Pls help! Solar system dead for 2 months and nobody will help

[davidcheok]

OP here again,

davidcheok's comments were certainly illuminating. So Company B is on the hook for the whole system, even if the ground fault is in the panels which Company A installed 4 yrs ago (and which seem to have been installed in a competent fashion, though by now there may have been some glitch, but maybe only something like a loose connection)? The terse response we got got from Company B at first...basically "Not our fault, contact the guys who installed the panels"...seemed like they were pretty sure they were not responsible for faults in the system if they originated in panels that they didn't install.

Thanks for all the support. Remarkably helpful forum! Before getting a third party to look into this, we will wait until (and I hate to have to add this but..."if") we have some discussion with CALSSA about all this. That might be a couple weeks, but I will report back.

Otherchuck

Company B is not 'on the hook' either. You are. B would be responsible for any issues arising from faults from the battery and inverter install but they cannot be responsible for the array installation. A good installer would have checked and doubled checked the array for issues first before installing the battery and inverter but since you said it was working for about 10 months, its unlikely there were any issues upon implementation. IMHO any rectification to the system now is a billable job. Any competent and certified installer can do the job of rectification but IMHO it should be company B since they were the ones who still hold responsibility of warranty of the battery/inverters otherwise you will be repeating the same problem. The moment B accepts the job to fix it, then they would assume responsibility of the entire system (up to a certain period as per T&C) when they get paid for it.

[otherchuck]

OP here again,

davidcheok's comments were certainly illuminating. So Company B is on the hook for the whole system, even if the ground fault is in the panels which Company A installed 4 yrs ago (and which seem to have been installed in a competent fashion, though by now there may have been some glitch, but maybe only something like a loose connection)? The terse response we got got from Company B at first...basically "Not our fault, contact the guys who installed the panels"...seemed like they were pretty sure they were not responsible for faults in the system if they originated in panels that they didn't install.

Thanks for all the support. Remarkably helpful forum! Before getting a third party to look into this, we will wait until (and I hate to have to add this but..."if") we have some discussion with CALSSA about all this. That might be a couple weeks, but I will report back.

Otherchuck

[oregon_phil]

otherchuck , we want to get to the point where you can describe the problem in a series statements that will help you and company C figure out root cause to your problem.

For example.

On January 1, 2018, Company A installed a 25 LG NeonR,LG350Q1C-A5 with P370 optimizers in a ground mount array 50 feet from my house. The 25 solar panels are installed as two strings, to a SolarEdge SE7600H inverter which is located at the ground mount array. Company A then ran AC wire from the inverter to my garage electrical panel with 40amp circuit breakers.

On January 1, 2022, Company B removed SE 7600H inverter and installed a new SE7600H-USSNBBL14 inverter with LG Chem Resu 12 batteries. Company B moved the location of the inverter from the ground mount array to the exterior of my house. The LG Chem batteries (Date codes/serial numbers) are located next to the new inverter also on the exterior of my house.

On November 22,2022, the system installed by Company B stopped working. The inverter shows a red LED and SetApp reports fault code 342.

I understand all the statements above are false. You can start filling in the blanks.

You want to figure out what you had, what you have now and what changed between then and now.

[davidcheok]

Ok that is much clearer now. Four years had elapsed with no issues on the panels and the wiring so its not Company A's incompetence or fault anymore on the system. The panels may have long product warranties but the wiring and system install may only have normal 12 month warranty. Normally the installers have to register the modules and units with their system UI from solaredge and the moment you switched out, company A no longer has control nor responsibility. How can they? The entire responsibility of the system transferred to you and when company B installed the battery and new inverter, it was their responsibility to ensure everything is up and running properly. Whatever happened before the inverter swap is no longer relevant. It is now up to B to resolve the issue and any fixes to the system before the inverters would be billable to you.

Yes you shouldnt touch the system if you do not know what you are doing. DC wiring from arrays are very dangerous especially with big arrays. Only a certified solar installer should handle it. The most u can do is ensure the cables are properly plugged in and snug (with rubber gloves). Do not touch any metal parts because you already know something is being grounded.

If both companies are so hard to deal with, find another company to troubleshoot.

IMHO, from the symptoms you have described, I think a wire may have been knicked and caused arcing which shorted out the system on high output day.

[otherchuck]

OP here again.

I can provide some of the info oregon_phil requested.

The initial system, installed about May 2018, consisted of 25 panels, LG NeonR,LG350Q1C-A5. It is an easily accessible ground mount. That was done by "Company A."

When I say "2nd system," what I mean is that "Company B" added two LG Resu batteries to the existing panel system, and swapped out the original Solaredge inverter for a new one, the full parts # of which is SE7600H-USSNBBL14. The batteries and new inverter were installed in early 2022, maybe January.

Our system stopped working completely on Nov 13, 2022. One thing I didn't mention before is that some time a month or before the full crash, I happened to be checking the app, and noticed that the system was not producing, though it was plenty sunny out. I happened to notice the outage only minutes after it had occurred. We contacted Company B right away, and they gave us the usual "We'll pass this along to our service technicians and get back to you right away" but of course they never do get back to us. However, about three hrs later, the problem resolved itself. We wondered if maybe they reset something remotely without telling us, but the more likely scenario is that they did nothing (they never followed up), and the system somehow "fixed" itself. No idea how the system "fixed itself" as if by magic, but that scenario, however unlikely, is far more likely than one where Company B would have done anything to help.

