Northridge, CA · September 2022 – September 2024 · LADWP / LADBS

Two years of nothing to do. Then the inverter went quiet.

A long run of modules on a shingle roof with the hills behind, switched on seven weeks after the site visit. Two years later, a production and communication fault, and a warranty case.

Manufacturer warranties on inverters run for years, but they do not file themselves. When a unit shows a production or communication fault, somebody has to open a case with the manufacturer, establish what has failed, and get the replacement authorised before anyone drives out.

At a glance

Switched on

October 2022

Site visit to PTO

Seven weeks

Roof

Composition shingle

Inverter

SolarEdge HD-Wave

Fault

Production and communication, 2024

Route

Manufacturer case opened

Utility / AHJ

LADWP / LADBS

The story

The installation here was uneventful in the way you want an installation to be. Site photographs in the first week of September 2022, a long run of modules down two slopes of composition shingle with the hills filling the horizon, and permission to operate at the end of October. Seven weeks, start to finish.

Then two years of nothing, which is the normal state of a solar system.

In September 2024 the inverter started showing two things at once: production that did not look right and a communication fault. Those often travel together, because an inverter that has lost its connection also stops reporting what it is doing, and from the outside you cannot tell which problem you have.

So the first step is not a van. It is a case with the manufacturer, opened online against the unit, so that whatever is found on site is already inside a warranty record rather than outside one. Then a visit to establish what has actually failed, and — if a part is needed — a second visit to fit it.

We set that out in writing before anyone drove out, including what each visit would cost and what happens to the difference if the first visit resolves it. A homeowner two years past their install should not have to guess at that, and neither should the person who sold them the system.

The order matters: open the case first, then diagnose, and only then decide whether a part is needed. Doing it the other way round is how people end up paying out of pocket for something a warranty review would have covered.

How it ran

Seven weeks to switch on. Two years to the first service call.

What we did

• Surveyed, installed and interconnected the array in seven weeks.
• Opened a warranty case with the inverter manufacturer before any site work.
• Set out the service scope and cost in writing before the first visit.
• Scheduled a diagnostic visit first, with a second visit only if a part turned out to be needed.

System specifications

Is your project like this one?

• Your inverter is showing an error and you do not know who to call.
• Your system has stopped reporting and you cannot tell whether it is still producing.
• You want a service visit quoted before it happens, not after.
• You are past your installer's workmanship period but still inside the equipment warranty.
• You want a service visit priced and scoped before anyone drives out.

Cali Energy in Northridge

Frequently asked questions

My inverter shows a fault. What is the first step?

Opening a case with the manufacturer, before anyone drives out. That puts whatever is found on site inside the warranty record rather than outside it, which is what decides whether the part is covered.

Why do production and communication faults appear together?

An inverter that has lost its connection also stops reporting what it is doing, so from the outside a communication fault and a production fault can look identical. That is why the visit is a diagnosis rather than a replacement.

How long is an inverter warranty?

It depends on the manufacturer and the model, and it is set out in the documentation handed over at commissioning. On this project the fault fell inside the term and the route was a manufacturer case.

Do you charge for a warranty visit?

The visit is labour and it is quoted before anyone drives out, along with what happens if the first visit resolves the problem. Whether a part is covered is decided by the manufacturer on the case, not by us on the doorstep.

How long after the install did this happen?

Just under two years. The system was granted permission to operate in October 2022 and the fault was reported in September 2024.

Will Cali Energy service a system it did not install?

Yes. Cali Energy holds B, C-10 and C-39 classifications under CSLB #1032379, which covers the electrical work a service call usually turns out to be.

What this would look like on your roof

Related

• The install took three months. The next year is the interesting part Northridge, CA · 5.4 kW AC-CEC · service and warranty Solar
• Three years later, the inverter stopped reporting Chatsworth, CA · 8.19 kW DC · warranty replacement Solar
• He read the warranty. Then he asked about the labor Sylmar, CA · 3.77 kW AC-CEC · REC Alpha Pure Solar
• The array was already there. The service was the problem Northridge, CA · 10.87 kW AC-CEC · remediation Solar

This timeline reflects this property and this permitting path. Updated September 2026.