Warnings of foil installation shocks in homes for electricians
Foil installation proving harmful for some retrofitted homes
There have been warnings issued to the thousands of Australian homes that have received potentially deadly roof insulation under a federal government scheme after reports that four workers have died during the installation process, three of them being electrocuted.
Environment Minister Peter Garrett has now issued a ban on the use of metal foil insulation in the $3.7 billion rebate scheme due to safety concerns, while electricians are now urging residents that have foil installation remain well clear of their roof spaces.
To date, 37,000 homes have already had the foil insulation installed in a federal government program which pays $1,200 per household to install insulation to cut electricity bills. In most cases the home were fitted with pink batts, yet there are some that were fitted with foil instead. It appears the majority of foil cases are in Queensland.
The concern for both electricians and residents is that with the foil installation in place, the roof of a residence may become electrically charged, with even leaky guttering and stormwater drainage posing a threat.
Master Electricians Australia chief executive Malcolm Richards warned residents against entering the roof space if they suspect they have foil installation.
"If you even feel a tingle in your hand when you touch a tap at home I'd be very concerned immediately,"
Mr Richards said that based on safety audits carried out so far there could potentially be up to 460 "live" roofs at this time.
"Some of these homes are 30, 40, 50 years old, with the wires laying throughout the ceilings," he said.
"And when you lay out foil across that and staple through it or even without the stapling, the foil may be layered across existing faults that have developed over time. With no electrician to follow through and test it afterwards, we can be leaving a number of these ceiling alive and a bit of a danger trap for the next person to enter the ceiling."
Mr Richards said it was only homes retrofitted with the foil insulation under the Government subsidy program, and not new homes built with it existing, that posed a risk with many industry experts blaming lack of training for the foil installation system.
"There are thousands of new homes fitted with foil every year, but we don't believe these pose a risk and usually they have been tested by an electrician before people move in to the house."
It has been urged that people with homes that have had foil installed under the Government program to have their homes inspected.
Foil is used as an insulator in Queensland in particular as bats and foam insulation tends to hold moisture in the humidity which has lead to rotting wires in the past.