And thanks all for suggestions on how to troubleshoot this myself, but let me assure y'all: There is no way someone with my skill set should go anywhere near the electrical components of this system! I actually do have pretty good range of home repair skills, and can do some "in house" electrical work, but anything involving power originating from the panels and coming into my house is terra incognita for me! Plus, I am always afraid that I will do something wrong and void a warranty.

I glanced at the underside of the panels a while ago to see if I saw any chewed wires, but at the time I did not see anything obvious. But I will check again with more diligence. I do live in a rural area with a massive amount of wildlife.

Otherchuck

[wayne23836]

Have you checked the ground fault fuse in the inverter?. I had to replace one in a SMA inverter due to damage to DC wire also have replaced GF fuses in Schneider CC's. After checking the system I believe problem was caused by disconnecting batteries while still having solar input.

[oregon_phil]

People can make suggestions, but we have to know what we are dealing with. Troubleshooting is a process. My experience is that most 1st level tech support is not very useful. Technicians from two different companies are not going to look at a system problem to get to root cause, but to determine their equipment is not at fault.

I'll re ask my original question to the OP.

1) What was the first system? equipment model numbers, schematics, etc. When was it installed? Was it functioning? How long was it functioning?

2) Exactly what is the second system? And besides installing equipment, did the installer do anything else? What was the project they sold you?

Was system #1 stable, for how long, then what changes were made to system #1 that made it into system #2. Were there any events causing system #2 failures? Exactly what is the fault of system #2? I think arc fault is too broad a category. A SE fault code would be way better?

[MGE]

Like stated earlier find a qualified electrician to isolate and find your ground fault doesn't have to be a "solar" guy.
Just like any problem you need to divide and conquer as they say.
A good electrician should be able to assist in finding your problem.

How many panels?
How many strings?
Panels on roof?
Asccessible?

Sounds like you don't have micros so it's either a panel or your wiring is damaged. Or your "Company B" is wrong and it's on them.

If I didn't live in San Diego I would come over and help you but it's a bit far.

Turn your entire system off, everything.
Next go and unplug every solar panel you have.
Keep the 2 pole breakers off that tie into your solar panels too.
Reenergize your inverters and see if the GF is cleared.

If it's now clear you know it's in either your distribution wiring or a panel.
Now turn your 2 pole breakers back on. If no issues start plugging in your solar panels one string at a time and see when the fault comes back.

Might be something obvious like a raccoon chewed on a portion I don't know.

Be proactive not reactive.
Alot of smart guys on this site. Just give them the info we asked for and we can walk you through it.
Was a Union Electrician and contractor so it's not rocket science, thank goodness.

[otherchuck]

Yup, tried contacting Solaredge right at the start. Told them the whole story and their response was something along the lines of "Contact the installer." And, yes, we had just told them that we had repeatedly contacted the installer and the installer was non-responsive. I was hoping Solaredge might intercede on our behalf becuz they must have some kind of relationship with the turds who install their product, but I think what we got was auto-reply boilerplate.

Otherchuck

[davidcheok]

Yeah that's what we call hit and run companies. Tried writing in direct to SolarEdge? Explain how installing their system somehow caused your system to be untouchable.

[otherchuck]

OP here.

Thanks all! Yes, getting both companies here at same time, getting them to liase with one another, or at least communicate with one another would be great, but they absolutely won't do that. We have made that exact suggestion. We are 45 mins north of one installer, and 45 mins south of the other, so I suppose that is partly why they don't want to send any technician out. That may be reprehensible enough, but the fact that refuse to even contact one another is just appalling! We are looking for a good "Company C" installer to come to our rescue, but since we have already done a rock-bottom horrible job picking the first two installer, if anyone knows any reputable installers in my area (northern part of Santa Barbara County, California, USA) feel free to recommend! Just filed a complaint with CALSSA (California Solar & Storage Association), so we'll see if that gets any action, but we are not optimistic. I assume they will give us the same response Solaredge did: "You should contact your installer."

Otherchuck

[littleharbor2]

Slightly tangential as new to this site - I am registered and trying to post a new query but cannot see how to do this - all I can see are pre-existing ones. Any clues please?

Click on the SolarPanelTalk logo on the upper left of any page, Choose the appropriate category and you should see a small blue box with New Topic in the left upper corner of the list.

[davidcheok]

A few yrs ago, “Company A" put in our solar panels. Then, about a year ago, we got solar batteries and a new Solaredge inverter from "Company B."


Get both companies to be there at appointed time. Company A investigate the array and lines up to the inverter and liase with company B with all inverter related settings etc. That way, neither can point fingers because each is handling their own area.

Ground faults are commonly before the inverter connection either due to damaged or degrading wiring or possibly panel failure.

[casamenta]

Slightly tangential as new to this site - I am registered and trying to post a new query but cannot see how to do this - all I can see are pre-existing ones. Any clues please?

[AmyJones]

Approach a good installer to sort out your issue