Inverter Guides & FAQs

Service Guides & FAQs

Solar Inverter Guide & Troubleshooting

If you suspect your system is not performing the way it should, often times a simple power-cycle will solve the issue. Complete a system reset may clear the issue and get your inverter back online, with no need to pay for a service visit.

Please select you inverter manufacturer and use our guide to reset your system:

Resetting a SolarEdge Inverter

If you have a SolarEdge HD Wave or A-US Inverter displaying error codes or a SetApp inverter displaying a red fault light, then power cycling is a good next step. There are some error codes (Ground Faults and Isolation Errors) where it does not make sense for safety reasons. In those cases, contact ReVision's Customer Support team.

How to power cycle a SolarEdge inverter:

Please go to your inverter to confirm whether the green power light is illuminated during the day.

If the power light is SOLID green, indicating production, please skip to the section below about the gateway reset.

If the power light is NOT SOLID green - blinking or off would mean no production - please power cycle the inverter:

  1. Turn off the red toggle switch (located in the middle left of the inverter) by moving it from "1" to "0"
  2. Turn off the black rotary knob (located on the bottom half of the inverter)
  3. Turn off the circuit breaker (located near the inverter)
  4. Wait for all lights on the inverter to turn off
  5. Then turn the circuit breaker back on
  6. Turn the black rotary knob back on
  7. Turn the red toggle switch on by moving it back to "1"

The inverter will start to turn back on and may take a few minutes to reboot. Please wait 10 minutes before checking the lights and screens for errors. You should see the main screen as normal or the red fault light clear once the reboot is complete with no error message.

If this does not resolve the issue, please contact our Customer Support team. If your inverter has a screen, please take a photo of any error messages that display while the inverter is rebooting and include them in your service ticket.

Resetting an Enphase Inverter

We recommend using Enphase's comprehensive troubleshooting guide for any issues with your system: Enphase System Troubleshooting Guide

Resetting an SMA Inverter

ReVision installs SMA Sunny Boy inverters for many ground mount systems. If you have an SMA Sunny Boy inverter, use the guide below to troubleshoot error messages and reset your inverter. 

Common Error Messages

If you are seeing Ground/Earth Faults or Isolation Errors, do not attempt to power cycle your device because of electrical hazards. Please contact our Customer Support Team.

  • Arc Fault Detected/Check DC Generator/AFCI detected: Power-cycle the inverter (see instructions below), and watch the inverter screen after rebooting it. You should see a prompt to knock on the inverter to officially clear the error code.
  • Unstable Operation: This typically is caused by snow on panels, when there is not enough input on the DC side. If your panels are clear of snow, get in touch with our Customer Support Team.
  • Fac-Bfr (Grid Frequency Disturbance): This will happen when the power is out, or if the inverter has disconnected from the power distribution grid. It could also be caused by a tripped breaker or blown fuse. To resolve, first check your breaker (if possible) and then contact our Customer Support Team. 
  • K-1 Open: This error requires a replacement. Please contact our Customer Support Team with a photo of the error code to start the replacement process.
How to Power-Cycle your SMA Sunny Boy Inverter:
  1. Turn off the DC disconnect. This is a dial (black or white) located on the underside or along the side of the inverter. Simply turn it to the “off” position.
  2. Turn off your system’s AC disconnect. This is located outside next to your utility meter. Look for a grey box labeled AC Disconnect with a lever that you’ll pull down into the “off” position. If you do not see a grey box labeled AC disconnect, look for a breaker underneath your Net Meter (ConnectDER).  You will need to turn the breaker off.  To do this, unscrew the grey cover to access the breaker. See reference photos.
  3. Wait 5 minutes and then turn them back on in reverse order. Throw the AC lever or breaker back to the “on” position and turn the dial on the inverter back to the “on” position.
  4. If you are resetting an “Arc Detect” code. Watch the inverter screen after rebooting it for the Knocking icon to illuminate and knock on the inverter to clear the code.

After these steps, the inverter will start to turn back on and may take a couple minutes to reboot. You should see the main screen as normal once the reboot is complete with no error message. If the issue persists, please contact our Customer Support Team.

Solar Inverter Overview

We are all familiar with solar panels, as they are the most visible part of a solar energy system. However, the inverter is an equally important component to know about, as it allows energy captured by your panels from the sun to be converted into usable electricity for your home.

 

ReVision Energy installs inverters from SolarEdge and Enphase, two long-standing companies in the solar industry that have set the standard for innovative, high quality inverter technology. The inverters we use for our projects meet rigorous safety and efficiency standards, and allow us to design, install, and monitor our customers’ systems for continuous, maximum output.

What are inverters and what do they do? 

Other than solar panels, the other major component of a solar electric installation is the solar inverter. Solar energy doesn’t create electricity in a form that can power your refrigerator or charge your computer. Inverters transform the power generated by solar panels into a form of electricity you can actually use in your home.  

An inverter is a piece of electrical equipment that generates grid-compliant alternating current (AC) electricity from the raw direct current (DC) electricity produced by your solar panels. It is responsible for allowing the electricity from the solar modules to flow and ensures that power is clean (from an electrical perspective) and able to interact with the grid. A solar project can have on or several inverters, depending on the design, as well as power optimizers that work with inverters (more on that below).

How Inverters Work in your Solar Project:

The graphic above illustrates how the flow of electricity generated by your panels moves through the inverter technology and into your home.

What is inverter clipping and why is it beneficial?

Solar inverter clipping occurs when solar panels generate more power than an inverter can handle. Systems are intentionally designed for clipping because it maximizes production during the majority of the year. It ensures that production happens during lower-light situations or with less-than-perfect panel orientation.

In New England, solar panels will yield the highest production during the summer months, followed by fall and spring. As the angle of the sun changes throughout the year relative to your roof and panels, it affects the amount of energy your solar panels can produce.

Peak operation occurs during a few weeks in the spring when the weather is cool and there is minimal shade from leafy trees. At this time of year your system may exhibit "clipping." The graph below shows the effect of inverter clipping. When the B area of lost production due to clipping starts to excess the area of added production A & C by over-driving the inverter, that's when we recommend sizing up to the next inverter capacity. Reach out to our solar support team if you have any questions about this.

graph showing the effect of inverter clipping