Repairing Solar PV systems

[access_renew]

Hi guys

I'm interested to hear if many of you are returning to faults on either your own or installs by others? If so, what kind of faults are occuring?

Just trying to build up a picture or any recurring theme of faults to help with some research we are going.

Any input greatly appreciated.

Sean @ Access Renewables

 

[SolarCity]

We've returned to a few. Normally a fault on the inverter. Sometimes high grid voltage.

 

[Somecamel]

We've done a couple where we have changed inverters, mostly when there is a big ugly chimney bang smack in the middle and the system has been put on a single MPPT inverter.

 

[Gavin A]

on our systems...

1 x inverter fault, 1 x electrical fault due to installer error which caused the CPD to trip, 1 x meter needing to be moved to a more accessible location, and multiple faults with the remote display units for both SMA and Power-One. We've also had a couple of isolators fail on installation, but I think they were probably all down to the sparks drilling above them while the covers were off, so a load of brick dust got in and clogged up the mechanism.

on someone elses install
we got called out to what turned out to be a totally burned out MC4 connector on the roof on someone elses installation, where the cable had been left hanging on the roof, and it hadn't been tightened fully to form a seal around the cables, allowing water in to the connector when it rained we think.

 

[SolarCity]

on our systems...

1 x inverter fault, 1 x electrical fault due to installer error which caused the CPD to trip, 1 x meter needing to be moved to a more accessible location, and multiple faults with the remote display units for both SMA and Power-One. We've also had a couple of isolators fail on installation, but I think they were probably all down to the sparks drilling above them while the covers were off, so a load of brick dust got in and clogged up the mechanism.
.

Just one inverter fault? I don't know if you've been lucky or if we've been unlucky. We've had to replace 3x Power Ones, 2 SMAs, 1x Chinese inverter that I can't remember the name of and one Kostal Piko.

Forgot to mention in my original post. We have been back dozens of times to faulty remote displays and have now removed them from our guarantee.

 

[Somecamel]

Just one inverter fault? I don't know if you've been lucky or if we've been unlucky. We've had to replace 3x Power Ones, 2 SMAs, 1x Chinese inverter that I can't remember the name of and one Kostal Piko.

Forgot to mention in my original post. We have been back dozens of times to faulty remote displays and have now removed them from our guarantee.

We used to give away the Wattson meters for free- That was stupid of me- that's all we really get problems with, we no longer offer them

 

[SolarCity]

We used to give away the Wattson meters for free- That was stupid of me- that's all we really get problems with, we no longer offer them

I bought one, it didn't work. 100% failure rate. Didn't touch them after that. Pathetic device and a pathetic company.

 

[Gavin A]

Just one inverter fault? I don't know if you've been lucky or if we've been unlucky. We've had to replace 3x Power Ones, 2 SMAs, 1x Chinese inverter that I can't remember the name of and one Kostal Piko.

Forgot to mention in my original post. We have been back dozens of times to faulty remote displays and have now removed them from our guarantee.

well, one I can remember. Actually, I think it might be 2, but involving the same inverter that got sent back to sma, then returned with a no fault found, then had to be sent back again.

ah, removing the remote display units from the guarantee... now there's an idea.

 

[moggy1968]

I bought one, it didn't work. 100% failure rate. Didn't touch them after that. Pathetic device and a pathetic company.

did one free for a customer, didn't work, never used them again, pile of garbage!

 

[steve Leese]

We have replaced 2 x steca 10,000 due to computer failier and one steca 2000 master that didn`t work strait out of the box, i think we have been lucky up to now, all other types of inverters have worked ok, had lots of trouble with sunnybeams.