How do i detect if my panels are working properly.
How to check if my solar panels are working properly.
These will help you determine if your solar panels are working properly and if they aren t you should take steps to have the problem resolved to ensure you get the biggest benefit possible from your system.
But don t get stuck on this detail.
Most generation meters will have some sort of indication light that will let you know instantly if your system is not functioning correctly.
If it s not there is a problem with your solar panel output.
Your inverter makes the direct current dc produced by your solar panels useable as alternating current ac for your home.
Check this during the day when your system should be generating and if it is lit you may have a.
Then touch the multi meter s black negative lead to your solar panel s negative wire.
What matters is how much sun your home gets year round.
If your panels have been up for a while you might be able to tell easily by looking at your electric bill whether your system is producing but if you ve just had panels installed you ll have to go by estimates provided by your installer or you can take a look at our handy calculator to see how much energy your panels should be producing.
A simple health check is to look at the colour of the lights shining on the box during daylight hours when the system s meant to be running.
Touch the multi meter s red positive lead to your solar panel s positive wire.
Additionally the only way to know if you have purchased high quality panels is through solar panel testing.
A red or orange light during daylight hours means there s a system event or fault.
The easiest way without monitoring to check that your home is using solar electricity is to turn of things like air conditioners heaters electric stoves or clothes dryers on a sunny day and then check your electricity meter.
If your household is using solar power first as it should then your meter should say you are using no grid electricity.
Check your generation meter for a red light.
If you use a multimeter inappropriately you could possibly damage your panels.
The volt reading on your multi meter should be close to or just under 60 volts.
The inverter is the first place to check to make sure your solar energy system is working properly.
24 7 real time monitoring the solar analytics smart monitor keeps track of your solar energy system s performance in real time live five second data and measures against a number of benchmarks including local weather data.
Remember that even a little shading on a couple panels in a string can cause a big dip in production for that string.
While solar panels work on cloudy and rainy days their output won t match that on clear sunny days.
A green light on your inverter means your system is functioning properly.
