Solar woes

Solar panels are one of the most popular ways of maintaining good battery charge levels when not on hook up .

They are reliable, resonably effective ( if large enough) and good value for money.

They can though, like most electrical devices , be dangerous.

The photograph below shows the negative cable , or rather what's left of it, from a  solar installation we looked at recently. It is possible that  charge controller was faulty and the  wiring was undersized and all of the insulation has melted, leaving the bare conductor exposed. Both have now been replaced

So make sure you check the condition of your 12 volt cabling, It's easy to  think  that , being 12 volt , it's perfectly safe ....but it can still start a fire.