O'Brien Electrical & Energy Solutions Thebarton

Emergency Solar Electricians & Breakdowns

Call O'Brien Services if you are experiencing any of these:

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Solar Inverter Repairs and Replacement.

When you have a rooftop Solar System Emergency or Breakdown, your energy bill starts building up instantly.

We understand this and it is why we consider solar breakdowns as emergencies.

We will give utmost priority to your breakdown with a fast same-day response from our Emergency Solar Electricians.

O’Brien Services is CEC Approved and we are Gold Master Electricians in Adelaide, ensuring that all our work is up to the highest Australian Standards. Our Fully Certified Solar Electricians will ensure that your solar system is diagnosed and repaired quickly, correctly, and professionally. This way, you will continue to enjoy your energy bill solar savings fast.

O’Brien Solar Services is one of the leading Solar Service companies in Adelaide. We provide full turnkey solar solutions from solar services and repairs to the analysis, engineering, supply, and installation of solar systems in All Adelaide suburbs.

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When a Solar System breaks down

When your solar system breaks down, stops working, or stops functioning correctly, your home will start to draw electricity from the grid. Without an electricity supply interruption, the breakdown will not necessarily be identified instantly.

It is for this reason that solar panel system owners only realise that there is a solar breakdown when they:

Receive a Shocker Power Bill
Look at their Solar Inverter and see fault codes or a blank screen
Receive a notification via their smart inverter app or intelligent home battery
See Smoke coming out of Solar Isolator or inverter
Hear buzzing or humming from Inverter
Experience their solar safety switch tripping
See broken or shattered panels
Clean their solar panels (not recommended as you are working with an electrical power station)
Get a Solar Electrician to inspect, clean, service, repair, or upgrade their system.
Plus many more…

Full Solar Inspection

We offer a total solar system maintenance and system checks package.

The service and inspection includes:

What leads to a rooftop solar system breakdown?

Our Emergency Solar Electricians respond to a variety of solar system breakdowns on a daily basis. Here are a few factors that lead to the breakdown of a solar system in Adelaide.

Poor Workmanship

Poor workmanship is the start of a poor-performing system, which will break down quicker & increase water ingress due to careless, inexperienced electricians using shortcuts and inferior products.

Failed Inverters

Being the heart of your solar panel system, when the solar inverter fails, the power production is negatively affected, which leads to a solar breakdown and means your energy bill starts increasing instantly. A variety of reasons lead to failed parts, overheating, loss of internet connection, and more. Our Emergency Solar Electricians have access to various quality Solar Inverters and will get your solar inverter functioning quickly and in no time again.

Animals & Rodents

Animals such as birds and rodents seek shelter from the elements. When sheltering, they often chew cabling and connections, poo on panels, and disconnect connections, which can lead to a fire hazard on your roof.

Corrosion on Solar Parts

Corrosion of solar panels, cabling connectors, and solar inverters results in degraded energy output, the reduced expected lifespan, or the breakdown of a solar system. Corrosion is enhanced in coastal properties, which enhances the importance of selecting the correct quality systems and components, which need to be installed by experienced local certified solar electricians.

Dust & Dirt on Panels

Solar Panels installed are designed to self-clean in the rain or when rinsed by water, however, there is an unseen dirt film that forms. Similar to your home’s windows, they look clean, until you wash them and realise how dirty they actually are. This film builds up over time and results in the increasing reduction of solar power production and efficiency of your solar panels.

Factors that affect the amount of dust and dirt on solar panels include dust storms, sea/salty air, humidity, bird poo, and in some cases tree sap.

Initially, the effect on solar production may be minimal, but when the dirt accumulates over time, power production will decrease significantly over time.

String inverter systems (the most common type of solar system in Adelaide) are the most affected as a performance reduction in one panel, affects every panel. I.e. if one panel is working at 60% efficiency, then all the panels in the array will be working at 60% efficiency.

Older Solar Panels Systems

Older Solar Systems, especially if not serviced or maintained correctly, become more susceptible to the elements that they experience on a daily basis. This leads to water leaks, cracked panels, loose connections, exposed cabling, and more. All this results in reduced performance or the breakdown of the system.

Cracks, Micro-cracks & Broken Panels

While quality solar panels are robust and made to last, they can crack. Reason for cracked solar panels include hail, hot spots, heating & cooling stresses, poor bond-breakers, hard objects dropping on the panels, panels incorrectly packaged, during transport, dropped panels, or people standing on panels.

When micro-cracks or cracks occur, the panels become susceptible to water ingress and experience increased shading. All of which result in reduced performance or a solar breakdown. Our emergency solar electricians will analyse the issue and ensure that the correct replacement panel is provided. Whether your solar panel is in or out of warranty, we will ensure that your system is fixed fast and working correctly again.

