Solar Panel Maintenance Services
www.solarfixnetwork.com.au
Solar Panel Maintenance Home solar energy systems require relatively little maintenance. however, this doesn't mean that they don't benefit from regular inspection
In order to ensure a safe and efficient operating system that is effectively producing energy for your home and feeding it back to the grid, it’s important to have a regular and thorough maintenance programme for your solar panels. At Solar Fix Network, we offer Adelaide homeowners a comprehensive solar panel inspection, maintenance and cleaning service that ensures your home solar system is working to capacity so that you are able to enjoy the full benefits of your investment.
Our trained and skilled staff are also qualified and licensed to carry out mandatory SA Power Networks compliance inspections. We can meet all of your solar panel maintenance, servicing and repair needs wherever you are in Adelaide and throughout South Australia.
Call us on (08) 8185 1552 or info@solarfixnetwork.com.au
www.solarfixnetwork.com.au
Check your system regularly In order to ensure that your system is working at full capacity, there are several checks that you can carry out that will tell you how well your system is performing
If you carry out these checks on a regular basis, you won't have to wait until your energy bill arrives to find out that your home solar energy system is not operating at full capacity.
Check your solar inverter
On a two-weekly basis you should check your inverter display, ideally in daylight conditions late in the day—in South Australia the best time is between 4.00pm - 5.00pm. If it’s dark when you make this check, or there is very limited sun, your inverter display will be blank, but this doesn’t necessarily indicate a fault. Therefore, any checks of your solar inverter should ideally be made when there is a reasonable amount of sunlight, and little or no cloud or haze. Check the following: • there are no error messages being displayed • if possible, check the Peak Power display. This is often shown as Ppeak. This will be measured in watts (W) or kilowatts (kW) • the energy produced today. This is usually shown as Eday or Etoday. This is measured in kilowatt hours (kWh) If you are not familiar with the displays on your system, the manufacturer’s manual will explain where these can be found. If you don’t have a copy of the manual, you should be able to download one.
Check your system’s efficiency
All home pv solar energy systems should come with documents from your solar retailer or system designer that will detail your expected energy yield. As a first step to checking the efficiency of your system, compare the results that are displayed on your solar inverter with those that your designer has supplied. Keep a record of the readings that you take, including information such as the time and date, and what the weather conditions were like (e.g., cloudy, clear, sunny, etc.) This will then be a useful reference point for you to be able to measure changes or fluctuations in your system’s performance.
If your solar inverter is underperforming
If you aren’t getting the output from your system that was predicted, or you notice a drop in performance, then it’s important that you have your system inspected as soon as possible. We offer a comprehensive home solar inspection service for homeowners in Adelaide and throughout South Australia, and our expert team can advise you on the steps that need to be taken to ensure that you’re getting full value from your home solar system.
Why regular maintenance is important Your home solar system has vital components that need to be functuoning properly to get the full benefit from your system
DC Isolator Your DC isolator is a central part of your system’s operating efficiency and safety and it needs to conform to Australian Standard AS5033 with regards to its construction and installation. There were a number of incidents in northern Australia in early 2014 where faulty imported DC isolators were believed to have overheated, or moisture entered the switch’s enclosure, and this caused sparks and overheating. In a significant number of cases this then led to solar panels catching on fire. As a result, the DC isolators that were at fault—the Avanco DC isolator and the PV Power isolator—have now been recalled and withdrawn from sale. However, even if your DC isolator is not one of these two models, these accidents nevertheless highlight the fact that high-quality components are essential to a safe and efficient system. They also demonstrate all too clearly the importance of having regular solar panel inspection and maintenance checks.
Homeowners should check the documentation that was provided by their solar installer in order to check the brand of DC isolator that has been used, as well as ensuring that the component that has been installed is the same as that in the documentation. How will inspection help? • we confirm that your DC isolator has been made by a reputable manufacturer whose products are known to be of an acceptable standard • we check the integrity and operation of rooftop and wall DC isolators and the AC solar main switch, and ensure that your system is correctly labelled • we check that your DC isolator is not at risk of overheating • we review and assess the wiring associated with your DC isolator, to ensure that it is delivering the appropriate safe operating conditions
Solar Inverter The solar inverter enables the DC current that is generated by your solar panels to feed into your home so that it can then be used by household appliances. It is also the means whereby the excess energy you produce can be fed back into the grid, enabling you to capitalise on any feed-in tariff you may have. In order to get the most out of your system, your solar inverter needs to function efficiently. Unfortunately, too many homeowners have been persuaded to install cheaper, low-quality inverters with the aim of reducing initial set-up costs. However, this is ultimately a false economy as a cheap inverter is more likely to fail or work below optimum
capacity, meaning that you are drawing more power than you need to from the grid and not benefitting from your feed-in tariff. This is why it is so important to check your inverter on a regular basis, and if it is underperforming, or you notice a drop off in output, that you have an inspection and maintenance checks. At Solar Fix Network, we offer a full range of solar inspection and maintenance services, and our skilled and trained staff can inspect and test your solar inverter to ensure that it’s working to full capacity and that you’re getting the full benefits of your system.
Solar Panel Cleaning If your solar panels aren’t clean— whether due to rain, pollution, bird droppings or other deposits—sunlight is unable to reach the solar cells and they therefore absorb less energy. In turn, this means that your system is producing less energy and so is costing you money. It’s crucial, therefore, that your solar panels are as clean as possible. We offer a comprehensive solar cleaning service, using eco-friendly materials and technology, that is designed to keep your solar panels clean and working at their best. Using purified water that contains no harmful chemicals or detergents, your
rainwater collection and supply will not be affected, while rubber seals and glass panels are not damaged by the use of chemicals. Throughout the cleaning process, we use minimal water and so cleaning is completed in a safe, environmentally sound manner. Our cleaning utilises gentle, environmentally-friendly telescopic reach-and-wash cleaning poles and brushes, ensuring that there are no spots, harmful residues or chemicals left behind, while our use of scratch-free cleaning technology means the glass on your panels remains as good as new.
About Us Solar Fix Network is a group of independent Adelaide businesses that have come together to pool their expertise, knowledge and abilities to deliver high quality monitoring, maintenance, analysis, inspection, cleaning and repair services for residential and commercial PV solar installations. We specialise in providing a full range of cleaning and maintenance 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 Adelaide or South Australia.
Call us on (08) 8185 1552 admin@solarfixnetwork.com.au www.solarfixnetwork.com.au