Sylmar, CA · September – October 2024 · LADWP / LADBS

He read the warranty. Then he asked about the labor.

A 3.77 kilowatt system on a Sylmar roof, switched on the day permission to operate arrived. The next day the owner read the module warranty he had been handed and asked the question most people ask years later.

A module warranty and a workmanship warranty are different documents with different signatures on them. The manufacturer's certificate covers its own product on the terms written in that certificate; the installation is covered by the contractor's workmanship warranty, and that promise lives in the contract you sign.

At a glance

CEC-AC rating

3.77 kW

Modules

REC Alpha Pure REC405AA, 405 W

Inverters

Enphase IQ8A

Roof

Composition shingle

Switched on

Day of permission to operate

Handover

Unconditional waiver and product warranty

Workmanship

Written into the contract

Utility / AHJ

LADWP / LADBS

The story

A system with a CEC-AC rating of 3.77 kilowatts on a composition shingle roof: REC Alpha Pure REC405AA modules at 405 watts, an Enphase IQ8A microinverter under each one, rails set out along the plane.

The utility authorized permission to operate on a Monday in October. A technician was on the way to the house within the hour to switch the system on and connect the monitoring, which needs the household's wireless network and therefore needs somebody home. The system was running by midday.

The next day the closing documents went over: an unconditional waiver and release on final payment, and the manufacturer's warranty on the modules. The waiver is worth understanding rather than filing. Under California law it confirms payment and waives the claimant's mechanics-lien, stop-payment-notice and payment-bond rights for the work the document covers. That is a specific set of rights, not a blanket release of every possible claim, and it is not a warranty document at all.

That is when the owner asked his question. The warranty certificate he had been handed, he pointed out, is about the REC product and its rated output. What about the labor?

It is the right question and it has a specific answer: the workmanship warranty is written into the contract, not into the manufacturer's certificate. Those are two separate promises from two separate parties. The module maker stands behind its module on the terms of that certificate — and REC issues more than one kind, with different product, performance and installer-linked terms, so which one a house holds matters. The contractor's workmanship warranty is what covers the installation; what it covers and for how long is set by the contract.

Worth adding: roof penetrations are where the two documents meet in practice. A module that fails on its own terms is the manufacturer's. Where a leak comes from how an attachment was installed, the contractor's workmanship warranty is the relevant coverage — and which applies depends on the cause of the leak and on what the signed contract says.

How it ran

The calendar runs from the completed installation to handover, including the documents the owner received.

What we did

• Installed the array and took it through building department release and interconnection review.
• Sent a technician on the day permission to operate arrived to switch the system on.
• Connected monitoring to the household network at switch-on rather than leaving it to the owner.
• Handed over an unconditional waiver and release on final payment together with the manufacturer's module warranty.
• Confirmed in writing where the workmanship warranty lives and what the contract sets it to cover.

System specifications

Is your project like this one?

• You have been shown a long warranty certificate and are not sure what it covers.
• Nobody has told you what happens if a roof penetration leaks.
• You want to know what documents you should end up holding.
• You want the system switched on and monitored, not just installed.
• Your Sylmar property is served by LADWP, while permits are handled by LADBS.

Cali Energy in Sylmar

Frequently asked questions

What does a solar panel warranty actually cover?

The module and its rated output, on the terms written in the certificate issued for that product. It is not a warranty on the installation. REC, the manufacturer on this project, issues product, performance and installer-linked warranties with different terms, so the document a particular house holds is the one that governs. Labor is covered separately, by the contractor's workmanship warranty in the contract.

What is a workmanship warranty on solar?

The contractor's promise on the installation rather than on the equipment. What it covers and for how long is defined by the contract you sign, so the scope and the term are worth reading before signature. If the contract does not carry one, there is nothing to point at later.

Who is responsible if a solar roof penetration leaks?

If a leak results from installation workmanship, the contractor's workmanship warranty is the relevant coverage. The exact responsibility depends on the cause of the leak and on the signed contract — a roof at the end of its life and a poorly flashed attachment are not the same finding — which is why the term and scope of that warranty are worth reading before signature.

What is an unconditional waiver on a construction job?

An unconditional waiver and release on final payment confirms payment and waives the claimant's mechanics-lien, stop-payment-notice and payment-bond rights for the work the document covers. It is a payment document under California law, not a warranty and not a blanket release of every claim. On this project it was handed over with the manufacturer's module warranty the day after the system was switched on.

How soon can a system be turned on after permission to operate?

On this project the system was switched on the same day permission to operate arrived: the authorization came through in the morning and a technician was at the house within the hour. Connecting monitoring to the household network was the part that needed somebody home.

What this would look like on your roof

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