Questions and issues with Sunpower in recently purchased home.

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  • Davidoo
    Junior Member
    • Aug 2023
    • 10

    Questions and issues with Sunpower in recently purchased home.

    New to solar and new to this forum. We purchased a home last fall in the Phoenix area that had a Sunpower solar system with 28 panels that was installed in 2016. The seller used Open Door as the agent. We had it inspected (solar not included) and bought the home. I could tell the solar had been turned off because the switch from the panels to the inverter was off and the AC disconnect was off. We asked about it, but Open Door just said they turn it off while the home is being sold. Seemed odd to do that during the summer in Phoenix, but ok. We checked with the electric company (APS...Arizona Public Service) and they did say the home was under a grandfathered 1 for 1 credit solar plan, and they showed the system to be working for the prior owner.

    The day we closed on the home I turned the system on, enrolled in the Sunpower app, and sent in the transfer forms to Sunpower for the warranty, which is 10 years on the inverter and 20 years on other parts. It all worked fine during fall, winter, and spring of 23. In late June when the heat started to crank up to 115 to 119 degrees, I checked the app and noticed the system didn't generate any power for 4 days. I looked at the inverter and it had a message saying "Elect Arc Detected...Check DC Gen." I did some research and found the manual for the inverter, an SMA 7700TL-US-22. I did a restart and tapped the screen twice as the manual suggested to reset and clear the warning. The system came back on fine for about 2 weeks and then turned off and displayed the error about the arc again.

    I called Sunpower and they created a case number and gave me the name of a local solar company affiliated with them (the original installer is out of business). They came out within a couple of days and inspected the wiring and found nothing wrong. We reset the system again and it came on fine.....for a few days. They did find there is a module on the back of the panels that may be part of a "retrofit" from Sunpower. Apparently, the modules can create false Arc Detected messages. They have been "deliberating" for about 10 days now, waiting for approval to come out and replace the modules that they think will stop the error. From monitoring of the app, the Arc Detected message almost always occurs between 5 and 6 PM on the days it shuts down. Heat related? I'm also wondering if this problem isn't' with the inverter instead reading a false Arc due to the heat late in the afternoon? The inverter is on the east side, so not in the sun in the afternoon, but still the hottest time of day. So, right now, I'm waiting on that approval and resetting the inverter when the Arc Detected message appears.

    The second issue is that the display screen on the inverter has 2 problems. One is it is difficult to read due to the outer lid being cloudy due to sun and heat. I would like to get a replacement lid for the bottom part of the panel but can't find any parts. The second is that the LED screen inside the panel is cracked on the right top side, so only the left and bottom of the display work. At least I can read the Arc Detected error, and the app shows the numbers of what is being produced by current/day/lifetime, but it would be nice to have a fully working screen. I can't see where that part is available either.

    Sorry about the length of this. Wondering if anyone else has had these issues. According to the warranty documents, we should be fully covered, and it seems that would cover the broken screen inside the inverter itself? Of course, it would be great if they just replaced the inverter with 3 years remaining on the warranty. The other side is if I could get the part, it looks easy to replace. The big issue is stopping the thing from turning off every other day.

    Thanks!
    Dave
  • J.P.M.
    Solar Fanatic
    • Aug 2013
    • 14939

    #2
    Sunpower was once a good outfit. Their panels were about the best around even if overpriced.
    Their service and follow through however was never that good.
    I've got a 10+ yr. old Sunpower system and so far, it hasn't missed a beat but from what I hear and based on my limited interaction with them, their cust. support hasn't improved.

    I had some luck in limited dealings with them by using the tried and true method of being the squeaky wheel.
    Just read and understand the warranties for all the equipment and know that information cold before you call them again.

    In all your dealing with them, be organized, take good notes and make sure to be persistent, be professional, be patient, ALWAYS get everyone's name and contact information that you speak with up front and always ask for that person when dealing with the outfit until you get bumped up the chain of command. Then get that person's name and contact information and repeat.
    Be persistent and NEVER lose your temper but NEVER go away until you get the matter resolved.

    I bet a solution to your situation exists but keep in mind you will most certainly need Sunpower's help to get it resolved.
    Conduct yourself in such a way that makes it easier for them to fulfil their warranty responsibility without binding arbitration (which I'd remind them of) and remember, nothing can take the place of persistence. Nothing.

    Good luck.

