Solar Maintenance

Follow the steps outlined below:

1. Turn off the AC power. This can be found in your switchboard and will be labelled ‘Solar Main Switch’ (note: there may be an ‘AC isolator’ beside your inverter—turn this off)
2. Turn off DC power (this will either be a rotary-style switch or circuit breakers mounted directly beside your inverter)
3. Wait 5 minutes
4. Turn DC power on
5. Turn AC power on

Be aware that restarting your solar system can take up to 2 minutes. After this time, if you are still experiencing problems, call us on (07) 3286 1422 to arrange an inspection.

The easiest way for you to check the performance of your solar system is to read and record what your inverter is generating each day. Your inverter will either show a ‘total’ figure or a figure for each day.

On average, a solar system in Brisbane usually receives 4.2 hours of generation. To work out what your system should be generating, simply multiply the combined size of your solar panels by this figure. You will inevitably see some variation from the figure you get, but it is a good guide.

Example:

Say you have a 3KW inverter with 10 x 200W panels. This is a 2KW system.

So, to find out what your system should be generating, the equation in this case is:

2 x 4.2 = 8.4KWH

In other words, your 2KW system multiplied by the Brisbane average of 4.2 hours should be generating around 8.4KWH.

If you find that your readings are well below what your calculated average should be, contact Goodhew Electrical and Solar to arrange an inspection.

If your inverter is indicating that there is an earth fault with your solar power system, follow the shutdown procedure steps outlined under question 1, and contact Goodhew Electrical and Solar as soon as possible to arrange for us to inspect your system.