[RE-wrenches] Sol-Ark warranty team: "Guess you'll need to mount a new gutter box"

Sat Feb 28 09:50:10 PST 2026

Word has it that Showalter is going to be at the NABCEP conference in
March, I think maybe as a presenter. Bottom line is for all of us attending
the conference we should make it known in a professional manner that we
need Outback and that what he is doing is a great disservice to us
installers and our client base.

Christopher

On Sat, Feb 28, 2026 at 12:39 PM Tyrone Houck via RE-wrenches <
re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:

> Ive had good luck with Zonna as a source for legacy boards... though new
> g/vfx fet boards may be getting scarce..
>
>
>
>
> On Sat, Feb 28, 2026, 9:20 AM Nick Lucchese via RE-wrenches <
> re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
>
>> Scot and any others considering EG4,
>>
>> Strongly consider taking this migration choice of equipment to a
>> manufacturer that has supported us for decades, Midnite Solar/Power. The
>> AIO has been great for many of us and keeps getting better all the time. I
>> understand some of you are not bothered by the behemoth known as
>> EG4/Signature and their Outback ownership but as a group
>> of longtime Wrenches we need to acknowledge their efforts of undermining
>> the decades of systems we've installed meticulously on thousands of
>> important households across the continent. Sending rebuildable equipment to
>> e-waste is not and has never been acceptable nor is the argument that open
>> loop communications is prone to more problems than close loop. Think wisely
>> before you hand your future liabilities to a company that is undermining
>> your legacy. For well over 20 years Midnite Solar and everyone involved
>> with the company has never let many of us down and Midnite Power is
>> following in the footsteps.
>>
>> I understand that manufacturers cannot indefinitely commit the resources
>> to keep a product alive. Not only can I no longer find most board
>> replacements for legacy VFX inverters but Showalter's handling of
>> everything Outback might be the most disrespectful things anyone in our
>> industry has ever done to our decades of work.
>>
>> Nick
>>
>>
>> Howard Scot Arey via RE-wrenches
>> Feb 27, 2026, 5:38 PM (14 hours ago)
>> to *Howard*, Jerry, RE-wrenches
>> Good to know of the good support from EG4. Have never installed one
>> before. But I will.
>>
>> *Howard "Scot" Arey*
>> *Owner, Solar CenTex*
>>
>> NABCEP PV Installation Professional
>> TECL 29755
>> 254-300-1228
>>
>> On Fri, Feb 27, 2026 at 5:38 PM Howard Scot Arey via RE-wrenches <
>> re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Good to know of the good support from EG4. Have never installed one
>>> before. But I will.
>>>
>>> *Howard "Scot" Arey*
>>> *Owner, Solar CenTex*
>>>
>>> NABCEP PV Installation Professional
>>> TECL 29755
>>> 254-300-1228
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>> *From:* Jerry Shafer <jerrysgarage01 at gmail.com>
>>> *Sent:* Friday, February 27, 2026 6:47:51 PM
>>> *To:* RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
>>> *Cc:* scot.arey at solarcentex.com <scot.arey at solarcentex.com>
>>> *Subject:* Re: [RE-wrenches] Sol-Ark warranty team: "Guess you'll need
>>> to mount a new gutter box"
>>>
>>> Wrenches, Scot.
>>> When you say all the knockout were removed, or do you mean that "other"
>>> holes were punched in the bottom besides or in lew of the factory knock
>>> outs.
>>> Fun times
>>>
>>> On Fri, Feb 27, 2026, 2:21 PM scot.arey--- via RE-wrenches <
>>> re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY.
>>>
>>> So I get my RMA Solar-Ark 15 warranty replacement and take it out of box
>>> at customer site and the front knockouts all taken out.
>>>
>>> Call tech support and the tier-1 can't help: "It's a refurbished unit."
>>> OK, but I should expect that there is new case so I can set my holes for
>>> conduit where they need to be from original installation.
>>>
>>> "I'll get you my supervisor."
>>>
>>> Supervisor George calls back, tells me he *used to work in the field* like
>>> me, and then says, "Do you expect us to ship you a new inverter?" Well, as
>>> this 15KW lasted one month it should have been an option but at very least
>>> I need an inverter enclosure with no knockouts punched else my existing
>>> gutter conduit will not work."
>>>
>>> "George - you told me you used to work in the field, what would you do
>>> if you go this from a manufacturer as a warranty replacement?" He tells me
>>> it seems like the gutter box replacement to fit the KO holes is my only
>>> option.
>>>
>>> Sol-Ark, I used to really love this product but when things get this
>>> tight and you're sloughing off refurbed units with KO holes and telling me
>>> to not only pay S/H in both directions but the materiel and labor for a new
>>> gutter box layout, we have real problems.
>>>
>>> Where is the Google Form to fill out on the Good/Bad/Ugly? Sol-Ark: you
>>> guys reading this forum?
>>>
>>> *Howard "Scot" Arey*
>>> *Owner, Solar CenTex*
>>>
>>> NABCEP PV Installation Professional
>>> TECL 29755
>>> 254-300-1228
>>>
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-- 

Chris Schaefer’s

*Tel 585-229-2083 or Cell 585-748-1870 *
*5115 S Hill Road ~ Canandaigua New York 14424**www.solarandwindfx.com
<http://www.solarandwindfx.com> ~ E-mail: chris at solarandwindfx.com
<chris at solarandwindfx.com>*

Thomas Jefferson, the author of our great Constitution, once said,
"democracy" will cease to exist when you take away from those who are
willing to work and give to those who would not."
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