Start with what the symptom actually is
Three different complaints get described as "my solar is broken", and they have different causes.
- Production is zero. Often a tripped breaker, an inverter fault, or a monitoring outage rather than a dead array.
- Production is lower than it used to be. Soiling, new shade from grown trees, a failed optimiser on one string, or seasonal variation being misread.
- Production is fine but the bill went up. Usually a tariff or billing change, not a system fault at all.
What you can safely check yourself
A short list, all of it from the ground and none of it involving tools.
- Is the inverter display showing a fault code? Photograph it.
- Has the solar breaker in your service panel tripped?
- Is the monitoring gateway still connected to your home network? A router replacement is a very common cause of "zero production".
- Does your utility meter or in-home display show the system exporting? That distinguishes a production fault from a reporting fault.
- Has anything changed outside — new construction, a grown tree, a new satellite dish casting a shadow?
What needs a professional, without exception
Anything on the roof, anything inside an enclosure, and anything involving the DC side of the array.
A solar array generates dangerous DC voltage whenever there is light on it. It does not switch off because the grid is down or because you flipped a breaker. There is no homeowner-safe version of working on it.
When the installer is gone
An installer ceasing to trade is common enough to plan for. Residential solar has seen significant company failures, and a workmanship warranty is only as good as the entity behind it.
Product warranties on panels and inverters are held by the manufacturer, not the installer, and usually survive the installer’s failure — though you may have to arrange and pay for the labour to fit the replacement part.
Independent solar repair companies exist specifically to service other people’s installations. That is the route when the original company cannot be reached.
How the work runs
- Describe the symptom preciselyZero, low, or intermittent — and since when. A date narrows the cause faster than anything else.
- Ground-level checksInverter fault code, breaker position, monitoring connectivity, visible shade changes.
- Remote diagnosisMany faults are identifiable from the monitoring data alone, if the monitoring is reporting.
- On-site diagnosisString voltage and current testing, and often thermal imaging to find a failed module or connection.
- Identify the warranty routeProduct, workmanship or inverter — and which company holds it.
- Repair or replaceInverter swap, optimiser or microinverter replacement, connector repair, or module replacement.
- VerifyCompare output against expected production for that array on that day. Do not accept "it is working now" without numbers.
What moves the price
We do not publish a national average and present it as your price. These are the variables that separate two quotes for the same job — run your own numbers with the cost guides and calculators, and check what incentives you actually qualify for.
| Factor | Why it moves the number |
|---|---|
| What failed | A communications gateway is trivial. A central inverter is a significant component. |
| Warranty status | An in-warranty part may be free while the labour to fit it is not. |
| Roof access | Steep, tall or tile roofs need more equipment and more people. |
| Diagnosis time | Intermittent faults cost more to find than hard failures. |
| Age of the system | Obsolete inverters may have no direct replacement, turning a repair into a partial redesign. |
What to ask before you commit
Take this list to the conversation. A professional who answers these directly is telling you a lot; one who deflects is telling you more.
- What specifically failed, and what is the evidence?
- Is this covered by a product warranty, a workmanship warranty, or neither?
- If the part is under warranty, who pays the labour?
- Will you show me expected production against actual production after the repair?
- Are you willing to service a system you did not install, and are you licensed for this work in my state?
Common questions
My monitoring shows zero — is my system dead?
Often not. A monitoring gateway that has lost its network connection reports zero while the system produces normally. Check whether your meter shows export before assuming a production fault.
How long do solar panels last?
Panels are the durable part of the system and typically carry long performance warranties. Inverters have a shorter design life and are the component most likely to need replacing during the system’s life.
Can I clean or fix panels myself?
Cleaning from the ground with water is generally fine. Going on the roof or opening any electrical enclosure is not — a solar array carries dangerous DC voltage in daylight regardless of breaker position.
My installer went out of business. Who fixes it?
Independent solar service companies will work on systems they did not install. Manufacturer product warranties on panels and inverters usually survive the installer’s failure, though you may pay the labour.