    Comment

    • Calsun
      Member
      • Oct 2022
      • 91

      #3
      My Sunpower inverter failed in September of 2022 and after trying to get them to replace it for 6 months I ended up buying a Solis inverter and had it installed within 2 weeks of ordering it. I got a vastly superior inverter. My Sunpower had a 20 year warranty but that was worthless as the company failed to honor it and replace the inverter. It was costing me too much with the loss of power from my panels and that was money I was never going to get back.
      Highly recommend Solis and their distributor The Power Store in Texas.

      Comment

      • Davidoo
        Junior Member
        • Aug 2023
        • 10

        #4
        Originally posted by Calsun
        My Sunpower inverter failed in September of 2022 and after trying to get them to replace it for 6 months I ended up buying a Solis inverter and had it installed within 2 weeks of ordering it. I got a vastly superior inverter. My Sunpower had a 20 year warranty but that was worthless as the company failed to honor it and replace the inverter. It was costing me too much with the loss of power from my panels and that was money I was never going to get back.
        Highly recommend Solis and their distributor The Power Store in Texas.
        Thanks. That's too bad. I would be inclined to take them to court for reimbursement as they clearly state the warranty is 20 years. Yesterday I got an email that a "work order for an onsite visit has been sent to our internal crew SPD in Phoenix" and they will set up an appointment for repairs. We'll see how long that takes.

        Comment

        • bcroe
          Solar Fanatic
          • Jan 2012
          • 5203

          #5
          I hope you report what was found. I wonder if it might actually
          be a high line voltage issue, a problem that can come up.
          Bruce Roe

          Comment

          • Calsun
            Member
            • Oct 2022
            • 91

            #6
            I got the top of the line Solis that is battery capable for $1,400 and no point in taking time to hire an attorney and take Sunpower to court. I also wanted to get my system up and producing electricity as soon as possible as I am already getting screwed by PG&E with their rate increases. Over the past 5 years the off-peak rate we pay is up by 105% or more than doubled.

            Comment

            • oregon_phil
              Solar Fanatic
              • Jan 2019
              • 497

              #7
              Originally posted by Davidoo

              Thanks. That's too bad. I would be inclined to take them to court for reimbursement as they clearly state the warranty is 20 years. Yesterday I got an email that a "work order for an onsite visit has been sent to our internal crew SPD in Phoenix" and they will set up an appointment for repairs. We'll see how long that takes.
              In 2020, Sunpower split into two companies. They way I read it, Maxeon makes and supplies panels to Sunpower. Sunpower designs and integrates one complete seamless system for residential customers.

              Go to the Sunpower site and search "SUNPOWER® COMPLETE CONFIDENCE WARRANTY, One Warranty. Zero Worries"

              Granted this isn't the exact warranty you signed up for, but this is supposedly the company you are dealing with now.

              It is my experience that finding arc faults is difficult. You should have them check and torque all inverter connections. Look for oxidation, moisture penetration, chewed wire, overheated wire. Believe it or not, firmware can get corrupted. Your Sunpower tech might be able to reflash the firmware, but I might be too wishful thinking.

              At some point, if the hassle factor becomes too much, I would do something along the lines of what Calsun did. Also, SMA stopped putting displays in all of their inverters so don't put any hope into getting a spare display part. Good luck!

              Comment

              • Davidoo
                Junior Member
                • Aug 2023
                • 10

                #8
                Originally posted by Calsun
                I got the top of the line Solis that is battery capable for $1,400 and no point in taking time to hire an attorney and take Sunpower to court. I also wanted to get my system up and producing electricity as soon as possible as I am already getting screwed by PG&E with their rate increases. Over the past 5 years the off-peak rate we pay is up by 105% or more than doubled.
                Thanks. That's good to know if I have trouble with them. My system also has the Sunpower "Supervisor" module that is connected to the inverter, which allows the wifi or electric power plug LAN connection to the inverter so I can use the Sunpower app to view my system and history. When you put in the new inverter, how do you now monitor your system, and is it still with the Sunpower app or website?

                Comment

                • Davidoo
                  Junior Member
                  • Aug 2023
                  • 10

                  #9
                  Originally posted by bcroe
                  I hope you report what was found. I wonder if it might actually
                  be a high line voltage issue, a problem that can come up.
                  Bruce Roe
                  Thanks Bruce. I'm not sure I know what this is. Are you talking about the voltage coming in to the inverter from the power company?

                  Comment

                  • bcroe
                    Solar Fanatic
                    • Jan 2012
                    • 5203

                    #10
                    Originally posted by Davidoo
                    Thanks Bruce. I'm not sure I know what this is. Are you talking
                    about the voltage coming in to the inverter from the power company?
                    That is it. The PoCos tend to run at or above the legal line voltage, and your
                    inverter will add more to that pushing current back thru your own wiring. Here
                    I was seeing 254VAC, and pushing back 60A thru my 600 foot loop of 4 gauge
                    added another 9V to that. Running 263VAC at the inverters, the 264VAC alarm
                    trip point could go off any time. I got it down to 2VAC and only 1% loss by adding
                    a run of much larger wire.

