Malabou Limited SolarImmersion PV Diverter Recall

An electrical safety recall notice has been issued for SolarImmersion MKIV power diverters.

Announced on Sunday on the Product Safety Australia website, the recall applies to SolarImmersion MKIV Power Diverter units sold in Australia from 3 March 2016 to 27 July 2018. While it doesn’t appear this PV diverter has been available in Australia for a while, there may be a few installed around the place given they were sold through a number of outlets and available in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.

The hazard identified: should an electrical fault and overheating occur, the diverter’s cover may catch fire.

SolarImmersion MKIV Power Diverter owners are advised they should cease using their units until the plastic cover has been replaced by a metal cover. Owners should contact the licensed electrician or solar installer who installed the SolarImmersion unit to organise a replacement cover.

Malabou Ltd is a New Zealand-based company that appears to be focused on metal casting, forging and related activities these days judging by their website. Further information on the recall can be obtained by contacting Malabou Limited via [email protected].

New Zealand’s government has also published a recall notice concerning the same issue, but covering units installed from October 2015 to April 2019. That notice was published two months ago and it’s not clear why it’s taken so long for the problem to be acknowledged across the ditch here in Australia. I was going to suggest local authorities perhaps didn’t consider it a burning issue, but then realised that would not read well at all.

What Is A PV Diverter?

A PV diverter, aka power diverter, aka solar hot water diverter is an electronic device that sends surplus electricity generated by a rooftop solar power system to an electric hot water unit; helping to maximise a household’s solar energy self- consumption and reduce grid electricity use for heating water.

SQ’s Ronald published an article on PV diverters a few years ago and much of that information still applies. Finn also mentioned PV diverters early this week in his article on another device called a solar relay; comparing the two solutions for maximising solar electricity self consumption.

With around one-quarter of electricity consumed by Australian households with a standard electric hot water system going towards heating water, a diverter can be a useful addition – but your mileage may vary depending solar power system capacity, location and energy consumption profile.

For a side-by-side comparison of power diverters available in Australia, check out SQ’s PV diverter comparison table.