A warning about solar panels after man's home almost burns down
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- Опубліковано 1 тра 2022
- If you've ever thought about having solar panels installed on your home, one Melissa resident wants you to know there is a rare possibility they could catch fire.
The issue is electricians in most cases aren’t installing them. They are “Solar installers”. Depending on the states regulations, sometimes there isn’t an electrician in site. The electrician is at home or in an office letting the solar company use their license. I’m a master electrician and have repaired a lot of solar installs. You would be amazed at what I’ve seen, I’m amazed at what I’ve seen.
Perfect reason for having a non-flammable solid roof... we are getting ready to install a 6.5 kw system in Northern Nevada. Our array will be mounted on top of a sea container. Glad the family had a mindful neighbor looking out for them! Blessings to each of you!
1:15 What does the gender of the ex-firefighter have to do with their qualifications?
Etiquette. It's the proper way of introducing a person. You say their name and finally offer detail about them, like an accomplishment. for example, being the first female fire fighter... Breaking barriers for more women to join firefighting and such.
@@doodlecharmzI have never in my life introduced a friend by referring to their gender. The only people that think gender is part of a proper introduction are sexists. The accomplishment is that she spent time on the Department, the number of years is also relevant as it speaks to her level of experience. Gender is only relevant if you think it somehow makes her more or less qualified than someone of a different gender. Imagine if the story was talking to a male firefighter and specified that they were male, you would think that was absurd. People talk about breaking barriers, the most of those same people are the ones errecting the barriers in the first place.
@@Green__one firefighting is a male dominated profession so you're right, there's no need to introduce a man as a 'first male firefighter' or anything like that. lol
@@doodlecharmz and teaching, nursing, and many other professions are female dominated, but you would never hear anyone introduced as a male nurse or male teacher, their gender never needs to be pointed out. Only sexist people introduce people by gender.
@@Green__one you're over analyzing everything lol 😆 😂 🤣
In most places, if you put panels on the roof, you need a permit. If you put them on the the yard propped up on cinder blocks or frames you don't need a permit. If you have the space, it is better not to have panels on your roof, but most people don't. Solar panels are good for shade in car port situations, though, and there is more room for that.
BUT the fire was GREEN
No heat dissipation.....not enough space between panels and roof and no space between panels for a long ways can equal heat building up in panels.that can degrade the backing,which can let moisture in.which can lead to degraded connections in panel,which causes heat......which causes more degradation and so on....eventually hot enough to catch fire.
That install looked funky. Look at the shadows from pipes
Most probably MC4 connectors, bad crimp or not the same MC4 connectors used at the string end. There is a brilliant solution to prevent this called the Arcbox, from Viridian Solar.
I've had my 10kw solar panel system like 6 years ago. I chose only TOP NOTCH equipment and have enjoyed not having electric bills for 9 out of 12 months per year and.......no fires.
In my state you still need to pay a fee to the power company to maintain the grid it's around 35$ a month
Like illinios i think is $15 or $25.
@@ZERO-th6dd I mean....I get the fee situation because, even though they probably make excessive money, someone still has to maintain all the lines for us.
@@johngatsby1473 lol well in my state they don't maintain much just this year alone 17 power outages and a lot of it is do to lack of tree maintenance around power lines and delivery charges are outages in my state it's close to 2/3 of the monthly bill
@@ZERO-th6dd man....i think here in Texas they learned their lesson ....they have been on the ball cutting around power lines over here.....to the point of annoying because it takes awhile and they have huge trucks messing up lanes but it's worth it.
Ground mounts should be your first choice. Tile roof second.
It's like operating a car without brakes. Everything is fine until you go downhill and realize it's to late !
DC is different from AC !
Even 10 or 20 Amps of DC can cause a serious spark when disconnected. As panels have daisy chain connection, a bad connector (a little higher resistance) causes PV energy turning to heat. So it's really important to have them properly installed, including grounding all panels with a grounding rod. Also a proper Surge Protection and correct MCB. But that means extra cost, which many consumers just ignore.
This is one in a million. I’d would put the blame on faulty equipment. Make sure the panels you install are tier one panels… NOT that cheap stuff from Costco.
When meteorite hit cost of panel does not matter.
He paid a company to do it, not a diy job
These can also cause leaking roofs. That would be an exorbitant mess -- the panels need to come out before changing the roof.
Let's just face it they're dangerous to have on your home!!!!!
Can the homeowner provide more information of the equipment and installed used?
Panel Cells shorting seems rare. What really seems odd, was 2 panels at the same time. Was this REALLY a wiring (interconnection) failure?
Hail can fuck up.panels and short them
I would avoid using panels that are also solar concentrators. That could also be an issue. Solar concentrators... think when you are a kid and burn ants with a magnifying glass.
