SolarWorld recalls more than 1.5 million units in US and Canada
Solar World has announced it is recalling solar systems with coper grounding due to electrocution and fire hazard. The company urges customers to stop using the product immediately and get in touch with the company. Installers and distributors have been reminded it is illegal to sell or resell a recalled consumer product..
The product us SolarWorld Solar Systems which is installed with bare-copper grounding lugs that can corrode which could result in a faulty ground circuit, posing an electric shock, electrocution or fire hazard.
The recall effects about 1.3 million units in the U.S. and 210,000 in Canada. The company has given no indication of the cost of the recall but the situation is likely to further reduce their yearly accounts. They had already revised estimations downward.
This recall includes SolarWorld solar systems installed with bare-copper grounding lugs installed after June 1, 2010. These solar systems use energy from the sun to generate electricity within a system circuit. The installation instructions for SolarWorld solar systems sold after June 1, 2010 called for the use of GBL-4DB lugs for grounding. SolarWorld has revised these installation instructions to explicitly call for tin-coated lugs, specifically Ilsco part number GBL-4DBT. "T" is for tin-coated and indicated by the silver color of the lug.
The firm has received one report of corrosion related to the bare copper lugs. No injuries have been reported.
Customers may be able to identify from the ground whether a tin-coated lug (silver) or a bare-copper lug (brown) has been used on their solar panels. Consumers who can identify the improper lugs should contact SolarWorld for replacement. If customers cannot determine which grounding lugs were used, they should contact SolarWorld to have an authorized SolarWorld agent inspect the installation and replace the lugs with tin-coated grounding lugs or equally safe alternative remedy at no cost to consumers. SolarWorld is requesting that distributors and others remove SolarWorld's installation instructions dated before June 2014 from their websites or other commercial information sources.
