Solar Panels Not Working after Settlement

Swiper on 05/01/2020 - 09:28

Hi Everyone,

I purchased a new home in March last year and settled on the property in September. The house has 10 solar panels in which we have been trying to determine if they work. It is an older system with a small screen display that is weathered, so we could not see anything in the inverter indicating that are on and working.

We had been told by both Jemena and our electricity provider Energy Australia that they cannot tell us until we revive our first bill. It is a True Value Solar system and they have since ceased operations in Australia.

The bill has just arrived and unfortunately there nothing on there relating to solar rebates. I have checked a number of times to see if I turned them in properly and I have as it's fairly straight forward.

On another note, just before settlement the vendor advised the central heating had stopped working and they replaced the entire unit (as these should be reasonably expected to be working at handover). I see the solar panels system as being no different, particularly if it's not working and they were previously aware of this and failed to disclose.

My question now is, what recourse do I have to get these working from the vendor as the house was advertised and sold with solar panels? I have contacted my solicitor who is currently on holidays, but thought I'd also get some feedback from the very helpful Ozbargain Community.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Home & Garden Solar Energy System

Comments

  • Nugs on 05/01/2020 - 09:39
    +23

    what did the pre purchase inspection show?
    .

            • [Deactivated] on 05/01/2020 - 11:16
              +6

              @Typical16-bitEnjoyer: So you'd do 50 pre purchase inspections? No you wouldn't. It's just showing your hand to the estate agent. Anyone with half a brain can tell if a house is solid or not. That's what a viewing is for.

              • Ocker on 05/01/2020 - 13:06
                +3

                @[Deactivated]: So at a viewing are you going to crawl under the house to do a sub-floor check for termites, condition of the stumps, etc?

          • TEER3X on 05/01/2020 - 11:04

            @[Deactivated]: what real estate dip?

            any person (dumb or smart) would have made a truck ton of money buying a house in the last 5 years.

            lucky for you, you didn't buy a lemon.

            • [Deactivated] on 05/01/2020 - 11:15

              @TEER3X: Oh yeah, there hasn't been a dip at all.

      • Spam Service on 05/01/2020 - 22:48
        +9

        I would think that 'most' people put a building inspection as a condition of the contract. That way you're only inspecting the ones who's bid you've won, and you can choose to back-out of the contract if the inspection goes sour. The few hundred on a several hundred thousand dollar purchase is definitely worth it.

        • B00k on 06/01/2020 - 08:25
          +8

          As far as I know, you can only add conditions during a private sale. Purchase at auction is unconditional.

          • geoffs87 on 06/01/2020 - 14:45
            +3

            @B00k: Correct.

            Edit - this is why, in my opinion, strata, building, pest reports should all be compulsorily provided by the vendor, from a trustworthy source.

            These companies are making so much money off multiple buyers wasting money doing reports on properties they haven’t bought.

            I reckon I’ve spent nearly $5k on strata reports over the years, and I’ve avoided probably 3 properties due to information within. I’ve been one of at least 4 buyers at every auction I’ve attended, so you would estimate at least $15k were spent on reports for those 20 properties. If the vendors paid for them, it would have saved buyers ~$5k each at a cost of $250 per seller. Just a joke really. I’ve gotten to the point now where Unless I’m extremely interested in a property I won’t entertain unless there’s a complimentary strata report provided.

            PS - what’s even worse is when it’s provided by the agent/seller, but you still have to pay $100-150 for it!

            • Amour on 08/01/2020 - 00:50
              +1

              @geoffs87: I’m the same. Spent far too much money being diligent only to end up being a spectator at an auction. In the end I refused to buy at auction unless building and pest etc was provided.

  • cloudy on 05/01/2020 - 09:43
    +46

    From memory of other similar posts of not working appliances, the general consensus is, assume everything in the house is not working when buying a house (or something similar).

    When I bought my house, it came with security system, when settled, I asked about the code to unlock and operate it, but never gotten a response,and no one was willing to help, lawyer said contact real estate agent, real estate agent didn’t respond, no one cares after settlement. And cost to pursue these issues are not worth while.

    So my advice is,when buying a house, assume everything is broken.

    • JimmyF on 05/01/2020 - 14:20
      +4

      So my advice is,when buying a house, assume everything is broken.

      Well maybe not everything, but yes I agree, expect a few 'repairs' and replacements at least that maybe you thought might not have needed doing. Things like dishwashers and ovens/stove are common to need repairs or replacing as well as locks being rekeyed are another one.

      no one cares after settlement.

      I once purchased a place and the old owners took the smoke alarms out between sale and settlement, but left the roof brackets (why!, I have no idea). But you are right, I raised this issue along with a few missing 'keys' to some locks and no one cares, the sale is done, they all have their money.