                    It would not be hard to check what V your running inverter terminals see.
                    good luck, Bruce Roe

                    Comment

                    • solardreamer
                      Solar Fanatic
                      • May 2015
                      • 452

                      #11
                      Originally posted by Calsun
                      My Sunpower inverter failed in September of 2022 and after trying to get them to replace it for 6 months I ended up buying a Solis inverter and had it installed within 2 weeks of ordering it. I got a vastly superior inverter. My Sunpower had a 20 year warranty but that was worthless as the company failed to honor it and replace the inverter. It was costing me too much with the loss of power from my panels and that was money I was never going to get back.
                      Highly recommend Solis and their distributor The Power Store in Texas.
                      Solis inverters look good but are you confident they will do better than SunPower in terms of warranty replacement 7 or 8 years in the future? That's one of the main concerns I have for the Chinese solar companies.

                      Comment

                      • Davidoo
                        Junior Member
                        • Aug 2023
                        • 10

                        #12
                        I just got a text from Sunpower support team that the crew will be at our house to analyze and possibly repair the system on September 19th. Yeah, I know, 4 weeks away. The good part is that the Arc error isn't as frequent recently due to the cloudy and cooler weather we've had the last few days in Phoenix. Back up near 115 this weekend, so I just have to watch it and restart the inverter when it errors out.

                        Thanks for the comments Bruce. I'll have them check that when they're out. I've had the cover off of the inverter several times trying to clean the plastic screen over the LED screen so I could read it, and I have a volt meter with long leads I could use, just not sure which wires are coming from the power company. I know which ones are from the PV array, so I guess I could easily figure it out and measure. My error is Electr. Arc Detected, Check DC Generator. Could the power company voltage cause that error? I do know when I check my household plugs I've seen voltage as high as 127.

                        Comment

                        • solardreamer
                          Solar Fanatic
                          • May 2015
                          • 452

                          #13
                          Originally posted by Davidoo

                          Thanks. That's good to know if I have trouble with them. My system also has the Sunpower "Supervisor" module that is connected to the inverter, which allows the wifi or electric power plug LAN connection to the inverter so I can use the Sunpower app to view my system and history. When you put in the new inverter, how do you now monitor your system, and is it still with the Sunpower app or website?
                          Sunpower doesn't make the inverters they sell. They are just rebadging third-party inverters. In your case, you may have better luck getting info and help from SMA.

                          Comment

                          • solardreamer
                            Solar Fanatic
                            • May 2015
                            • 452

                            #14
                            Originally posted by Davidoo
                            My error is Electr. Arc Detected, Check DC Generator. Could the power company voltage cause that error? I do know when I check my household plugs I've seen voltage as high as 127.
                            DC arc faults have nothing to do with the grid AC voltage from POCO's. If the DC arc faults are real (i.e. not bad sensors) then you would want to make sure all wiring/insulation and connections from the solar panels to the inverter are checked to be good. DC arc faults are a main cause of solar panel fires.

                            Comment

                            • Davidoo
                              Junior Member
                              • Aug 2023
                              • 10

                              #15
                              Originally posted by solardreamer

                              DC arc faults have nothing to do with the grid AC voltage from POCO's. If the DC arc faults are real (i.e. not bad sensors) then you would want to make sure all wiring/insulation and connections from the solar panels to the inverter are checked to be good. DC arc faults are a main cause of solar panel fires.
                              Thanks for the response. The Sunpower team (local contractor) came out a few weeks ago and checked all the connections on the roof and at the inverter, and didn't find any problems. Of course, they could have missed something. I believe the consensus is that there is a recall of sorts (they called it a retrofit) of the module underneath each panel that is known for reporting false arc errors as they age. I have the ones that do this. I believe the crew is coming out on the 19th to check this. I'm hoping they replace them at that time, but what probably will happen is they will verify the issue, then have to come back and replace the modules. I admit to not knowing a lot about these systems. The thing I do know is that on very hot days, between 5 and 6 PM, the error appears. I then reset the inverter, it rechecks for errors, finds none, and powers back on. The good thing is I don't have any wiring inside the attic. Our system is on a concrete tile roof and the conduit goes over the roof to the inverter outside. And yes, I do have a Sunpower badged SMA Sunny Boy 7700TL-US-22. I contacted them and they said I had to go through the installer. No help.

                              Comment

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