[RE-wrenches] Warranty replacements

[Brian Mehalic]

An install-company competitor that won't service their systems...now that's
some info I'd be waving in front of potential clients who are shopping
around.


Brian Mehalic
NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installation Professional™ R031508-59

PV Curriculum Developer and Instructor
Solar Energy International
http://www.solarenergy.org

On Thu, Oct 16, 2014 at 6:06 AM, Jason Szumlanski <jason at szumlanski.com>
wrote:

> Frankly, our issue is the UNsteady stream of service issues with both
> string and microinverters. There isn't enough warranty or non-warranty
> service work and it is too unpredictable to justify a dedicated PV service
> department with dedicated personnel that can run economically. As a result,
> we have to pull install crews from active installations to handle these
> issues, which is neither economical nor good for our installation business.
> As much as PV service is an annoyance for system owners, it's a huge
> distraction for a small dealer. In fact, one competitor refuses to service
> the systems they install. We have been picking up service business as a
> result (we have a reputation for doing so and manufacturers call us), but
> it's still not steady enough to handle well.
>
> Jason Szumlanski
> On Oct 15, 2014 4:41 PM, "Rebecca Lundberg" <
> rebecca.lundberg at powerfullygreen.com> wrote:
>
>> We are starting to see a fairly steady stream of various solar
>> electronics needing replacement under warranty, including micro-inverters,
>> AC modules (microinverter failing), and even modules with an integrated DC
>> electronic component failing to work from the get go. I work with
>> residential customers and care about doing right by them, and of course
>> they expect that their warrantied part will be replaced at no cost to them,
>> they have already invested a lot in their solar project. Sometimes the
>> manufacturer has a stipend which at least offsets the cost of gas but does
>> not cover time to travel to the site and do the replacement, but I have
>> recently come across several manufacturers who do not give any stipend at
>> all and I am surprised at that. Replacing a module in the middle of a
>> pitched roof is no small feat, and getting to micro inverters on a steep
>> pitch is always a challenge. As the code requires more safety features down
>> to the module level, I suspect we will see more and more of this, and the
>> electronics are no longer at ground level and easily accessible. What ideas
>> do you have about how to deal with this? Must we have an O and M contract
>> with every customer given current product choices?
>>
>> A similar question relates to a particular module having issues
>> with delamination and failed diodes. We have been called out to several
>> sites where this has caused the inverter to sense a fault, and testing
>> showed the module leaking voltage to ground. Who is responsible for getting
>> the inverter up and running when it clearly stems from the module? I
>> suspect the module manufacturer's warranty legally exempts them from
>> responsibility, but again it is reasonable for the customer to expect a
>> warrantied system to be up and running.
>>
>> Thoughts from the field?
>>
>> Sincerely,
>> Rebecca Lundberg
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Rebecca Lundberg
>> NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer ®
>> Owner/President
>> *Powerfully Green*®
>> 763.438.1976 | Rebecca.Lundberg at PowerfullyGreen.com
>>
>> Powered by the Sun!
>>
>>
>>
>>
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