Solar and battery work in Mullumbimby

In Mullumbimby the solar questions are shaped by flooding: where to mount an inverter and battery so water is less likely to reach them, what has to be tested before a flooded system is switched back on, and whether damaged equipment can be repaired or must be replaced. A licensed electrician with solar accreditation can inspect the system and quote. This site sends your enquiry on to an independent provider; that provider assesses the job and does any work.

How did the 2022 floods affect Mullumbimby homes?

Mullumbimby, postcode 2482 (Australia Post), is a hinterland township in Byron Shire and home to Byron Shire Council’s office at 70 Station Street (Byron Shire Council). In the February and March 2022 floods, 817 homes across the shire were flooded, and 468 of them were in Mullumbimby, according to figures from the NSW minister’s answers reported by The Echo. That is more than half of the shire total in one town.

For solar owners, the risk is the gear at ground level. Panels on the roof usually stay dry, but inverters, batteries, isolators and switchboards are often fixed to a wall at about head height or lower, in a garage or under a carport.

Where should an inverter and battery be mounted in a flood-prone house?

There is no single safe height that suits every street, and this page does not quote one. Your flood risk depends on your lot. Ask Byron Shire Council for the flood information that applies to your address, and give it to the installer with your quote request.

Option	Advantage	Drawback
Wall mount at standard height	Cheapest, easy access for servicing	Exposed if water rises into the garage or yard
Higher wall mount	Keeps electronics above a known water level	Must still meet clearance and access rules; harder to service
Upper floor or raised platform	Best clearance where the structure allows	Longer cable runs, structural work, more cost
Inverter high, battery elsewhere	Splits the risk	Needs a design that the battery maker and AS/NZS 5139 permit

AS/NZS 5139 sets the safety rules for where home batteries can go, and it rules out some spots inside and around a house. A good installer works out a height and position that meets the standard and keeps the equipment above the level your flood information suggests, then writes the reason into the quote. Put your lot’s flood level in the enquiry so the provider can plan a flood-aware battery position before the site visit.

What has to happen before a flooded system is switched back on?

Floodwater leaves mud and silt inside enclosures and connectors, and wet electronics can fail dangerously when power returns. Solar panels also keep producing voltage whenever light reaches them, so the DC side of a system is never fully dead in daylight just because the grid is off.

Do not switch a flooded inverter, battery or switchboard back on yourself. The sequence a careful electrician follows:

1. Isolate the array and battery, and confirm the system is safe to approach.
2. Inspect the inverter, battery, isolators, switchboard and cabling for water marks and silt.
3. Test insulation resistance on the DC and AC wiring.
4. Replace anything that was submerged and cannot be certified as safe.
5. Re-commission the system and record the test results.

NSW also has a specific rule for installations that have been off for a long time: one that has been de-energised for six months or more needs an electrical installation safety inspection before it is remotely re-energised, as set out on the NSW electrical compliance page.

Repair or replace after flood damage?

A battery that has been under water is usually a write-off. Most manufacturers will not support a unit that has been submerged, and a damaged lithium battery can be a fire risk. Inverters are similar: once silt gets inside, a repair rarely makes sense. Panels on the roof are often fine but should still be tested along with the cabling. The solar repairs and fault finding page explains how faults are tracked down.

As a guide, Energy Matters puts a like-for-like string inverter replacement for a typical 5 to 6.6 kW system at about $1,500 to $3,000. A flood job can cost more if isolators, cabling or the switchboard also need replacing. Insurance claims often need the electrician’s written report, so ask for one with photos.

Is a battery useful in a town that floods?

It can be. A battery with backup can keep a fridge, lights and phone charging going during a grid outage, which matters when roads are cut. The trade-off is that the battery itself needs a dry, well-chosen location. The battery backup and off-grid page covers backup circuits and switch-over in detail. If you are adding a battery to an existing system, the installer must apply to Essential Energy before work starts; the Essential Energy connection guide covers that process.

What will a careful provider refuse to do?

• Switch a flooded system back on without testing it.
• Reuse a battery or inverter that was submerged.
• Mount a new battery in a spot that breaches AS/NZS 5139 because it is higher.
• Start wiring without a valid NSW electrical licence; you can check one on the Service NSW lookup.

How does Mullumbimby compare with Ocean Shores?

Ocean Shores was also flooded in 2022 but faces a different main job: older systems that are due for upgrades. The Ocean Shores page covers those.

Next step: describe your Mullumbimby job

Say whether the system was affected by flooding, how high the water reached on the wall, and whether anything has been switched back on since. Include photos of the inverter, battery and switchboard, the inverter label, and any flood level information council has given you for your lot. Then send your Mullumbimby flood repair or install enquiry and note if an insurer needs a written report.

Send a job enquiry