Replacing a SolarEdge Inverter Again... Enphase vs SolarEdge Explained by the Solar Contractor
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
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Work performed by Alltech Solar in San Diego, CA
Centralized inverters failing is by far the most common post installation issue solar customers experience. What makes this problem worse and extra annoying is the fact that if you have only one inverter for your whole system, then an inverter failure means the entire system will be down and producing absolutely no power until it is fixed. Go to my website to read in more detail about the different inverter architectures. juliansolargui....
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I’ve had both Enphase & SolarEdge installed with very similar size systems, luckily no issues over a few years to speak of but I do get a lot more overall production out of the SolarEdge system. Paid itself off in 4yr, Enphase will be 5-6
I like reliability & have all my extended warranties but I want overall performance & if someday they ever have to replace my inverter I can live with it cause that system allowed me huge credits since the date of install
There could be multiple things going on here. An Enphase system and SolarEdge system, given they are set up correctly, should produce pretty near identical production.
SolarEdge would produce a little bit more because the inversion happens so close to the POI but in the summertime, Enphase would definitely start to outpace SolarEdge, especially when paired with modules like REC.
@@Superiorsolarconsulting Not really, with panels up to 460W, there are a lot more clippings when the max inverters are 380W
The new models are going out frequently
So what is a reliable brand of inverter?
Had my Solaredge inverter last 9 months. The failure rate is real.
I deeply regret having this installed. My SolarEdge system has failed twice already. Both the solar company and the installer have gone out of business, and now I'm faced with additional out-of-pocket expenses on top of paying off this loan.
I have had same issue with my system. Big Star Builders went out of business, and before they did, they gave me the round around, when I kept telling them that there was an error. They claimed there was none. Even solar edge claimed they didn't see an error, when on my app it stated as so.
Its scenarios like this that home owners really need to pay attention by Enphase is the clear winner.
I do agree the majority of the time
My Solaredge inverter has been working great since 2018
That’s great to hear!
It’s the newer models one are lighter and cheaper. Believe you have a 10-25yr warranty just be aware.
Their failure rate would be unacceptable in ANY industry.
100% right
We had a 17.5 kW SolarEdge system. The inverter broke down withing 24 hours of installation and was replaced under warrantee, but we missed out on a month worth of production. Recently, after 8 years that second inverter broke down also and was replaced by a newer version of 17 kW. We lost another 2 months of production. I hope the new version is better. The inverter has paid itself off though, the Enphase quotation we got was much more expensive and wouldn't be paid off yet.
I wonder if one of the reasons for all these failures is that there is a lot of oversizing going on. It works fine, but it puts more strain on the inverter. I wonder if it is the ones with oversized paneling that fail most. We have 20.9 kWp panels with now only a 17 kW inverter. It might be worth it to go for a 25 kW inverter if those last longer.
I personally use 'Activated Alumina' for my 3d printing filaments, you can bake it at very high temperatures to drive off moisture safely and very effectively. Whether or not it also can hold up to 30% of its weight in water I've never personally tested. Thank you for sharing this video, very informative
Tech has a heart
What a great tech. Honest!
My SE5000A (not the "wave") failed in September after 8 years. Luckily I have a good installer that took care of it within three weeks. When I choose Solaredge in 2015 the forums were negative on Enphase due to their failures back then but now I think they stepped up QC and are more reliable. If my SE5000 fails again out of warranty I'd have no problem doing it myself and I've easily replaced an optimizer myself too.
My SE6000 inverter has just failed for the second time in just under 6 years. My installer no longer serves the area, so I'm considering other installers or installing the inverter myself. I've got one power optimizer that failed over a year ago; have not replaced yet, but it is on the corner so should be easy to access. SolarEdge said it is just a simple measurement (I forget, either resistance of voltage) to satisfy them that it is defective and they'll ship another out. Reviewing the Edge Academy training videos to make sure any maintenance I perform is done correctly and safely, but it is challenging to hone in on the specific info.
@@chidude Shortly after I posted I decided to upgrade my panels. My LG280's (c2015) were under performing by 8% and one was down by almost half. I bought 16 new 320w Q-Cells for $1800 and sold 14 of my old LG's for $900. My new production us up by 20% at a cost of ~$1k and back to no annual bill. Only took a weekend to do the work and I am not fast.
For the optimizers, very cheap to buy, especially used and very easy to replace.
For the Inverter, if figure at best $1k to self install a NOS unit or $2k to have an electrician do it.
