Solar Production Troubleshooting in Gilbert, AZ

Solar Production Troubleshooting starts with a simple question: how much should this system be making, and how much is it actually making? In Gilbert, plenty of homeowners never get a clear answer to either. The installer is gone, the monitoring app stopped working, and the only clue is an electric bill that is higher than it used to be. We work through the problem in order, from the easy checks to the hard ones, and give you a written explanation of what we found.

Start with the right comparison

Solar output changes a lot through the year, so comparing July to March tells you little. We compare the same months across years, look at sunny days rather than cloudy ones, and account for the fact that panels lose a small amount of output each year as they age and produce somewhat less when they run hot. A system that made noticeably less this June than last June, under similar weather, has a problem worth finding.

Common causes we find

• A tripped breaker or open disconnect after a storm, a power outage or someone working on the electrical panel
• A failed microinverter or optimizer, which takes one panel offline without affecting the rest
• A dead string on a string inverter system, from a failed connector, a damaged cable or a blown fuse
• Inverter derating from heat, when an inverter in direct sun throttles itself on summer afternoons
• Soiling from monsoon dust or bird droppings, which matters more on low-tilt arrays that do not rinse well in rain
• New shade from a tree, a neighbor's addition or a satellite dish that was not there when the system was designed
• Monitoring errors that only make the system look broken: a new router, a failed gateway, or a data plan that expired

Gilbert's climate adds a few twists

With average highs of 104 to 106 degrees from June through August, the inverter and connectors work hardest just when the system has the most to give. SolarEdge's derating note says most of its residential models run at full power only up to about 120 degrees ambient, and lists direct sun and poor clearance as causes of overheating. Monsoon season, which the National Weather Service counts from June 15 to September 30, adds dust storms, wind that can loosen wiring clips, and lightning that can damage electronics. A drop in production right after a big storm narrows the list of suspects.

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How we test

We read the inverter's own history and error log, then measure. On a string system, each string's voltage and current is checked against what the panel count and conditions should give. On microinverter and optimizer systems, panel-level data usually points straight at the problem units, and we confirm on the roof. We look under the array for chewed or sagging wiring and connectors that show signs of heat, check the AC side back to the main panel, and look for shade and soiling. If the system is a decade old and the panels themselves are suspect, we can test individual modules.

Utility plans and how they hide problems

Your bill alone can make troubleshooting harder. SRP's solar price plans include demand charges on some plans and export credits on others, so a higher bill can come from a change in how you use power in on-peak hours rather than from a failing system. SRP's Customer Generation page, for example, lists on-peak hours of 5 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. in winter and 2 to 8 p.m. in summer, and says that plan will be discontinued as of the November 2029 billing cycle. Measuring production directly separates an equipment problem from a billing one.

What you get

At the end of a troubleshooting visit you have a written summary: what the system is producing, what it should produce, what is causing the difference, and what it would cost to fix. If the system is working correctly and the bill is the issue, we tell you that too.