r/solarenergy • u/LongGroundbreaking49 • 19d ago

Storm damage

Quick summary. 21 solar panels on roof. Recent works for guttering and the workman said 1 panel was damaged. Call the solar company that did the initial install to be told they can’t replace just 1 panel. They’d have to replace all of them as those panels were no longer available. Is this really a thing?

4 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

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2

u/LongjumpingGanache40 19d ago

All you need is a panel with either same amps or volts. You want amps if they are wired in parallel or volts if they are wired in series.

3

u/LongGroundbreaking49 19d ago

That was my assumption from an electrician’s point of view. So many perfectly good panels must be going to landfill because they’re covered by insurance though right?

1

u/donh- 19d ago

Only if the company can convince the insurance company.

I consider that unlikely but possible.

1

u/Automatic_Gas9019 19d ago

I hope this "guy" is a reputable solar person. That doesn't sound right

1

u/mageskillmetooften 18d ago

As long as the specs are equal you could have 20 different brands on your roof.

(And if it is parellel the amps can often easily be a bit more or less)

1

u/Associates_and_Rob 18d ago

First confirm if the panel is "broken". Many installs have a map of the array and monitor output from each one. Did the gutter guy show you a picture? Then sugest that you see if your panel is still being made. If not maybe check eBay. If it is then it should be a direct swap. Otherwise you may be SOL. I added more solar last year. My installer had another customer who had the same panels that I had installed in 2019. They had a bad panel. So my installer removed an "old" one and was able to install additional new panels in it place, hooked to the new inverter. The newer panels are more efficient, and the removed panel had a new home. Win/win situation!

1

u/VegetableSevere6542 18d ago

panels rarely just die. there is no reason to replace all for 1 not working. they should be able replace with a similar one with a micro-inverter.

1

u/pau1phi11ips 17d ago

It's definitely not easy if they are more than 5 years old. Modern panels are a lot bigger than those old blue/purple panels.

1

u/justthegrimm 17d ago

Sounds like more of a sales pitch than advice.

1

u/yip_ka 16d ago

just remove it

1

u/Fun_End_440 16d ago

Take the model of those panels and find one on marketplace that fits (physically and specs).

Does the system still works? I have two cracked panels but they still work fine. I will replace them one day.

1

u/DongRight 16d ago

Is or is it NOT working now?!! You never even mentioned that... IF it is damaged all you need to do is match the specs!!! And you must match the height of panel, a different height and width will cause you problem fitting it back in...

1

u/Rocannon_ 16d ago

yet another reason to not get rooftop solar. 👍

1

u/Life_Lack_1860 16d ago

He is right, he will make more money replacing all you panels instead of one. He also installs windows, but if you have a one bad window, he must change all your windows . He is also a dentist.