Getting an orphaned solar system
serviced and supported
When your installer closes, you lose your point of contact for questions, faults, and servicing. An independent engineer can step into that role completely — assessing the current system condition, correcting any outstanding installation issues, and setting up ongoing maintenance so the system keeps performing.
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Our System Recovery service handles the full picture — monitoring transfer, documentation rebuild, warranty escalation, fault diagnosis, and a written condition report. One engagement, all of it covered. We work independently — not affiliated with any installer or manufacturer.
System Recovery Service → Book a diagnostic — from £75What installer closure means for your system's support
Some things are genuinely lost. Most things are recoverable. Understanding the difference helps you know what to prioritise.
The installer was your first call for any system problem. That relationship is gone. You now need to establish a new support relationship — either self-managing with manufacturer support or engaging an independent engineer.
Any installation errors that surface now — miswired CT clamps, undersized cables, incorrect settings — are no longer covered by an installer warranty. Corrections require independent engineer time and cost. HIES or RECC protection may partially offset this if the installer was registered.
The inverter, battery, and panel warranties remain valid and can be claimed directly. The system itself is yours — its generation data, its physical components, and its performance are all recoverable. An independent engineer can take over full support from where the installer left off.
Important: The most common mistake after installer closure is assuming the system is fine because it appears to be running. A system can appear operational while losing 20–30% of potential generation due to CT clamp errors, export limit misconfiguration, or a fault that only activates under certain conditions. A condition assessment catches these.
Workmanship faults that commonly surface on orphaned systems
Many installation errors don't cause immediate visible failure — they cause slow performance losses or intermittent faults that only become apparent months or years later. These are the most common ones seen on systems that have had no maintenance since installation.
The most common and most costly silent error. A CT clamp installed on the wrong cable, or oriented incorrectly, causes the inverter to misread import/export — resulting in the battery cycling in completely the wrong pattern. On a hybrid system, this can cost hundreds of pounds a year in unnecessary grid import without any visible fault on the display.
DNO G98 and G99 connections often require an export limit — typically 3.68kW for most domestic G98 connections. If this is set incorrectly (too low or incorrectly activated), the system trips off at peak production, clipping output at exactly the point where it should be generating most. Common on GivEnergy and Growatt systems where the export limit setting is separate from the main inverter settings.
DC cables running from roof panels to inverter must be sized correctly for the string current. Undersized cables cause resistance heat buildup — not always visible until summer peak production, when the inverter trips on thermal overload. A one-off fault in a hot June often traces to undersized or poorly terminated DC cabling installed at commissioning.
Earthing faults don't always cause immediate outages — they create leakage conditions that trigger occasional grid-trip events and, in some cases, present a genuine safety concern. Symptoms include intermittent grid disconnection on the display with no obvious fault code. An inspection can identify whether earthing is compliant without any system downtime.
Hybrid inverter charge and discharge schedules are set during commissioning. Incorrect scheduling — charging from grid at peak rate, discharging during overnight cheap-rate periods, or setting a minimum SOC that leaves most of the battery unavailable — significantly reduces the financial benefit of the battery. Settings errors are common and easily corrected once identified.
Many installers connected the inverter to their company monitoring account without setting up a homeowner login or completing WiFi configuration for the property's router. The system may be generating correctly but sending no data — or sending data that no one is watching. A condition assessment identifies the monitoring status and resolves any configuration issues.
Step-by-step: getting your orphaned system properly assessed and supported
For a system that has had no independent review since installation, this is the recommended sequence.
A remote diagnostic accesses the inverter monitoring data and reviews current generation performance, active fault codes, battery charge and discharge behaviour, and export configuration. This gives a baseline picture of what the system is doing — and what it should be doing — before any on-site visit is considered. Most issues are identifiable remotely, which saves time and cost.
From £75 · Written report included · No site visit required at this stage
The condition report documents the system state: generation data over a reference period, any active or historic fault codes, equipment serial numbers, monitoring access status, warranty status, and any concerns identified. This report serves multiple purposes — it supports warranty claims, HIES or RECC complaints, and provides a benchmark for future performance monitoring. It is included with the System Recovery service and available as an add-on to the remote diagnostic.
