In case of accidental leakge switch off the main switch

[Isetech]

And that is where the fights starts.

These are the kind of challenges we are faced with on a daily basis.

The electrican finishes off his pretty looking solar installtion and decides to switch off the DC isolator to connect the Dc surge arrester, because he is new at installing systems doesnt know that the power is bridged at the MPPT and there switching off one of his string DC doubl pole isolators means nothing, because the powe ris still on at the top and bottom of the isolator, oh crap, his partner realises he is experiencing an awakening, sees a notice of the main DB "IN CASE OF ACCIDENTAL LEAKAGE SWTICH OFF THE MAIN SUPPLY" and that people has become the biggest problem in electrical installtions linked to property electrical installation. The person who did the quick 10 minutes training session on the system is nowhere to be found. How do we switch off the power, or should I say how do we identify what to switch off? The regs say you must fit the in case label, but in reality it its more dangerous creating a flase statement.


The question I aask myself is what are we going to do about these issues? How long is it going to take before an updated version of the regs are relleased addressing all these issue, like the neutral earth bond, lithium battery installtion guide, safe isolation format.

I do understand that we ahve all been caught with our pants around our ankles, but we are talking public safety.

Another challenge we are going to face, who is going to pay for all the installations (over a million ?) to be bought up to standard once the new regualtions are released.

IF you sell your property which has a COC for the solar installation, will it be valid ?

Lets say the all the permenant bond or the relay is outlawed nd a document rleased, who will pay for the upgrade to make it safe? By the way the ratio of permanant bonds to relays is in favour of the permanant bond by a substantial margin. Can the customer claim against the installer for costs to make it right?

There is not control at the moment and because people are desperate and it looks like it is going to get even worse with stage 6 here to stay for a while, and the light is dimming at the end of the tunnel

MY concern is also the warrnaty periods offered on these systems, who is going to honour the claims in 5-10 years time?

[Derlyn]

Like the fireman scenario I mentioned a while back. Fireman turns off the power in the street, goes inside and shocks on a hanging wire from the inverter, thinking the installation is dead.

[Derlyn]

Other than having a warning sign outside at the stubby or kiosk to the effect that the installation has more than one supply, or , having an isolator outside for each supply, I cannot think of any other way of preventing the above scenario from playing out.

[Thys LOW Elektries]

A fireman switch that isolates all power is a good idea, certain countries have it already in place. The power from the PV system goes outside to a stubby where you have your main breaker for incoming power. From here power goes into the house. One place to isolate all power, how genius is that?
Maybe using a four-pole main breaker to isolate everything is the answer, Eskom incoming on the left and inverter incoming on the right. The normal breakers can then be installed after the 4-pole breaker. A main breaker to isolate Eskom only and a main breaker to isolate the inverter only and a main breaker for the non-essential loads
You can then isolate everything with one breaker or isolate only part of an installation with another breaker, the only remaining question is: "Where will you place all these breakers in an already overpopulated db?"
Just thinking out loud

[Thys LOW Elektries]

see 6.9 Disconnecting devices 6.9.1.1, 6.9.1.2 and 6.9.2.2 most of these regulations are unknown to many installers or the installers just choose to ignore these regulations