Solar not working? What to check before you call

A solar system that has stopped producing costs you money every sunny day. Some causes are simple and safe to check yourself. Others involve high-voltage DC wiring that should only be handled by a licensed electrician. Here is where to start.

Safe checks you can do

1. Look at the inverter screen or lights. A green light usually means it is running. Red or orange, or an error code, means it has detected a fault. Take a photo of the screen, as it helps us diagnose faster.
2. Check your monitoring app. If the app shows zero but the inverter looks normal, the problem may be the Wi-Fi connection rather than the system. Has your router or Wi-Fi password changed recently?
3. Check the switchboard. Look for a switch labelled “Solar” or “Inverter supply main switch”. If it has tripped, you can switch it back on once. If it trips again, leave it off and call us.
4. Check for a grid outage or a planned shutdown. Grid-connected inverters switch off automatically during a power outage for safety, unless you have a backup-capable battery.
5. Look at the weather and the time. Heavy cloud, early morning and late afternoon all reduce output. Compare a few sunny days before assuming a fault.

Things you should never do

• Don’t open the inverter or touch the DC isolators on the roof or wall. Solar panels produce dangerous DC voltage whenever there is daylight, even when the switchboard is off.
• Don’t climb onto the roof to inspect panels or wiring.
• Don’t keep resetting a switch that trips repeatedly. It is telling you there is a fault.

If you smell burning, see scorch marks, or hear crackling from the inverter or isolators, switch off the solar main switch at the switchboard if it is safe to do so and call us straight away on 0485 085 085.

Common faults we find

• Failed DC isolators. Older isolators exposed to the WA sun can let water in and fail.
• Inverter faults. Error codes such as isolation or earth faults usually point to a wiring or panel problem.
• Lost monitoring. The system works, but the app has lost its connection.
• Battery not charging. Often a settings or communication issue between the battery and inverter.

Booking a visit

Tell us what is happening and send a photo of the inverter screen. We reply with a fixed price for the visit before anyone comes out, so there are no surprises. We service systems installed by other companies too.

Common questions