Faults identified in the diagnostic fall into three categories. Component failures are manufacturer warranty claims — supported with documentation. Installation errors (CT clamp, export limit, cable sizing) are workmanship corrections — quoted as independent repair. Configuration issues (schedule settings, firmware, monitoring setup) are operational fixes — often resolvable remotely without a site visit. Each category follows a different route and different cost expectation.
Before ongoing remote support is effective, monitoring must be linked to an account you own and can access. If it's still registered to the installer's company account, this is resolved as part of the System Recovery service or separately via the monitoring transfer process. Once your account is set up, you can view generation data and we can monitor the system remotely going forward.
With the system assessed and any immediate issues resolved, the final step is establishing ongoing cover. An annual maintenance visit checks connections, verifies settings, cleans panels if needed, and produces a maintenance report. The Solar Health Plan adds continuous remote monitoring, annual health check, and priority response — catching issues early before they cost you in generation losses or emergency call-out fees.
Choosing the right level of support for your system
The right option depends on the current condition of the system and how much has accumulated since installer closure.
If you have a specific fault you need diagnosing — a fault code, an underperformance issue, battery behaviour you don't understand. From £75. Written report included. Most issues identifiable without site visit.
Remote diagnostic →For systems with multiple or cascading issues after installer closure. Covers monitoring transfer, documentation rebuild, warranty escalation, fault diagnosis, and a full written condition report. One engagement, everything covered. Quoted after initial diagnostic.
See CTA below for detailsContinuous remote monitoring, annual health check, and priority response. Replaces the support relationship that was lost when the installer closed. Catches performance degradation before it costs you in higher bills or missed generation.
See CTA footnote belowOur recommendation: For most homeowners in the installer-gone-bust situation, the System Recovery service is the right starting point — it handles everything in one engagement and leaves you with a fully documented, monitored system with an established support relationship. The Solar Health Plan is the recommended next step once recovery is complete.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, completely. There is no legal or technical restriction on which MCS-accredited engineer services a solar system — it does not have to be the original installer. An experienced independent engineer can assess, repair, and maintain any system regardless of who installed it. They may need additional time to review the installation specifics on first visit, but this is normal and factored into the site assessment cost.
The most common late-presenting faults are CT clamp miswiring (causes battery to cycle incorrectly — costs hundreds per year in unnecessary import), incorrect export limit configuration (system clips generation at peak production), undersized DC cabling (causes heat-related inverter faults in summer), and poor earthing. Most are correctable without major re-installation.
Without monitoring access, the only check is the inverter display during daylight. With monitoring, you can compare current generation against expected output for your panel size and location. A remote diagnostic assesses whether the system is performing within expected parameters — using inverter log access and monitoring data to identify underperformance that isn't visible from the display.
System Recovery is a comprehensive one-off engagement for systems with significant accumulated issues — covering monitoring transfer, documentation rebuild, warranty escalation, fault diagnosis, and a written condition report. It's the right service when a system has had no independent review since installation and multiple issues have built up. Annual maintenance is a scheduled service visit for a system in reasonable condition — verifying connections, settings, and performance, and producing a maintenance record. See our annual maintenance visit service for details.
For most systems over 3 years old without an active support relationship, yes. The health plan provides continuous monitoring that catches performance degradation early — before it costs you in higher bills — plus an annual health check and priority response. The cost of a single missed month of generation typically exceeds the monthly plan cost, particularly on hybrid systems where battery scheduling errors can be expensive over time.
A system that appears to be running may still have significant issues that are invisible without monitoring data. Underperformance of 20–30% is common on systems with CT clamp errors or export limit misconfiguration — the system generates, but far less than it should. A CT clamp installed in the wrong direction can cost a household with a battery hundreds of pounds a year in unnecessary grid import. A condition assessment establishes what the system is actually doing, not just whether it's on.
Ready to get your orphaned system working again?
We handle the full picture — monitoring access, documentation, warranty escalation, fault diagnosis, and ongoing support. Independent, transparent, and written up so you know exactly what you have.