GivEnergy Click of Death — Relay Clicking Diagnostic Guide
Rapid mechanical clicking from inside your GivEnergy inverter — the relay cycling endlessly as it tries and fails to connect to the grid. This guide explains every cause: high grid voltage, relay failure, firmware bugs, and grid frequency faults.
The click of death is one of the most disruptive GivEnergy faults — the inverter produces no power and the relay cycling causes progressive wear. We diagnose the cause and provide a clear fix plan, usually without a site visit.
Book a Remote Diagnostic — from £75 → GivEnergy hubNot affiliated with GivEnergy Ltd. Independent diagnosis and repair.
What is the GivEnergy click of death?
The "click of death" is informal but widely used terminology for a specific GivEnergy failure mode: the inverter repeatedly attempts to synchronise with and connect to the AC grid, immediately trips its own protection circuit, and then tries again — endlessly. The audible result is a rapid mechanical clicking, typically 1–3 clicks per second, coming from the relay inside the inverter chassis.
What you'll see and hear
Why it's urgent
The clicking is not just annoying — it is mechanically destructive. Every click is the relay switching under load. Relays have a finite switching life (typically 100,000–500,000 operations). If the inverter cycles 2 clicks per second, it can exhaust years of relay life in a matter of days.
While the inverter is clicking, it generates no power — your home is running entirely from the grid. Battery charging is also suspended. The sooner the cause is identified and the clicking stopped, the better for the hardware.
Do not open the inverter. The inverter contains live high-voltage DC from the solar panels (present whenever light reaches the panels) and high-voltage AC from the grid. Do not attempt to inspect or repair relay components yourself. All diagnostics on this page are done through the portal and app only.
Check these immediately
Before investigating specific causes, run through these three checks to gather the information needed for an accurate diagnosis.
Log into givenergy.cloud → My Inverter → Event Log. Look at entries from when clicking started. Common codes associated with click of death: AC voltage out of range (V too high/low), grid frequency fault, relay fault, or connection timeout errors. Note the exact code — it often identifies the cause immediately. Cross-reference with the GivEnergy fault code index.
In the portal's live overview, look for the Grid Voltage reading. UK grid voltage should be 230 V ±10%, giving an acceptable range of approximately 207–253 V. If the reading is consistently above 253 V, the inverter is correctly refusing to connect because grid voltage exceeds G99 limits. This is a DNO issue, not a GivEnergy fault — see the high voltage section below.
Was there a firmware update just before clicking started? Did it start after a power cut or grid outage? Did it start on a very hot day? Did it start after a storm or lightning nearby? The timing often points directly to the cause: firmware update → check firmware section; power cut → try a full restart; hot weather → check for overtemperature fault codes; storm → suspect a hardware fault requiring an engineer visit.
High grid voltage — inverter correctly refusing to connect
High grid voltage is the single most common cause of the click of death on GivEnergy systems. When grid voltage rises above 253 V (the G99 upper limit), the inverter is legally and technically required to disconnect from the grid. If the voltage stays high, the inverter will keep attempting to reconnect — and keep immediately disconnecting — producing the characteristic clicking.
Why grid voltage spikes above 253 V
Check the portal live monitoring for the Grid Voltage reading. If it shows 253 V or higher during clicking, high voltage is confirmed as the cause.
Clicking that happens mainly in the middle of the day on sunny days — and stops in the evening or on cloudy days — is almost always a high voltage issue.
What you can do about high grid voltage
Your Distribution Network Operator (DNO) is legally required to maintain voltage within statutory limits. Report the high voltage — include your address, the dates and times of the problem, and the voltage readings from your portal. In England and Wales, voltage must be maintained within ±10% of 230 V under the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002.
GivEnergy inverters have a voltage ride-through setting that allows operation at slightly elevated voltages, and a reactive power (VAR) response mode that helps push voltage down by absorbing reactive power. These are engineer-level settings not available in the standard portal — contact a GivEnergy-trained installer or STS to assess whether these are appropriate for your installation.
Reducing the export limit reduces the power pushed onto the grid, which reduces voltage rise from your installation. This won't fix the underlying DNO issue but may allow the inverter to connect on borderline days while you pursue the DNO complaint. Note: this reduces how much you can export, affecting SEG payments.
Relay failure — worn or damaged grid connection relay
The relay inside the GivEnergy inverter is a mechanical component that physically opens and closes the grid connection. Relays have a finite operational life measured in switching cycles. If the relay has been weakened — either by age, previous fault conditions, or by the relay cycling accelerated by the click of death itself — it may fail to make a clean connection, causing the inverter's internal self-tests to reject the connection every time it attempts to close.
Signs pointing to relay failure
Is relay replacement covered under warranty?
GivEnergy inverters typically carry a 5-year warranty (extendable). Relay failure within the warranty period is usually covered, particularly if the failure was not caused by external factors (such as extreme over-voltage events from the DNO). A written engineer report confirming the fault and ruling out installation error is recommended for warranty claims.
We can provide a diagnostic report that documents the fault and supports a warranty submission with GivEnergy. Contact us to arrange a remote assessment first — this determines whether a warranty site visit or a billable repair is appropriate.
Firmware bug — clicking started after an update
Several GivEnergy firmware versions have introduced bugs that alter grid connection logic, changing voltage thresholds or connection timing in ways that cause the relay to cycle. If clicking started immediately following a firmware update, the update is the prime suspect.
