved on electricity.
She just wanted others to be aware of the risks.
"We make sure there's no leaves caught on them, sticks or anything like that … but as far as electrical checks we had no idea, did not know that we should have got that done," Ms Booth said.
"For the sake of a couple hundred dollars and a little bit of knowledge I would get it checked immediately.
"It's electricity, we are so complacent with things like this. Just don't take it for granted."
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