Solar system stopped working or producing less?
Low solar output can come from operating conditions, communication problems, utility interruptions, or equipment faults. A useful diagnosis compares the reported symptom with production history and the conditions at the property.
- Whole-system outages, partial array losses, and gradual declines reviewed
- Documented finding that separates reporting faults from production faults
- Systems installed by another company reviewed case by case
Tell us what changed
When it started and what you are seeing is enough. Equipment details can follow.
Low solar output can come from operating conditions, communication problems, utility interruptions, or equipment faults. A useful diagnosis compares the reported symptom with production history and the conditions at the property.
Identify what changed
Collect information from your app, documents, and safely accessible labels. Stay off the roof and leave electrical covers, connectors, and wiring to qualified professionals. Keep clear of damaged or wet equipment. For smoke, fire, or an immediate electrical hazard, move to a safe location and contact emergency services.
Record when you first noticed the problem. Check the app's latest timestamp and compare equivalent daylight periods where possible. A higher utility bill can also involve changes in household use, billing dates, or rates, so include actual production records when available.
The single most useful thing a homeowner can supply is a before-and-after comparison. A screenshot from three weeks ago and one from today tells a technician more than a verbal description of "it seems low", because it establishes the size and shape of the change.
Get a documented finding
Ask the provider to explain what was checked, what caused the observed issue, and what evidence supports the proposed work. Any repair scope should include the method used to confirm operation afterward.
If the recommendation is to replace equipment, ask what was ruled out first. A finding that names the tested conditions is verifiable; a recommendation that only names a part is not.
Where monitoring problems belong
If your only symptom is that the app stopped updating, stopped showing new data, or lost account access, that is a reporting issue rather than a production issue and is covered on the monitoring page.
The distinction is worth making before you book anything. A reporting fault is usually the cheaper of the two to resolve, and paying for a production diagnostic to discover an expired cellular plan is an avoidable cost.
Match what you are seeing to what helps
The observation narrows the assessment. It does not by itself identify the cause, and no single symptom proves equipment failure.
| What you are seeing | Information that helps the assessment |
|---|---|
| Entire system shows zero | Time of day, app timestamp, utility outage history, visible alerts |
| One part of the array looks lower | Device status, comparable module history, shading or vegetation changes |
| App data stopped updating | Internet or router changes, account access, gateway status |
| Electric bill increased | Billing period, consumption, actual solar production, rate or fee changes |
| Problem followed roof work | Work date, contractor scope, photos, system restart records |
| Production fell gradually over months | Year-over-year comparison for the same months, soiling, new shade sources |
- A zero reading at night is normal. Confirm the system is being checked during daylight before treating it as a fault.
- Repeated resets can erase the evidence a technician needs. Follow the equipment-specific guidance instead of cycling power repeatedly.
Official sources and verification
Review current utility, tax, and licensing requirements directly with the responsible agency before making a property or contract decision.
Local service coverage
Existing-system service across South Florida
Requests are reviewed by property, equipment, and scope. Coverage includes residential and commercial inverter repairs, down or underproducing systems, solar leaks, roof coordination, panel removal and reinstallation, moving or transfer projects, and system expansion reviews through qualified service partners in the following primary counties and communities.
Palm Beach County
West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, Lake Worth, and Wellington
Explore local solar guidanceBroward County
Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Coral Springs, and Deerfield Beach
Explore local solar guidanceMartin County
Stuart and nearby Martin County communities
Explore local solar guidanceSt. Lucie County
Port St. Lucie and nearby St. Lucie County communities
Explore local solar guidanceIndian River County
Vero Beach and nearby Indian River County communities
Explore local solar guidanceService Area
Troubleshooting across South Florida
Requests across Palm Beach, Broward, Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties are reviewed by address, equipment, and work required. Submit your city or ZIP code so availability can be checked.
What Sets Us Apart
Whole-system outage
A system producing nothing during clear daylight usually points to an inverter shutdown, a tripped breaker, a utility-side interruption, or a rapid-shutdown event. The assessment establishes which before any equipment is ordered.
Partial array loss
When one section underproduces while the rest reports normally, the cause is more often a single device, a string, local shading, or a connection issue than a whole-system failure.
Gradual decline rather than a break
Production that has fallen slowly over months is a different investigation: soiling, new shading from vegetation or construction, connector degradation, or equipment aging. It rarely resolves with a reset.
Bill up, production apparently normal
A higher bill is not proof of a solar fault. Consumption changes, rate changes, billing-period shifts, and export-credit changes all move the total. Actual production and consumption have to be compared for the same period.
Problem that followed other work
If the change began after roof work, a panel cleaning, an electrical upgrade, or a storm, the work date and contractor scope become the most useful evidence in the diagnosis.
Documented finding, not a sales visit
The scope should explain what was checked, what caused the observed issue, what evidence supports the proposed work, and how operation will be confirmed afterward.
How It Works
Describe the change
When you first noticed it, what the app shows now, and whether anything else changed at the property — a roof project, an outage, new construction, new landscaping, a router change.
Compare against history
The partner reviews monitoring history against comparable daylight periods and prior years, which separates a real decline from weather, season, or a stale data view.
Test what the evidence points to
Depending on the finding, that may be electrical testing at the inverter, a review of string or optimizer data, a roof and attachment inspection, or utility-side verification.
Confirm the repair worked
Production is checked after the work so the outcome is verified against the original finding rather than assumed from the equipment powering back on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. A run of overcast days can cut production sharply, and seasonal sun angle lowers winter output on every system. Compare similar conditions and the same period in prior years before concluding that equipment has failed.
Related planning resources
- What a diagnostic visit includes and what it costs
- Repair versus replacement, decided from a diagnosis
- Inverter and microinverter service
- Monitoring and reporting that stopped updating
- Solar repairs and underproduction review
- Solar panel removal and reinstallation during a roof replacement
- Solar panels and roof replacement planning guide
- Residential solar savings estimate
Last updated:
What changed with your system?
Request a service review for repairs, roof work, inspections, or panel removal.