There has been an amendment to AS/NZS5033:2012 regarding the conduit standards.
Below is the new wording which is to be added into the standards:
In clause 4.4.1.5C, after “metallic”, insert “high density PVC”
Reference: Electricity (Safety) Amendment Regulations 2013
But what does this mean?
Previously if you wanted to run PV cable inside the house down to the inverter, according to 4.4.1.5 you had to do one of the following:
A) Run the cable in full metal conduit (EXPENSIVE!)
or
B) Have a rooftop isolator and use the new Marley HD solar conduit
This new amendment we interpret as meaning you can now run in Marley HD Solar Conduit, and you no longer need the additional rooftop isolator. Which will make installation cheaper. But you still need an identifiable way of isolation on the roof according to 4.4.1.5 (d).
The isolation point could be the MC4 Cable Connectors located on the back of the solar panels, however the home owner must know they cannot disconnect these under load or they could electrocute themselves. So they must be marked so you know to turn off the inverter isolator before opening any of the MC4 Connectors.
We are offering pre-printed PV Warning Labels using our LAPP FLEXIMARK system. But we still recommend using Rooftop isolators as they are the safest means of isolation as they offer a sealed junction point for the array strings and if installed correctly using quality product will be perfectly waterproof.