The Arnold Service team was called out due to the house main switch tripping caused by what was thought to be an inverter fault.

We found the DC isolator has clearly been on fire at some stage and had completely melted. The owner was very lucky the fire did not spread to the rest of the house. In 2018, 28 house fires were caused by faulty solar installations.

Possible causes of the isolator failure are overheating due to no sun-guard being installed and/or loose DC connections. There have also been DC isolators recalled due to being susceptible to fire in recent years.

When an arcing fault is present with a DC source of supply it will maintain an arc until destruction!

Arnold only use quality DC isolators with heat shields (sun shade). We also keep a database of electrical equipment we supply and install to ensure we act upon manufacturer product recalls promptly.

Arnold’s recommend an electrical safety audit on solar systems every 2 years to ensure it is safe. Contact our service team to arrange an audit on your solar system via the enquiry link on this page.