UK ban on batteries in attics

I posted that over here too and much of the focus has been around the fire hazard differences between LiFePO4 vs Li-Ion.

The fact of the matter is not necessarily the battery technology but the very existence of a high-energy appliance carrying high DC currents from solar panels and battery systems, with almost no arc protection on the DC side (except for one manufacturer so far that I know of) and zero fire/smoke detection in the zone, commonly mounted onto wood supports (see the thumbnail on that youtube video as an example) and all concentrating within a structural component made of wood.

I had an uncle who wouldn't even charge a 12v battery within the hay-shed, a similar analogy applies here too - it's a risk which should be mitigated where possible.

DC isolators are causing the majority of fires as far as I can tell. Eddi's installed in a hot press are also a significant risk, much more so than batteries.

I know, you said you know of one manufacturer that had Arc fault detection and I knew it was Huawei you were referring to.

tbf if one of these goes on fire anywhere even near your house you are probably in trouble.

At least have smoke alarm in your attic (which you should have anyway!)

The Irish code of practice (p6, sect 4.5 and 4.5.2) still allows the installation into a suitable surface within a roof space:

https://www.seai.ie/publications/SPV-Code-of-Practice.pdf

It's not going to change for a while anyway.

If it's mounted on fire-resistant panels and the cabling is protected from being in contact with wooden surfaces then you can do what GreeBo suggested and extend the interlinked fire alarm into the attic as a mitigation strategy.

Some inverters also feature a loop circuit which can be attached to a safety system - I can't recall the name of it just now, but it allows you to rapidly disable the inverter either through a fire alarm circuit. I'll dig it out…

Well there is a very considerable exothermic behavioral distinction between LiFePO4 vs Li-Ion - you shouldn't tar LiFePO4 with the same brush.

Agreed, but there are still Li-Ion batteries for sale for this purpose.

You're right, but if it's not required there will be plenty who don't have it, and won't install it, especially on older builds.

I think, based on the likelihood of more and more houses getting batteries, the regs probably need updating in this area.

Personally I think it's a no brainer and I will sleep better at night once my batteries are in the shed, lifepo4 is safe sure but nothing is perfect

The company I’ve gone with suggested installing the battery and invertor in the attic but I was against that - didn’t like the idea of it hidden away. In the end we decided install in the upstairs hot press (for want of a better name - it’s got the UFH manifold in there and will be for storing clothes after washing, towels and bits like that).

As much space as I have downstairs we couldn’t find a good space for a 10kwh battery with attached invertor. Garage would have been ideal but I had floors in and all cable runs done before the solar was even discussed so can’t run any more cables out there.

That's why DC isolators on both the battery and solar side are not being recommended by certain organisations in the UK either. It's just another junction to go wrong. Again from eFixx:

https://electricalnews.efixx.co.uk/1978879/14269857

I suspect much of this will transfer over to here in time.

Yep, fair point.

Sort of, main plant room with the A2W indoor unit etc is downstairs.

Yeah that wouldn't be a good idea could see it causing issues no more than covering any electical appliance. Inverter + battery will be wall mounted on a wall thats being kept free of shelves etc anyway as it has the manifold, wiring for the stats and all that sort of stuff on it also.

I am not in love with the location but it makes sense for a number of reasons (enough space, DC only has to come down to the first floor, easy access to a services opening to get down to the board, not too far from the board which is more or less just below it on the ground floor).

The people putting heating blankets on their batteries are going to love this :)

I wouldn't be adverse to it myself. I'm considering a 16s battery and maybe adding a heat pad under the cells, but I will be surrounding it with glass fiber mats for sure. But others have reported that just insulation alone is sufficient in an Irish/mild climate. I suppose it all depends on the battery pack's exposure.