If you have a Solar Power System installed, you may be at risk of a house fire due to faulty Isolator Switches. These switches overheat and can catch on fire. The Queensland Government believes they may have been responsible for around 40 fires so far. So read on to see if you are at risk.
What exactly is the issue?
The Queensland Government has issued a Safety Advice on specific DC Isolator Switches that can overheat. These switches have also been recalled by the Importers of these switches. The switches in question are:
- Avanco branded DC isolators (model numbers AV/DC4P25A, AV/DC2P25A, AV/DC4P25AUB, AV/DC2P625AU, AV/DC2P25AU, AV/DC2/2P25AU, AV/DC2/2P125AU, AV/DC4P25AU, AV/DC4P25AUS, and AV/DC4P25AUT).
- PvPower branded DC isolators (model number XPDCISO1000V32A).
We recommend that you check to see if you have these switches on your solar power system. To identify these switches, look for a grey box with a red switch on a yellow background. The Avanco switches have the brand showing across the top of the switch. Below is an example of the switch.
What to do if your solar system has these isolator switches?
If your Solar Power System has these Isolator Switches installed, we recommend that you immediately shut down your system until the faulty switch can be replaced.
Firstly try contacting the solar installer that initially installed your system and ask them to organise the replacement. If you are no longer in contact with them, feel free to contact us and we can come out and handle the replacement for you. Whilst we are there, we can also do a system check for your peace of mind.
Did Trusted Solar, Air & Electrical use these switches?
The short answer is NO. We didn't use this brand of switch, so if we installed your solar system you don't have to worry.
Where to find more information?
Or the supplier links:
Update - Advancetech Pty Ltd has been placed into liquidation as of 15 May 2014. For more information visit the Advancetech website at - advancetech.com.au