I’ve had 5 panels go out, Csun 260watt, installed in 2015, sometimes it’s the panel, sometimes it’s the micro inverter. Enphase is good at sending out a new one,as they have access to your array, and can troubleshoot on their end. But it’s a dead duck if power goes out, I’m considering adding 36 more panels, but haven’t made up my mind yet if I’m gonna go optimizers yet
There are multiple factors to this that will dictate whether micro inverters or centralized inverter would end up being better for you. If you would like my help feel free to give me a call at 760-473-5878 and I’ll walk you through your situation.
I have replaced my Solaredge inverter twice now in the last 3 years.
Yup I'm getting mine replaced for the 2nd time
Me too; it's been in operation for almost six years.
I had Enphase for my system in NC. When I moved to FL and installed solar panels, they installed SolarEdge that I was told is "much better." Well.... two years later and I've been waiting for TWO MONTHS to get the inverter replaced. They're supposed to arrive on Friday (Nov. 22) to do it. Every day it's down, I lose money.
Sounds about right, unfortunately
What do you do if solaredge inverter blinks red. You try fixing it but within a week it blings red again and not working?
Are these systems commonly warranteed? Both my SolarEdge inverters will not connect via the app, and the leds indicate no communication.
Yes they are. Call your installer or SolarEdge directly for help
Any ideas what "ac voltage too high" fault means even though the voltage is showing normal?
We're installing a lot of SE systems in The Netherlands and have almost no problems.. :)
In Italy no issues either, it has something to do with the US voltage regulator built-in the unit.
No issues in Uk or Spain either
Maybe California climate related? This one is indoors but most are mounted outside. Pretty common to get to 100* and near freezing at night.
Enphase is a little quirky with their CTs but their microinverters are top-notch quality.
Yeah, CT’s have been relatively unreliable for a while
A lot of these issue are owner errors as well
Don't the DC wires coming from the panels still have voltage on them? Or do the optimisers shut down completely?
The optimizers have rapid shut down built-in
Does anyone know what the common failure point is for these inverters? Is it a circuit board issue, capacitors, etc? Would be good to know because capacitors are generally easily changed, but if it's boards, chips, etc, that is not as DIY friendly.
Not sure honestly
My HD 7600 failed shortly after install and they sent reworked units as replacement but both times they were DOA, waited weeks for each one and I was really upset. I saw a resistor that burned up and so I looked closely at the RMA reworked units and there was a heat sink on the resistor as part of the reworked units. The phone support could tell from a picture of the circuit board in the upper left corner that they had the same defect and apparently the rework process did not work out for them. Finally they sent a Solar edge technician who brought a new redesigned unit. That portion of the circuit board looks completely different. So far so good.
The circuit boards appear to be sealed up / coated with some sort of coating, probably for durability / sealing. Might not be an easy DIY unless you've got experience with that part of the game.
I get the failure of high tech stuff, but for us it’s more about how long it take to get the replacement and installation. Morev than a few days and I’d be pissed. We have Enphase IQ8A Inverters and if one dies it’s no big deal. But our installer is local and has a great reputation. And we are adding two PW3s and given their built in Inverters a failure will shut my entire system down, so I’m hoping that when the inevitable happens I’m not screwed.
It’s so much less money that the risk doesn’t outweigh the cost anymore in my opinion
I hope our 11400H holds up. We were suppose to have SMA’s Sunny Boys but the utility took it off the approved list.
Anyone who has some technical experience, given a comparison of enphase and solaredge, and reading the reviews, would hopefully know which to choose for reliability and longevity. it would also behoove the business selling the system to sell a reliable system. time is money. doing repairs like these too often can obviously make one question why he is in business.
We haven’t sold SolarEdge since pre-2020 on 95% of our own projects. We don’t like doing these service calls
Hello, was wondering if the guy taking off the cover of the inverter was a licensed electrician? thanks
Yes he is
It's strange because the European Solar edge does not have this issue
Indeed!
What model are you replacing?
I have a back up. It's less then half my main inverter. The company that installed the original went out of business. I had to learn to replace myself. It's not hard if you do have some knowledge
Link please? I am not about to pay the bucks to my same company for the same brand who builds in obsolescence.
I've had my SolarEdge inverter for more than three years and have had NO problems.
Mine just went out too... i have to wait 3 weeks for a replacement. It was only 2 years old.
