Palmetto solar energy systems are highly efficient and typically require little to no maintenance. That said, it is best practice to keep an eye on your system so you notice any changes in efficiency.
As a Palmetto customer, you can easily monitor your system performance on your solar dashboard, available in your Palmetto account or the Palmetto App. If you notice a dramatic change in system performance, there are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot your system before you reach out to Support. In most cases, issues can be resolved with a simple system reset.
How to identify issues
To monitor your system performance, log in to your Palmetto account and select the Dashboard, where you can track production by day, week, and month. This will help you identify any potential issues with the system. While solar energy systems rarely go offline on their own, there are a few scenarios such as power outages or grid failures that may cause your system to shut down.
Follow the simple steps below to reset your solar energy system.
How to reset your system
To reset your solar energy system, you’ll follow the simple (and likely familiar) sequence of any hard reset: turn everything off, wait a few minutes, and then start it all up again!
STEP 1: Turn off your solar inverter or IQ combiner
Your solar inverter may be located next to your electrical panel, your meter, or your AC disconnect. Look for a white box labeled “Solaredge” or a large grey box labeled “Enphase”
If you have a Solaredge inverter:
Look for a small red toggle on the bottom of your inverter or inverters and move to the “0” or OFF position.
Then, find the black circular switch on your inverter, or inverters, and rotate to the OFF position.
Once complete, the green and blue bulbs on the side of the box should be OFF.
If you have more than one inverter, you may have a subpanel. Repeat the steps above for each inverter. Then, locate the subpanel (typically installed near the inverter) and flip all breakers to the OFF position.
If you have an Enphase IQ Combiner:
Open the box. You should see 2-5 breakers.
Flip all breakers away from the center, to the OFF position.
Once complete, the green bulbs at the top of the box should be OFF.
STEP 2: Turn off your AC Disconnect
In most cases, your AC Disconnect will be adjacent to your electricity meter. Look for a small metal box with a large switch or handle on the side.
Once located, pull the handle down to the OFF position.
STEP 3: Turn off the solar breaker in your electrical panel
Start by locating your main electrical panel or breaker box - typically a grey panel placed in a low-traffic area such as your basement, garage, utility closet, or outside.
Once located, open the cover and look for a breaker switch marked “PV Solar Breaker” (PV meaning photovoltaic). It should be clearly labeled with a red sticker.
If you do not see a PV Solar Breaker, skip to the next step. Not all homes will have one.
If you do, turn the breaker to the OFF position.
STEP 4: Wait
Now that you’ve turned everything off, give the system a few minutes to rest before restarting the components. We typically recommend a 3-5 minute wait.
STEPS 5-7: Turn your system components back on
Once 3-5 minutes have passed, you can begin to trace back through the steps above.
STEP 5: Turn on your PV Solar Breaker
If you located a PV Solar Breaker in your electrical panel in STEP 3 above, turn the breaker to the ON position. As a reminder: It should be clearly labeled with a red sticker.
If you did not locate a PV Solar Breaker in your electrical panel in STEP 3 above, skip to STEP 6.
STEP 6: Turn on your AC Disconnect
Relocated your AC Disconnect and lift the handle to the ON position.
STEP 7: Turn on your solar inverter or IQ combiner
Relocate your solar inverter or IQ combiner.
For SolarEdge:
If you identified multiple inverters and a subpanel in STEP 1 above, open your subpanel and flip all breakers to the ON position.
Turn the black circular switch on your inverter or inverters to the ON position.
Then, locate the small red toggle on the bottom of each solar inverter and move it to the far left or “P” position, before releasing the toggle.
When released, it should move to the “1” in the center of the toggle. This is the ON position.
It often takes about five minutes for the inverter to turn back on. Look for the green and blue bulbs to light up on the side. This indicates that your system is active!
For Enphase:
Flip all (3-5) breakers to the center or ON position.
When the IQ Combiner has connected successfully, the left-most light at the top of the box will be solid green.
How to know if the reset was successful
After a system reset, it can take up to 24 hours for new production data to appear on your Palmetto account or Palmetto App dashboard. New data is the best indicator of a successful reset.
How to request service
If you’ve completed the steps above and do not see production data after 24 hours, or if your new production data is significantly lower than expected, you may require additional maintenance services.
From your Palmetto Account, tap Service to request maintenance services, or Support to connect with our Customer Experience team.
If you’ve forgotten your password or do not have access to your Palmetto account and the Palmetto App, click here to submit a service request. You can also contact our Customer Experience team at 855-339-1831 or [email protected].