By and large your solar system should hum along for years without too much worry.

If you’ve gone with a trustworthy installer who designed your solar system using quality products, then the amount of maintenance required from you should be pretty minimal.

Just sit back, enjoy a cold one out in the yard, and watch the sun beat down on your panels. You’ve got a lifetime of solar savings ahead of you!

That said inverters can give out, wiring fails, and unexpected panel degradation is a real concern.

Let’s have a look at some of the most common solar system faults and how you can troubleshoot a solution.

Noticed a drop off in your solar production lately? Your inverter is usually a good place to start diagnosing any issues.

Key Points

• Check your inverter or monitoring app for unexpected performance loss
• Take into account seasonality when deciding if your concerns are legitimate
• If you think you have a serious electrical or technical problem with your system call your installer

Common Solar System Faults

These are the 4 most common solar system faults that you can diagnose on your own. First up we have…

Dirty Panels

Solar panels are like the jokes you tell your grandma, the cleaner the better.

You’d think your panels would remain pretty spotless given they’re way up on the roof; and generally, that’s pretty accurate.

Unless you live in a dustbowl, your panels should remain relatively dirt and dust free, only requiring a rinse from usual rainfall to keep them in good working order.

That said, if conditions are bad where you live and your panels do get dirty it’s not uncommon to see power output drops of between 5-10%.

Bird droppings are also a problem for panels having the potential to cause hotspots and reverse currents.

Do your best to eyeball your panels from ground level for any dirt or buildup.

If your panels look like this then it’s time to whip out the garden hose.

If you do need to clean your panels then only use water and a soft brush, and even then ONLY if you can safely access your roof.  DON’T use solvents or detergents. This can damage your panels.

Getting on top of that pesky dust is sure fire and simple way to increase your energy savings.

Once you’ve done that, start comparing energy plans to make sure you’re getting the best feed-in tariff for the energy you’re exporting, while paying as little as possible for what you use.