Sorry about that
The problem is if the home owner is not certified and changes the inverter it will void the warranty. This is because even techs have in correctly wired inverter and blew them up.
So my solaredge stopped communicating because of bankruptcies I think I am going to replace with something else .
You are lucky they did not send you a different version that is mounted differently....
Looks like this is a 5 minute job if someone isn’t jabbering in your ear nonstop. 😂
I turned the camera off and left before he commissioned it
Problem is Solar Edge will not send a replacement unit without getting a contractor involved. I had to wait almost 2 months to get the installer come out and do the switchover. A month and half was the time when replacement inverter was just sitting at home waiting for him to show up.
I have now made notes on how to go about doing this myself.
Wow. This video needs some stabilization!
I think it's a good discussion about an important topic, but some of it is hard to pay attention to with the camera waving all over the place.
Yeah… on the spot video idea executed on my iPhone
I want to initiate a class action lawsuit against Big Star Builders and Solar Edge. I keep trying to initiate a support claim, and it keeps saying my serial number isn't authenticated. Something has been wrong since they originally installed my system, and they will not do anything about it. I have had my system now for over 3 years, and it has never worked 100%. I have been attempting to work on the problem, and they keep ignoring me!.
1:58 Is it just me or anyone else notice the installer take a chunk out of the garage wall while disconnecting the cable from the inverter?
What inveter size and what PV system size?
This was from an older system I didn’t sell myself and I was next to
At an install and decided to film. Does that matter to your knowledge?
@@Superiorsolarconsulting Gotcha. You put out good content, keep it up! In my experience, I've seen inverters go most often when the installer did an incorrect DC:AC ratio i.e. too high of a ratio and obvisouly that'll burn out any inverter. At one point a while back, SE had a bad batch of inverters, but haven't been seeing many issues lately and their response times have been very good when there is. Keep up the good work!
Wait a minute, I got a solaredge wave inverter and my company went out of business, what do I do if mine goes bad?
Call SolarEdge
Cry and find another solar company to help, then cry some more when you get the bill.
Solaredge doesn't like to work directly with homeowners.
@@chris76-01 Trying to find an electrician that will help me out but damn, it's proving to be harder than you can imagine.
@@TheFrayman what area are you in? yes. It's hard to find anyone to do anything. Lol.
My original installer also went out of business but I found another company that'll help me.
Mine is broken. It has a fault saying "ac voltage too high" even though it's in the normal range. So I'll probably need a new inverter. It's only about 5 years old.
@@chris76-01 San Diego CA
It pains me that people see the only real alternative to SolarEdge being Enphase. Enphase HAS gotten its act together, but it's still so much more complexity than a solar installation should have.
My fourth SolarEdge inverter in six years is being installed today. 😠
:/
Revisiting this, and having my SE5000 fail in 2023, I don't get why they don't make them repairable on site. For the old SEX000 units I understand the capacitors are the failure point. Make them replacable! My AC evaporator cost about $1200 and has a capacitor. Imagine if the cap fails and I'm told the whole unit needs to be replaced. Even my laptop has replacable components. Again, I don't get it.
Had my replaced twice within 3 months, but it was free under warranty. I forget how long the warranty is, 20 years maybe. I paid an extra $200 for 5 more years, I think. Have not had any issues for a year since (knocking on wood). Get a reliable installer who has a good number of employees on staff, years in business and good reputation. Solaredge was $5000 cheaper than Enphase in my area for the same size system at the time I installed it.
If SolarEdge was $5000 cheaper, the installer was ballooning the Enphase price to manipulate your decision. Usually it’s less than $1000 different
@@Superiorsolarconsulting It was a different installer, I had 4 diff. quotes. The enphase guy probably didnt need the work unless he got paid really well, it was in 2021. Good to know the difference should not be that much for people shopping around now.
I have had 3 Solaredge energy hub inverters installed on a 17kw solar array. I designed and installed the system myself. The system has been installed in 2021. My system has been working flawlessly since PTO. Either way, a Solaredge inverter replacement is very simple if one is needed. If an Enphase inverter fails you have to go up on the roof, remove the solar panel to replace an inverter. If a failed enphase inverter is in the middle of a large array, you would probably have to remove several solar panels to access it so it would be a much harder task. No matter what anyone says, These complex electronic inverters will all will eventually fail. I don't care what brand it is. I have a very hard time believing that any one will last 25 years so at sometime you would have to deal with an inverter replacement. I would be more concerned with the warranty from the installer. Will the installer still be in business when they are needed? If not You would be on the hook for at least the replacement install. In that case I would much rather have the inverter installed in the garage then on the roof. I.M.O.
