An install-company competitor that won't service their systems...now that's some info I'd be waving in front of potential clients who are shopping around.
Brian Mehalic NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installation Professional™ R031508-59 PV Curriculum Developer and Instructor Solar Energy International http://www.solarenergy.org On Thu, Oct 16, 2014 at 6:06 AM, Jason Szumlanski <ja...@szumlanski.com> wrote: > Frankly, our issue is the UNsteady stream of service issues with both > string and microinverters. There isn't enough warranty or non-warranty > service work and it is too unpredictable to justify a dedicated PV service > department with dedicated personnel that can run economically. As a result, > we have to pull install crews from active installations to handle these > issues, which is neither economical nor good for our installation business. > As much as PV service is an annoyance for system owners, it's a huge > distraction for a small dealer. In fact, one competitor refuses to service > the systems they install. We have been picking up service business as a > result (we have a reputation for doing so and manufacturers call us), but > it's still not steady enough to handle well. > > Jason Szumlanski > On Oct 15, 2014 4:41 PM, "Rebecca Lundberg" < > rebecca.lundb...@powerfullygreen.com> wrote: > >> We are starting to see a fairly steady stream of various solar >> electronics needing replacement under warranty, including micro-inverters, >> AC modules (microinverter failing), and even modules with an integrated DC >> electronic component failing to work from the get go. I work with >> residential customers and care about doing right by them, and of course >> they expect that their warrantied part will be replaced at no cost to them, >> they have already invested a lot in their solar project. Sometimes the >> manufacturer has a stipend which at least offsets the cost of gas but does >> not cover time to travel to the site and do the replacement, but I have >> recently come across several manufacturers who do not give any stipend at >> all and I am surprised at that. Replacing a module in the middle of a >> pitched roof is no small feat, and getting to micro inverters on a steep >> pitch is always a challenge. As the code requires more safety features down >> to the module level, I suspect we will see more and more of this, and the >> electronics are no longer at ground level and easily accessible. What ideas >> do you have about how to deal with this? Must we have an O and M contract >> with every customer given current product choices? >> >> A similar question relates to a particular module having issues >> with delamination and failed diodes. We have been called out to several >> sites where this has caused the inverter to sense a fault, and testing >> showed the module leaking voltage to ground. Who is responsible for getting >> the inverter up and running when it clearly stems from the module? I >> suspect the module manufacturer's warranty legally exempts them from >> responsibility, but again it is reasonable for the customer to expect a >> warrantied system to be up and running. >> >> Thoughts from the field? >> >> Sincerely, >> Rebecca Lundberg >> >> >> >> -- >> Rebecca Lundberg >> NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer ® >> Owner/President >> *Powerfully Green*® >> 763.438.1976 | rebecca.lundb...@powerfullygreen.com >> >> Powered by the Sun! >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> List sponsored by Redwood Alliance >> >> List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org >> >> Change listserver email address & settings: >> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org >> >> List-Archive: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org/maillist.html >> >> List rules & etiquette: >> www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm >> >> Check out or update participant bios: >> www.members.re-wrenches.org >> >> >> > _______________________________________________ > List sponsored by Redwood Alliance > > List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org > > Change listserver email address & settings: > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > List-Archive: > http://www.mail-archive.com/re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org/maillist.html > > List rules & etiquette: > www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm > > Check out or update participant bios: > www.members.re-wrenches.org > > >
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