System check · South Carolina
Is my solar system still working?
Four questions, two minutes, and an honest read on whether your array has stopped producing or is just having a normal December. Nothing is sent anywhere unless you ask us to look at it.
Two-minute check
Answer four questions
Four questions. They are the ones a technician would ask before booking a visit, and they separate a real fault from a quiet winter.
Answer the questions and we will tell you what it looks like.
Nothing is sent anywhere. The read appears here first.
Your four answers travel with the request.
A guide, not a diagnosis. The only way to know what an array is producing is to measure each string against what it should be doing on the day, which is what an inspection does.
The three signs that actually mean something
Most people notice a solar problem through the bill, which is the slowest possible way to find one. A system that stops in February is often not spotted until the summer bill arrives and it is obviously wrong. By then you have lost a season.
A bill back at pre-solar levels
This is the strongest single signal. Not "higher than last month", which is usually the season. Back to what you were paying before the panels went on. If your usage has not changed and the bill has returned to its old level, the array is not offsetting anything.
Nothing showing at midday
Open the monitoring app, or read the inverter screen, on a clear day around noon. A working system shows output. Zero at midday in clear weather is not a seasonal effect, and it is worth acting on the same week.
A red or amber light on the inverter
Inverters report their own faults. A steady green is the only light that means everything is fine. Anything else has a code behind it, and the code usually names the fault precisely.
What is almost never a fault
A lower winter month on its own. South Carolina arrays produce roughly 1,400 to 1,550 kWh per kW across a year, and that total is weighted hard towards summer. A December at half of a June is the system working correctly.
A dusty array is also rarely worth a call. Rain handles most of it here, and the production difference from cleaning a typical residential roof is small enough that it seldom pays for the visit.
If your installer has closed
A lot of solar companies that sold in South Carolina between 2018 and 2022 are no longer trading. Two things are worth knowing. Any licensed solar contractor can inspect and repair a system they did not install, so you are not stranded. And your manufacturer warranties on panels and inverter usually survive the installer closing, though claiming one generally needs a contractor to file it for you.
The practical loss is monitoring. Portals set up under a defunct installer's account often lapse or change hands, which is why so many of these systems fail quietly. Restoring visibility is normally the first thing worth doing.
Where to go next
- Solar panel repair by city: what a repair visit covers, and the towns we serve.
- Solar cost calculator: if you are sizing a new system rather than checking an old one.
- Our warranty terms: what we cover on systems we install, including work on the roof penetrations.
- Utility notes by territory: how your exports are credited, which changes what a fault actually costs you.
System health FAQ
Questions owners ask before booking a look
How do I know if my solar panels have stopped working?
The clearest sign is a power bill that looks like your pre-solar bills while your monitoring app shows no output. That pair almost always points at the inverter or a tripped DC disconnect rather than the panels themselves. A bill that is merely higher than last month is usually seasonal, because production in South Carolina swings by roughly a third between June and December.
Why is my solar production lower in winter?
Shorter days and a lower sun angle. A South Carolina array typically produces between 1,400 and 1,550 kWh per kW per year, and that total is weighted heavily towards summer. A December month at half of a June month is normal and is not evidence of a fault.
My installer has gone out of business. Who services the system?
Any licensed solar contractor can inspect and repair a system they did not install. You do not need the original company, and you do not lose your manufacturer warranties when they close, though claiming them usually needs a contractor to file on your behalf.
What does a solar inspection actually check?
String-level output measured against what the array should produce on the day, inverter fault logs, DC and AC disconnects, the production meter, and the monitoring connection. Measuring each string is what separates a genuine fault from shading or seasonal variation.
Can a battery hide a broken solar system?
It can, for a while. A battery keeps covering evening load from grid charging, so the house behaves normally while the array produces nothing. This is a common reason a fault goes unnoticed for months.
Does this check cost anything?
No. It runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere. You only share contact details if you decide to ask for an inspection at the end.
Free, no-pressure assessment
Want someone to measure it rather than guess?
An inspection puts a meter on each string and compares it to what the array should be producing that day. That settles it either way.
Mon–Sat, 10am–6:30pm ET · We typically follow up within the hour.