Solaredge system keeps failing, help please!

[mark_from_denver]

Folks, I had a 5.5kW system installed three years ago by a local installer. The system is 18 LG 310's panels with a Solaredge inverter and optimizers, honestly nothing complex...installed on a garage rooftop. The problem is I have now had 7 Solaredge optimzers fail! The first year one failed, last year 3 failed and this year 2 failed so far. Solaredge is no help, they just send the installer another optimizer who comes out and installs it a few weeks later. The installer says maybe it's a bad batch of optimizers they initially installed, so at this failure rate and extrapolating out I'm looking at another 6 years of failures until the "bad batch" has all failed assuming there are two failures per year. Solaredge will not allow them to replace all the "bad" optimizers with "good" optimizers.

Frankly, I don't know what to do anymore, I initially really liked the setup, but now everyday after I get home from work, I have to check the system to see if any of the Solaredge optimizers have died. It gets tiring and old, and Solaredge expects me to do this for 6 more years????

[ButchDeal]

What optimizer model was installed. The P400?

[mark_from_denver]

I think I recall the installer saying they are the 250's...

[ButchDeal]

I think I recall the installer saying they are the 250's...

Well that would be your problem. It is not supported configuration and solaredge is not going to cover it. The installer installed an optimzers that does not support the pv modules installed ( LG 310 with p250).

you should be able to see the model number on the monitoring page.

[mark_from_denver]

Well that would be your problem. It is not supported configuration and solaredge is not going to cover it. The installer installed an optimzers that does not support the pv modules installed ( LG 310 with p250).

you should be able to see the model number on the monitoring page.

I looked on the monitoring page and can't find the information for the optimizers. I find it for the inverter and panels, but not the optimzers. Do you know where it should be located at?

At this point, I am thinking of just telling the installer to remove these damn optimizers, they've been nothing but grief and total frustration. Obviously I'm assuming I'll take a hit in the pocket, I'll draft up a formal complaint letter to Solaredge. Every year, I get these failures and at this point I have to hope the installer is still in business to replace them with new ones.

The panels are organized as a two strings, it is my understanding the optimizers help with shading issues. The panels are on top of each plane of a hip roof, as the sun rotates the planes become shaded throughout the day. If I get them removed, will it take a hit to production?

[mark_from_denver]

Well, I just looked all over the monitoring pages and can't find anywhere, where it indicates the optimizer model numbers.

[discodanman45]

Only way to tell what optimizers you have is to physically inspect. You won't find that option in the SolarEdge dashboard. I am having the company that installed my system remove a panel and send me a picture of the optimizer used. I wonder if you could check by seeing power outputted by each panel in the SolarEdge monitoring. Would the p250 be clipping the panel at 250 Watts?

[littleharbor]

If you have the optimizers removed then the inverter has to go as well. I would save that remedy as a last resort.

[ButchDeal]

Well, I just looked all over the monitoring pages and can't find anywhere, where it indicates the optimizer model numbers.

On the wep page physical layout viiew clickon one of then info

[ButchDeal]

I looked on the monitoring page and can't find the information for the optimizers. I find it for the inverter and panels, but not the optimzers. Do you know where it should be located at?

At this point, I am thinking of just telling the installer to remove these damn optimizers, they've been nothing but grief and total frustration. Obviously I'm assuming I'll take a hit in the pocket, I'll draft up a formal complaint letter to Solaredge. Every year, I get these failures and at this point I have to hope the installer is still in business to replace them with new ones.

The panels are organized as a two strings, it is my understanding the optimizers help with shading issues. The panels are on top of each plane of a hip roof, as the sun rotates the planes become shaded throughout the day. If I get them removed, will it take a hit to production?

You cant remove them but they should replace them all with p400 optimizers

the inverter will not work without them. Solaredge is not to blame, the installer is at fault here. This is a pretty obviouse mistake, putting 310w pv modules on 250 watt optimizers.

[mark_from_denver]

You cant remove them but they should replace them all with p400 optimizers

the inverter will not work without them. Solaredge is not to blame, the installer is at fault here. This is a pretty obviouse mistake, putting 310w pv modules on 250 watt optimizers.

The installer has stated they have spoken with Solaredge many times about this, and Solaredge has never stated there was a mismatch between the two components, they have also stated that Solaredge has logged into the system and found no operational issues looking at the log files. They also stated that Solaredge was going to perform a teardown of one of the failed optimizers to uncover what went wrong...although that was a while ago and I never heard anything back and frankly I doubt they found anything. I wish it was as easy as a mismatch but judging from the above, that doesn't appear to be the case, or why hasn't Solaredge stated it to the installer by now?

So far why these optimizers keep blowing up remains a mystery, the installers states it's probably due to a bad batch and Solaredge has no answer...nobody really has a concrete answer here, I get that, but I'm stuck having to monitor the system everyday while getting frustrated and very annoyed every time a damn optimizer blowsup. What I do know is that I will never use or recommend Solaredge products ever again after Solaredge refuses to replace the 11 other "bad batch" ones at once so that means I've got another 5 to 6 years of dealing with this disaster assuming 2 blow up every year, 9 years total....Really Solaredge?? (at this point I'm hoping I'll get lucky and the rest of them will just blowup all within a year so I'll just be done with it)...Finally, if you told your customers you would install a solar system, but they'd have to deal with the manufacture components blowing up for the next 9 years do you expect them to go for it?

[mark_from_denver]

Only way to tell what optimizers you have is to physically inspect. You won't find that option in the SolarEdge dashboard. I am having the company that installed my system remove a panel and send me a picture of the optimizer used. I wonder if you could check by seeing power outputted by each panel in the SolarEdge monitoring. Would the p250 be clipping the panel at 250 Watts?

I don't think any of these panels have gotten anywhere close to maximum power production, that would most likely only occur under very optimal conditions. One thing I noticed though is that the optimizers usually blowup during hot weather (about 100 ambient), not always but usually.

[mark_from_denver]

If you have the optimizers removed then the inverter has to go as well. I would save that remedy as a last resort.

Ok, I wasn't aware of that...that will be the last resort..the inverter has been problem free.

[ButchDeal]

The installer has stated they have spoken with Solaredge many times about this, and Solaredge has never stated there was a mismatch between the two components, they have also stated that Solaredge has logged into the system and found no operational issues looking at the log files. They also stated that Solaredge was going to do a teardown of one of the failed optimizers to see what went wrong...although that was a while ago and never heard anything back, frankly I doubt they found anything. I wish it was as easy as a mismatch but judging from the above, that doesn't appear to be the case, or why hasn't Solaredge stated it to the installer by now?

I think the key here is " The INSTALLER has stated..."


if you have P250 optimizers installed with LG310 PV modules this is grossly out of range. I doubt they talked to SolarEdge at all. SolarEdge would NOT cover these under any warranty as they are incorrectly installed.

[mark_from_denver]

I think the key here is " The INSTALLER has stated..."


if you have P250 optimizers installed with LG310 PV modules this is grossly out of range. I doubt they talked to SolarEdge at all. SolarEdge would NOT cover these under any warranty as they are incorrectly installed.

Well, again, it was my recollection they stated 250, but I could be wrong. I have no doubt the installer is pulling their weight in trying to help me out here, I think they really want to make good of a bad situation. I have recommended them to a few other family and friends who have used them, so I have put my credibility on the line. The reason why statements come from the installer is the simple fact the Solaredge doesn't want to deal directly with the end users.