Already have a solar PV system, but need service? Try our troubleshooting instructions to determine if you need professional assistance.
If the internet connection to your inverter becomes troubled, the solar production data from your inverter is often unable to reach the inverter’s online monitoring portal. When this occurs, you may notice that your “Communication” light on your inverter (often blue or yellow) will no longer be glowing, and your online monitoring portal may stop updating solar production data.
If none of the above solutions seem to correct your inverter’s internet connection, reset your router: unplug the router from the wall outlet – wait 30 seconds – plug the router back in.
Many inverters are able to store historical daily solar production data for at least 3-4 weeks, so if the internet connection is re-established during this time, the solar production data will backfill for those “missing days” on your monitoring portal.
In some cases, the inverter’s internet connection is disconnected for longer than the inverter can store this historical data. When this happens, the inverter will “write over” the oldest data – only keeping the most recent 3-4 weeks to upload to the monitoring portal when communications have been reestablished.
In situations where solar production is being communicated through the monitoring portal to a third party for energy credits (SRECs, Carbon Solutions Group, etc.), the “Lifetime Production” can be gathered from the inverter to report to these entities in cases where solar production data was lost due to persistent internet challenges. Please contact the Service Department at service@straightupsolar.com for additional guidance.
If you have confirmed that your router and inverter have power and are connected to the internet, and you are experiencing no other internet or technical related issues, attempt to Power Cycle the solar system.
Each solar PV system has different Power Cycling procedures. Click on the link below to follow the instructions for your inverter system.
Finally, if after completing the Power Cycle, a red light or error code continues to be displayed on the inverter, please document this information and contact the Service Department at service@straightupsolar.com. We will gather some information from you including any error codes displayed on the LCD screen and provide further assistance. Depending on the nature of the information, we may need to contact the manufacturer for guidance and/or schedule a service visit for further troubleshooting.
First, ensure all system components are activated.
Next, after confirming all of the above, Power Cycle your solar inverter. Power Cycling – also called a hard reset – can resolve many solar-related challenges and is the first step in troubleshooting. See above Power Cycling instructions included.
Then, once the Power Cycle is completed and the inverter has fully powered back on (this can take up to 15 minutes), check the inverter’s indicators for production. Many inverters display a steady green light when production is taking place – other inverters may have an LCD screen that will show power production read-outs. Additionally, you may check the inverter’s online monitoring portal to verify production.
If after the Power Cycle, the inverter is showing a steady red light or the LCD screen shows an error code, please document this information (a photo works great!) and contact the Service Department for additional assistance.
After that, if the inverter is showing a steady green light but production is not showing on the monitoring portal, refer to the “Internet and Monitoring Portal Troubleshooting” steps above.
Finally, if something still seems to be amiss, contact the Service Department at service@straightupsolar.com with any error codes or inverter information for additional assistance.
Please do not try to troubleshoot codes, errors, or events yourself – even if you are a qualified electrician. Providing service on this solar system may void one or more warranties.
Many internet and monitoring display problems can be solved by answering the following questions. Here are the questions our Service Department will ask you on your initial call. Trying out these solutions can you save you time in our response.
If you have recently changed to a different ISP or installed a new router, this change can occasionally result in unintended consequences.
Sometimes the new ISP will change the physical location of your router. If the inverter-to-router cable we left is still within reach of the router, the technician may have forgotten to reconnect it. In other cases, the router is no longer located along the path of that cable, and the cable itself needs to be moved. Depending on the complexity of the path of the inverter-to-router cable, you may be able to relocate the cable yourself. If not, this will require a paid service call to resolve (not covered under any of the warranties).
Alternatively, the router provided by your new ISP, or one you purchased yourself, may have new firewall protection or something called “SIP packets”, which are turned off. Either of these may be blocking your inverter’s access to the internet. This type of problem is best resolved by a computer specialist. If the router was provided by your ISP, contact them. If you purchased the router yourself, talk with a technician at the store or seek assistance from a computer specialist. It may also be good to contact your solar inverter manufacturer’s tech support to have their team provider.
If you have recently Power Cycled, it may take 30-60 minutes before data begins showing on the online monitoring portal.
If your inverter is connected via a cell card/cellular connection, the inverter’s data may only be communicated to the online monitoring portal in 4-hour increments or at the end of each day.
If your portal was offline for several weeks or longer, it may take several hours for the data to show up on the online monitoring portal in real time.
It is also possible that you do have an internet connection, but due to a malfunction with the inverter, the monitoring has turned off. If this is the case, the inverter may display an ‘event’ or ‘error’ code – make note of the error code and reach out to the Service Department for further guidance.