Common faults, in rough order of frequency
An inverter showing an error or nothing at all. A tripped AC or DC isolator, often after a storm. Water ingress into rooftop DC isolators — a known problem with certain older enclosures. Failed or degraded panels, usually visible as one string underperforming. Monitoring that has silently dropped off the Wi-Fi, so the system is fine but you cannot see it.
A surprising number of "my solar has stopped working" calls turn out to be a breaker or a network dropout, which is why we troubleshoot remotely first where we can.
What a health check covers
Visual inspection of panels, mounting and flashing. Isolator and enclosure condition. Inverter error history and performance against expected output. DC and AC testing. Switchboard and labelling compliance. A written report with anything that needs attention.
Worth doing every few years, and particularly on any system installed during the 2010–2012 boom where install quality was inconsistent.
Should you clean your panels?
In most of suburban Melbourne, rain does an adequate job and the gain from cleaning is smaller than people expect. It is worth doing where you are near unsealed roads, under trees that drop sap or bird traffic, or in a dusty industrial area.
Never walk on a roof to clean panels yourself. The fall risk far outweighs a few percent of output.
Common questions
Do you service systems you did not install?
Yes. Most of our service work is on other installers’ systems, including ones where the original company no longer exists.
My installer has gone out of business. Is my warranty gone?
The workmanship warranty is, in practice. Manufacturer product warranties on the panels and inverter usually survive and can be claimed through another accredited installer. We can help you work out what is still covered.
How do I know if my system is underperforming?
Compare your monitoring against the same month last year, and against the estimate in your original quote. A sudden drop suggests a fault; a gradual decline over years is normal degradation.