Ive seen the same number of 1 in 10,000 instalations for fires being caused by solar panel setups, but if this was expanded to all businesses and homes in the US, then that would be pretty bad at that point. Another issue is you have lots of DIY that you can buy online and you dont know what your getting really. A lot of cheaper options that people go with. My wife just ordered a cheap charge controller and some panels for a small setup. I do worry about it catching fire.
What you can do is go put fuse switches or circuit break switches between the panels and the inverter AND between the inverter and the battery bank or other stuff. You can also check how much wattage and what amperage is going through the wires. Then check that against what the wiring is rated for. That will help you reduce your risk. If the type of guage of wire has too much power going through it for what its rated for in amperage then it can create fire risk.
Note; that how people wire a closed system versus a home system that's grid tied is different and you can get consult for those specifically.
You also want to use a really good charge controller. The cheap ones fail. People say good things about certain ones so you can look up which ones people say are good. Some of the safety switches and shutting off of the power come from the charge controller. So it should be a good one.
So this is why insurance company’s in Florida are dropping people with solar panels.
No, the question I needed answered is what actually caused the fire? Bone head reporting without actually route cause.
THANK YOU, this is what Im thinking too
Most probably on the MC4 connectors, not using the same make on the end of the strings or a bad crimp
Which panels and microinverters were installed and what company installed it?
Permits are 100% required if you connect to you main service panel, if you are off the rid it's not required.
Which is why your home owners insurance should go up when you install panels on your roof.
It will. Your dwelling or rather replacement cost will go up. Which means your premium will go up. Hopefully he did report the addition of solar panels to his insurance.
It does, like $10 a year. This is incredibly rare. Neither of my arrays have had any issues.
It does in most States.
Expect this Solar company to suddenly disappear. They maximized solar panels with objects everywhere, so we know from the video a microinverter brand was used. They should have removed/cut that satellite mount, it could limit 2 of those panels output, or if one of the 2 screws comes loose, swing into the panel. If the absence of electricity from the other panels were causing the issue, I would want to see how the string was connected to the inverters. At the top end corner, I suspect it is probably where the most electrical voltage converges. If this was connecting to the inverter, I would suspect it in the following order. Under sizing the copper, using copper clad aluminum, completely borking the cabling underneath and don't want to admit to it, the microinverter/inverter brand. I would get another installer on the roof in exchange they can use this house as an example. Also, homeowner, get the new roofer to move all of the pollution pipes to the opposite side of the house, or higher up.
Reputable Solar Companies are like Fence and Paint Companies; they don't exist because they all subcontract to independent people or groups. I got a 20KWh system installed and it took the owner to fix what they didn't want to do, and they still did not want to meet permit specifications.
Local plumbing codes may prevent those vent pipes from being moved.
I wonder if they tell the consumer that when they're installing it of all the faulty stuff that they could have when they get it installed.. yeah probably not...
Can I identify as good looking master carpenter in the community mr.Brutis beefcake then?👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
A permit isn't going to stop a fire. And since you can't turn solar panels off they are always in danger of catching fire, except maybe at night.
Thank you, I was going to make the same comment. These are similar to a battery in that they always make power (when light hits them). Batteries also get 'cell shorts'. All switching of the 'load' does is reduce the chance of a (solar) cell breaking down because of heat generated by current flow (a similar cause of battery failures).
@@steveurbach3093 👍
In very rare occasions.. FAR more houses catch fire due to faulty wiring or lightning strike
Permits can prevent fires,through codes which require a "good"installation.and most require a shutoff switch at the panels,and at the charge controller......
@@edcat6587 You can't turn a solar panel off!!! You can cover it so the sun can't get to it, but YOU CAN'T TURN IT OFF!!!
Hazardous materials are in these panels. Selenium and cadmium. How are they disposing these dead panels in the environment? California got some huge problem already with these used up panels.
That's why I'll put solar panels on the ground.generators outside under shade to be cooler.find other ways to do thing others than power.
Always Use Carbon Electricity ⚡️
Anyone notice the Fox Business report that Amazon is turning off ALL of their solar panel installations; going back to conventional energy sources? The problem? Spontaneous fires. The panels overheat in the summer sunshine.
I guess EV`s catching fire is rare too. But it happens. How long will it be before soneone dies in one of these fires?? And will the gov get involved and pass legislation to stop these fires?
KIAs are catching fire too. But they say it’s a fuel connection problem.
People come to my house wanting to talk about solar panels on my roof. They are pushy even though I tell them from the beginning no.
Faild
I can't believe these people selling solar panels or saying that it's a rare occasion
As someone who works in the industry, it is rare. Residential solar fires are most often caused by critters, squirrels being #1. Cases like this are usually linked to cheap or poor quality equipment and the cheap poor quality installers using said bad equipment.
This is why I will stick to good ol' coal fired electricity and fermented dinosaur juice to power my home
Good luck with your ever increasing rates
made in china.