Loose Solar Cabling & Wires

Loose solar cables and wiring is susceptible to weather factors such as heat and wind, and animals seeking refuge or nesting under solar panels.

Recalled Solar Isolators

Recalled solar isolators are a serious issue for rooftop solar, similar to the Takata airbag recall, it’s a ticking time bomb. Our emergency solar electricians have responded to many smouldering and burnt out solar isolators, which needed to be extinguished by a fire extinguisher. The majority of these were found to be on the recall list. Unfortunately, there are 1000s more on Adelaide homes.

A simple Solar Service, Inspection and Clean will identify this.

Water ingress into Solar Panels

Water ingress into an inverter is a serious fire hazard. Our Solar Electricians experience this with older or recalled isolators. If identified early by a Solar service by an experienced and certified solar electrician, the costs will be minimal and your system’s production will not be negatively affected. Late identification results in expensive repairs, system changeovers, and house fires in bad cases.

Additional Factors

While a solar panel system seems simple, there is a myriad of factors that negatively affect your solar system, which can result from humans, weather, animals, or vegetation growth. Here are other reasons why your solar panel system may break down and stop working.

Poor installation

Use of interior products

Outdated or overloaded wiring

Corroded Components

Broken Panels

These all result in reduced performance and ultimately a solar breakdown or fire hazard that may require a fast response from an emergency solar electrician. If ever uncertain, call our trusted certified techs for experienced solar advice and services on 131 750.

Cleaning Solar Panels with Soap

This sounds like a random comment, cleaning with soap should leave the panels clean right. Well, soap leaves a film or residue that casts shadows and negatively affects energy output. We recommend that solar panel cleaning be conducted with the correct products by a certified solar electrician – Read more about our Solar System Service, Check and Clean.

How to tell if your Solar System is old?

You're receiving a high feed-in Tariff

For Adelaide residents who installed solar pre-2012 and signed up for the High Feed-In Tariff, your system is old. It is advised that you look after this system and have it serviced and repaired correctly to maintain the rewards of a high feed-in tariff. Learn more about your high feed-in tariff and solar services, repairs, and replacements. Don’t lose your High Feed-in Tariff due to advice and work done by in-experienced solar companies!

Rusted Inverter

A rusting inverter is a sign of age or an inverter that has been installed in an incorrect area that is susceptible to rusting, such as on the outside wall of a seaside property.

If you live in an area that experiences salty air and is susceptible to rusting, you will need to ensure that you invest in the right inverter and have it installed in the correct place to manage those conditions.

If your Solar Inverter is showing an Inverter Fault or has broken down, call our experienced & trusted certified solar electricians for the right advice.

No solar Safety Switch

If there is any issue with your solar panel system, your solar isolator should indicate a fault, however, electrical hazards on your system will trip the solar safety switch to help protect from electrocution, fire, or additional hazards.

No Isolator Switches/Isolators with no Cover

Solar Panel systems that have no Isolators were installed pre-2012, since then safety regulations have improved to ensure that solar isolators and solar isolator covers are installed on all rooftop solar panel systems

Our inspection included in our Solar Service, Inspection and Clean, will identify if your solar panel system and isolator are up to Australian safety regulations.

Chipped of Damaged DC Isolator

This is generally a sign of older isolators that become brittle from the intense sun rays and colder winter weather experienced in Adelaide. The dangers of this water ingress that results in a solar system breakdown, fire hazard or the need for an emergency solar electrician.

Incorrect Solar Panel Spacing & Placement

Solar Panels that are overhanging the roof space or solar arrays that are too close (within 20mm), may have been installed correctly, however, due to improved safety regulations, this is now considered an illegal installation. Speak to our certified solar electricians for friendly advice – 131 750

Solar Maintenance & System Checks

Solar systems are investments that lead to significant energy bill savings when engineered correctly to your requirements. Once installed, it is important that they are maintained, services, and repaired by trusted certified electricians to maintain the power bill savings.

Sharpe Services offer a range of solar maintenance and service options to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of your solar system for years to come. You could opt for one, three or five-year annual servicing contract. You would receive regular servicing and monitoring of your system with less stress. Rest assured that you’ll get the very best solar service at the lowest cost to you.

Feel free to contact us and discuss your solar-related questions with our Trusted, Certified Solar Electricians.

Other Maintenance Services

Sharpe Services provides comprehensive solar system servicing to ensure that you get the most from your solar system.

When the power of your solar system reduces significantly, it is better to find and fix the problem sooner than later to avoid major issues as solar panels are an investment.

Sharpe Services’ Full Solar System inspection ensures that all your panels are running efficiently for the life of the system. Solar maintenance and System Checks are an essential part of saving costs for the efficiency of your system. We also offer pigeon proofing of solar panels and protection against bird’s nests. Feel free to ask us.

You will always feel secure dealing with