I’ve had, in general, more problems with SolarEdge as an installer than Enphase. But both products aren’t as bad as say, Hoymiles or APSystems.
@@MrDontcareify Thanks for your reply. In my area some companies were installing Generac a few years back and they also had a ton of issues. Hopefully for everyone's sake, as time goes on the technology used by all the manufacturers will get better and more reliable
Commissioning the system again is where you need experienced people to re-install it.
You can’t even commission it if you’re not certified
My SolarEdge inverters have failed EVERY YEAR, except the first, during peak season. The sales person (SunLux) told me they are more reliable. WHAT A LIE! Then they take a month or more to replace the their unit. I've lost so much in time and money because of their failures! #sunlux LIES!
I've replaced alot of solaredge and alot of enphase micros. Literally probably the same amount of each.
Which model of micros? M and S series or IQ series?
This video seemed like it was almost a setup (Pro Enphase) video on shooting down Solar Edge, first off no Solar Edge owner is going to show up with a camera on a tripod and go through a list of questions created to make Solar Edge look failure prone like this .
wires look very small
They're code, I promise
Sorry guys but solar in not worth it unless you installing in yourself . Simple.
20K in electricity that’s 20 years on 2,500sq ft home.
That’s why Sunpower and other solar companies went bankrupt
There’s a shocker, an Israeli business that tries to defraud you. Who’d have thought it possible😂
Hola
Hello hello
Solar edge has an awful legacy, complete junk, and you are also getting the souls of thousands of Palestinian children, who could live with that
500 bucks is not a lot I mean your not going to do it for free
I had SolarEdge equipment install 5 years ago. I made a specific request nothing made in China was to be installed. I was pissed off to find that everything installed was made in China. Now the inverter has shit itself only 5 years into a 12 year warranty.
What else can you expect from Chinese rubbish.
The installer has replaced a new inverter for free, but how long will that last for?
Replacements have refurbished internals most of the time too. Hope it lasts 12+ for you!
It will last until the chineesium wears out😂
@@Superiorsolarconsulting My six year old SolarEdge system's inverter just failed for the second time. Since my installer no longer serves the area, I opened a case and had SolarEdge send me the replacement inverter. I received an email from them that said don't send back the old inverter, although the packaging for the shipment had instructions to send the old one back. It seems that as of 11/2024 maybe there's been enough equipment failures that SolarEdge does not want to deal with the broke units. Thanks for this informative video. I'm contacting other installers to install and get quotes on an upgrade to support a battery backup system. Contrary to what SolarEdge has told me in the past, they have an upgrade path via their Re-energize program that offers a discount on the battery capable Energy Hub inverter; that program ends this year. That requires a certified installer. They don't list the cost, so who knows, it may be just a discount off their suggested retail value, and it could be lower cost to buy the inverter on the market. So I am exploring options and looking at battery brands as well, and also considering whether I will just quickly install the replacement inverter myself. I logged into the SolarEdge Academy training site, but have not seen direct instructions to replace the inverter; kinda hard to zoom in on just the info I need.
The new SolarEdge inverters sucks from 2022+
Enphase is overrated… solar edge is unreliable… if only there was another option
What makes them overrated in your opinion?
overrated for most homeowners as they won't use "panel level monitoring", more expensive+ no 25 yr labor warranty@@Superiorsolarconsulting
@@StevenPaez-y3l they don’t really fail often though so it’s almost like you don’t need the warranty anyways. I have 30 year labor extensions
how many do you have installed for 25+years or even 12+years?@@Superiorsolarconsulting
been in the industry for almost 10 years now and have installed roughly 500mW, systems from 5k to 27mW and on the 5 to 10 kilowatt systems you cannot beat Enphase for both production and reliability. i have installed thousands of micro inverters and have had only a handful fail (less than 5). i like to oversize the mods to the inverter to extend my power production window giving me power production from 7am to 5pm and that's in upstate NY. now when it comes to Solar edge 1 in 5 would either have a bad optimizer but most of the time the mother board fails. it got so bad that we refused to install them and if the customer did not want Enphase we would give an option for a SMA or ABB inverter with MPPT's built in.
Just literally had this happen to me. Not cool...
Yeah everyday to hundreds of people
Biased much 🧐
How so?