How to check if firmware is the cause
Go to My Inverter → Event Log and look for a firmware update event in the days before clicking started. If a firmware update event immediately precedes the first relay clicking event, firmware is the likely cause.
Note the current firmware version shown in My Inverter. Search the GivEnergy knowledge base or community forums for reports of relay cycling on that specific firmware version — known issues are often documented.
Contact GivEnergy support directly and report the firmware version and the clicking behaviour. GivEnergy may be able to push a corrective update remotely, or advise on a rollback. Do not attempt to manually flash firmware yourself — this requires authorised tools and can brick the inverter.
Full system restart — clears transient relay faults
A full power cycle — in the correct sequence — allows the inverter firmware to reinitialise its grid connection logic from a clean state. This clears transient relay faults, resets protection thresholds that may have latched in a fault state, and re-establishes communication between the inverter and battery. It should be the first active step for any click of death fault.
Full restart sequence — follow exactly in order
Go to givenergy.cloud → My Inverter → Remote Control → Battery and set to Paused. This safely halts the battery before you cut power. If the portal is not accessible because the inverter is offline, proceed to step 2 — the battery has its own BMS protection.
This disconnects the inverter from the grid. The AC isolator is typically a red rotary switch mounted near the inverter. Turn it to the OFF position. Do not touch any wiring.
The DC isolator disconnects the solar panels from the inverter. It is typically mounted below the inverter. Switch it to OFF. Note: panels continue generating voltage — only the connection to the inverter is broken.
The battery has its own isolation switch or button — usually on the battery unit itself. Switch it OFF. On GivEnergy battery units the isolator is typically a large switch or a small breaker on the side panel.
Allow all internal capacitors to fully discharge. Do not skip this wait — a premature restart can cause the same fault to reinitialise without clearing. Two minutes is the minimum; five minutes is safer.
Switch on the battery isolator first, then the DC isolator, then finally the AC isolator. The inverter will take several minutes to complete its start-up sequence, synchronise with the grid, and begin normal operation. Do not interrupt this process.
Once the inverter appears to have started normally, go to Remote Control → Battery and set to Not paused. Listen for clicking. If the inverter runs normally for 5–10 minutes without clicking, the transient fault has cleared. Check the portal for any remaining fault codes.
If clicking resumes after the restart, the cause is not a transient fault — it is either high grid voltage (which will still be present after restart), a hardware relay fault (which will still manifest), or a firmware issue. Proceed with the specific cause sections above to narrow down which it is.
When to stop self-diagnosing and call an engineer
Safety reminder: Do not open the inverter enclosure or the consumer unit. The DC side of the system is live at all times when light reaches the panels — voltages can exceed 400 V DC. The AC side is live from the grid. All diagnostics on this page are done through the GivEnergy portal only.
We review your portal event log, grid voltage history, and firmware version to identify the cause — and come back with a clear fix plan, usually without needing a site visit.
LED status codes, isolator positions, restart sequence, and hardware checks for all GivEnergy models.
What different LED flash patterns mean on GivEnergy inverters and batteries.
What to do when a firmware update breaks settings or system behaviour.
Full reference index of GivEnergy inverter and battery fault codes with explanations.
GivEnergy click of death questions
The click of death is a GivEnergy inverter fault where the internal relay repeatedly opens and closes — producing a rapid mechanical clicking sound. The inverter is stuck in a loop of attempting to connect to the AC grid and immediately disconnecting via its own protection circuit. While clicking, the inverter generates no power and produces no solar or battery output. The term is widely used in the UK solar community and refers specifically to this relay cycling pattern.
The most common cause is high grid voltage above 253 V — the inverter is correctly refusing to connect to an out-of-spec grid, and the problem is with the DNO supply rather than the inverter itself. Other causes include relay wear or failure, a firmware bug introduced by an update, grid frequency outside tolerance, or a hardware fault in the inverter's AC connection circuitry. The portal event log usually contains codes that indicate the specific cause.
You can safely perform a full system restart (isolate AC, DC, and battery in sequence, wait two minutes, restore in reverse order) and check the portal for fault codes — both of which are homeowner-safe. You can also report high grid voltage to your DNO. However, if the cause is a failed relay, a firmware issue requiring engineer tools, or any hardware fault inside the inverter, this requires a qualified engineer. Do not open the inverter enclosure.
You should not leave it clicking for more than a day or two. Every click is a relay switching operation, and relays have a finite operational life. Sustained clicking can exhaust the relay's life in days or weeks. Additionally, while clicking, the inverter produces no generation and the battery doesn't charge — you're paying grid rates for all your electricity. Arrange diagnosis and repair promptly.
Clicking that occurs only on sunny days — particularly around solar noon — is almost certainly caused by high grid voltage. When many solar installations on the same grid connection all export simultaneously at peak generation, grid voltage rises. Your inverter protects itself by disconnecting, then tries to reconnect, then disconnects again. This pattern (fine in the morning, clicking by 11am, recovering by late afternoon) is a textbook high-voltage signature. Report the voltage readings from your portal to your DNO.
GivEnergy still clicking? We'll diagnose the cause.
Tell us what you're seeing — when the clicking started, what the portal event log shows, and what the grid voltage reading is. We'll identify the cause and advise on the correct fix, usually without needing a site visit.
This is a brand-specific version of our general inverter not turning on guide, which covers all brands.