I took some heat several years ago when this same thread went around the first time and I said we refuse to work on any system we did not sell and install. Although there have been a few times when I made an exception to this rule (like crying, pleading, and begging from a homeowner that clearly got screwed by a really bad solar installer), I feel this is the safest policy.
For example, you are called into a straighten out a "mess" and find several obvious wiring or setpoint errors which are easy to correct while there. You may also observe other problems you did not have time to fix, plus there is always the chance that there were major issues you could not see by casual observation. If that house burns down by an electrical fire several weeks after your site visit, you can bet you will be spending a lot of time and money trying to prove it had nothing to do with the "tweaking" you did while trying to help. We also see this kind of problem when a do-it-yourself homeowner tries to save a buck by ordering all their solar equipment over the internet at prices even below our costs. When nothing works, they call and want us to come over for a few dollars and make it right after they find out the internet seller does not provide installation support. As much as you would like to help, I still think except for extreme cases of need, the best thing to do is refer them back to their internet supplier, and if you do give in to their pleading, document everything before and after you touch anything with photos, field notes, and hopefully a witness as suggested by others following this thread. Jeff Yago DTI Solar Inc.
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