Content marketing article for Solar Fix Network in Adelaide. Copywriting, editing and design by Mark Angus for Cadogan and Hall

1. Maintaining Your
Solar Inverter
www.solarfixnetwork.com.au

2. Once you have
solar panels
installed in your
home

3. However, for some people who have
had solar systems installed in the past
few years—particularly during the
boom years following the introduction
of generous feed-in tariffs of up to
44c/kWh by the South Australian
government in 2008—this is not the
case.
Having a solar system installed is
undoubtedly a considerable expense,
even if it saves you money in the
long run. However, as a means of
reducing costs, many homeowners
were persuaded to have cheaper,
low-end inverters installed as part of
their system. However, the inverter
unfortunately is the element of your
solar system that is most likely to fail,
because many cheap solar inverters
only have a life expectancy of around
two years.
Now, a couple of years down the
track, people are beginning to realise
that this was a false economy,
particularly when the most vital
component in the system, the solar
inverter, begins to fail.
Solar Fix Network was established to
help Adelaide homeowners to address
this issue. Our combined experience
and knowledge of the solar industry
means that we have recognised this
growing problem, and that many
installation firms did not provide the
professional levels of advice and
after-sales care that you expect when
you make an investment as large and
significant as installing solar. Our aim
is to help homeowners who have been
poorly advised, or have purchased
sub-standard inverters, to be able to
restore their systems to full capacity,
you can expect to see a significant reduction
in your consumption of electricity from the SA
Power Networks grid, which results in lower
charges and smaller electricity bills.
We are specialists in the
inspection, maintenance
and repair of solar systems
and help you to ensure that
you’re getting the most out
of your system and that it’s
achieving what you intended—
reducing your energy use and
emissions, and seeing major
savings in your electricity
bills.

4. Check your
warranty

5. When the government began reducing
the feed-in tariff and there was a
subsequent fall in the demand for solar,
a number of these installers went out of
business, and so when systems failed
because low-cost inverters began to
malfunction, solar system owners felt
they were left high and dry, with the only
option being to purchase and install a
new, more costly inverter.
However, if you have a faulty or
damaged inverter you may not have
to buy a new one. We specialise in the
inspection and repair of inverters, and
in many cases a malfunctioning inverter
can be repaired without the need to
purchase a new one.
Unfortunately, in the case of many
cheaper inverters, repair may not be
an option and a new one needs to
be purchased. However, even if your
installer is no longer trading, this doesn’t
necessarily mean that the parts and
components of your solar system,
particularly your inverter, are not covered
by the manufacturer’s warranty.
Therefore, it’s important to track down
your warranty documents and find out
the time span for which your inverter
is covered, and the steps you need to
take to have it replaced. Even low-end
inverters should come with a five-year
warranty, while those at the top end of
the market may very well be covered for
ten years.
The good news is that you may not
have to bear the full cost of having your
inverter replaced. In some cases, the
manufacturer’s warranty may cover
the replacement cost and the labour, in
others you may have to pay the labour
costs, but if your inverter is less than
five years old, chances are that you
won’t have to pay for it all yourself. It’s
worth your time to find those warranty
documents!
Unfortunately, during the boom years in South
Australia, a lot of new solar installers who
entered the market were primarily interested
in capitalising on the rapid growth in solar
uptake, and did not provide the high levels of
expertise, skills and knowledge that consumers
can reasonably expect.
Check if your solar
manufacturer has a service
office in Australia, so that you
can get in touch with them, or
we are happy to contact your
solar inverter manufacturer
on your behalf to pursue a
warranty claim.

6. What is a solar
inverter and why is
it so important?

7. A solar inverter converts the DC current
produced by your solar panels into an AC
current that enables electricity to feed into
your home in a form that can be used by your
appliances. It also enables electricity to be fed
back into the commercial grid.
Your inverter is such an important
component because it enables you to
extract the optimum energy from your
solar panels.
An inverter that is functioning properly
and efficiently is therefore crucial to your
being able to get the full benefit from
your solar system. If your inverter is not
working to full capacity:
ϐϐ you will be drawing power from the
grid more often and in greater quantities
than you should be
ϐϐ your electricity bills will be higher,
because you are having to use more
commercially produced electricity
ϐϐ you will not be receiving as much
financial return from your feed-in tariff
from your supplier, because you are not
able to return the optimum amount of
electricity to the grid
Inverters, especially those from the
lower end of the market, are the
component that is most susceptible to
malfunction and this is why, if you have
had a solar system in place for two years
or more, you need to check on a regular
basis that it’s operating effectively. For
a system that’s been in place for this
length of time, we recommend that you
check that it’s working to its full capacity
every two weeks. A simple visual
inspection may reveal an error message
on the inverter display, or warning lights
might be showing.
Why check so frequently? Because
waiting until the electricity bill comes
is too late! By then, you will have been
drawing power from the grid at a far
greater rate than you anticipated and
so you could be in for a nasty shock.
Unfortunately, many people only
discover that there are faults in their
solar system when it stops functioning
altogether.
If you’ve noticed a drop in
your system’s efficiency, but
can’t see any obvious signs
of an inverter malfunction
yourself, we offer a full range
of inspection and maintenance
services, and our trained
and skilled staff can inspect
and test all aspects of your
system to ensure that it’s
delivering maximum efficiency
and minimising your costs as
much as possible.

8. ϐϐ you have a solar system installed in your home, but you’re not noticing any
reduction in your electricity bills
ϐϐ error messages being displayed
ϐϐ you notice there’s some damage to the inverter
ϐϐ you notice that the inverter seems to be very hot
Although solar energy systems are fairly robust and don’t require excessive
amounts of maintenance, it is nevertheless crucial to have a regular maintenance
routine so as to check that your inverter in particular is functioning to full capacity,
as this is the key component of a safe, efficient and reliable solar installation.
Solar inverters can be subject to variable, often high levels of voltage, are
exposed to extreme ranges in temperature, and can be susceptible to moisture
and dust, and for this reason less well-made, poor quality inverters tend to have a
high failure rate, impact negatively on performance and efficiency, and can even
pose an electrical safety threat.
The signs of a poor quality inverter may include:
ϐϐ becoming excessively hot
ϐϐ poor seals
ϐϐ substandard circuitry
If you’re having a new solar system installed, do not compromise on the quality of
your solar inverter. You may save on the initial outlay, but costs further down the
line will undoubtedly override any savings. Therefore, always check the inverter’s
IP rating and its efficiency, as these will determine the overall effectiveness of
your system.
Also check the warranty conditions, and what the company offers in terms of
replacing a faulty or malfunctioning inverter, and the procedures for making a
warranty claim.
Thirdly, have your solar system installed by a reputable installer who has
experience and a track record in the industry, and will be able to offer you advice
that means you get the most out of your system, and in order to undercut their
competitors doesn’t try to sell you a cheap system that compromises on quality.
Buying a New Solar System
What causes problems with inverters? Why do they fail?
Warning signs of a faulty or non-functioning inverter

9. About Us
Solar Fix Network is a group of independent businesses that
have come together to pool their expertise, knowledge and
abilities to deliver high quality monitoring, maintenance, analysis,
inspection and repair services for residential and commercial PV
solar installations.
We specialise in providing a full range of inspection, maintenance
and cleaning services and our staff are qualified and licensed to
carry out mandatory SA Power Networks compliance inspections.
We can meet your solar panel maintenance, servicing and repair
needs wherever you are in South Australia.
Call us on (08) 8185 1552
admin@solarfixnetwork.com.au
www.solarfixnetwork.com.au