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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,382 Likes: 7
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It will be interesting to see what the final determination of a cause for this fire is.
John
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,382 Likes: 7
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I posted a local (to me) fire that involved solar panels here ("Question") in Alt. Energy.
John
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 613
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I posted a local (to me) fire that involved solar panels here ("Question") in Alt. Energy. Question??? What was the final cause of that fire?
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Joined: Apr 2002
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Laast word was possibility of condensation build-up in combiner box. Possible bad sealing from interior to exterior within raceway. Not ruled as definitive cause.
John
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Joined: Apr 2002
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Update: The remaining rancid, rotten meat and other food products clean up is scheduled to be completed today 9/25/13
There has been no cause announced to date.
John
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Joined: Mar 2004
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,382 Likes: 7
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I can say that all the large comm solar installs in the Twp I work in do not cover antwhere near 100% of the roof.
Clear 'aisles' for lack of a better description are required, and addressed during the plan review process.
Yes, panels do present various issues for firefighters. We request that all comm jobs have a facility walk-thru with the firefighters, both officers and regular firefighters. Tours are arranged via the solar contractors, and the FD.
I would be curious as to the cause of the California resi fire that is in one video.
John
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 251
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Seams like a connector like this http://www.andersonpower.com/products/multipole-sb.html mounted on the side of each panel would isolate the panel from the house. Equipped with a handle (They make one for that connector) that could be opened with a Pike pole (a firefighters tool use to pull ceilings) the fire fighter could operate from a distance and disconnect all the panels from the system. Good for residential aps but may be impracticable for commercial aps. I like the carport mounted panels used on some commercial locations. Gets them off the roof, easy to isolate and does not interfere with firefighting or re-roofing.
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Joined: Jun 2004
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In watching the home fire video, you can see the roof venting was done on the side of the roof without the panels. A UL video I watched recommends that solar panels can be covered to de-energize the system during a fire.
Those fire fighters did not cover the panels they were working near. I can't imagine the fire department taking the time cover panels or even start disconnecting a system when they arrive at a fully engulfed fire situation. They need to concentrate on putting out the fire as trained, not spend valuable time trying to disconnect a solar system.
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Posts: 49
Joined: August 2001
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