      Didn't bother me that much, I put new ones in that I knew worked, and got all the locks changed etc, just wanted some keys to make the task a bit easier :)

      • Ti-au on 06/01/2020 - 18:23
        +2

        I am always surprised why people don't get a change of locks when buying, or even worse, taking back a rental to live in.

      • drfuzzy on 07/01/2020 - 23:35

        The smoke detectors are a fixture and these should have stayed. You have recourse for those, although if they are the $10 battery type - it seems hardly worth it.

        The OP has no recourse if the purchase is of a second hand home. OP says it is a "new home", but then goes on to say the solar panels are older? I assume it is a second hand house, in which case the OP likely received exactly what they purchased and did not test - broken solar panels.

    • 2Poor4Ozb on 06/01/2020 - 22:56

      no, you should be checking everything before the handover and ask them to repair it or deduct some money away. When I bought my house I check everything in every room in details.

      • Brianqpr on 07/01/2020 - 10:44

        Ideally yes but in markets where competition is high among buyers not always practical.

      • drfuzzy on 07/01/2020 - 23:37

        No point checking at hand over unless you can prove it has changed condition since the contract date. You need to check before the contract is unconditional.

  • whooah1979 on 05/01/2020 - 09:51
    +18

    settled on the property in September

    Properties are sold as is. It is a bit late trying to kick up a stink after four months.

  • MS Paint on 05/01/2020 - 09:54
    +79

    Get a sparky out who works on solar systems to diagnose and potentially fix.

    Pay said sparky.

    Move on.

    /thread

    • Jackson on 06/01/2020 - 22:52

      Someone up vote this guy seriously

  • elgrande on 05/01/2020 - 10:01
    +19

    It was your responsibility to ensure it worked prior to settlement. There is no recourse.

    You are lucky they told you about the heating and fixed it!!

  • nephilim on 05/01/2020 - 10:23

    You can ask your retailer for a early meter read, not sure why energy Australia lied to you.

  • Melb69 on 05/01/2020 - 10:29
    +3

    You have made an assumption that the owner knew the panels were not working. Did you get a pre inspection done or check these things by a Builder or yourself? If this had been done then you would know whether it was working or not and then had some compensation, but even still it could have just failed the day you moved in. Have you had an electrician with solar install experience check the system? Have you actually advised to the energy supplier that you have solar panels and applied rebates accordingly. Just because you have solar panels means nothing unless paperwork is applied for. There's not going to be any rebate either because the system isn't working or you haven't applied.

    https://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/unavoidable…

    Maybe see if Truevalue can check system if CS still available.

    Don't want to be harsh, but as always why is it always everyone elses fault when the buyer suddenly finds an possible issue(which hasn't even been confirmed by a specialist contractor yet). Its called doing due diligence. Gee your giving up a lot of money and just when Oh ok ill take it without checking it properly and then think she'll be right mate. Buyer beware in future.

  • DashCam AKA Rolts on 05/01/2020 - 10:30
    +18

    Does the property have a smart electricity meter?
    Do you have an agreement with your energy provider regarding feed in to the grid? If not, your panels will not be enabled by your energy provider; that is they may be functional but not operative. Solar panels, even old systems, have a life expectancy of 20 to 25 years.
    When our system was installed a number of years ago, our panels were not operative until we had a signed agreement to be an energy provider.
    The previous owners' agreement does not transfer with ownership of the property as far as I am aware. You need to enter into an agreement with your energy provider. The conditions of this agreement may be quite different to the one with the previous owner.

    • Ocker on 05/01/2020 - 13:08
      +1

      Correct advice

      • JimmyF on 05/01/2020 - 14:13
        -2

        If correct, you mean by all wrong, then yes.

    • JimmyF on 05/01/2020 - 14:12
      -3

      Does the property have a smart electricity meter?

      OP is in VIC, everyone house has a smart meter here

      Do you have an agreement with your energy provider regarding feed in to the grid?

      Not needed, its the property that is enabled.

      When our system was installed a number of years ago, our panels were not operative until we had a signed agreement to be an energy provider.

      Yeah no, you didn't sign a agreement, all new systems are not enabled until its been inspected and turned on. One time only.

      The previous owners' agreement does not transfer with ownership of the property as far as I am aware.

      You are wrong.

      • DashCam AKA Rolts on 05/01/2020 - 16:14
        +4

        Sorry to disagree, but my feed in tariff of 58.2c per kWh is not transferrable. If I sold my place, the new owner would not be eligible for this rate.

        And yes I did sign an agreement re energy generation.

        • brendanm on 05/01/2020 - 17:04
          -1

          Your extra fit has nothing whatsoever to do with a normal fit, and whether the system works.

          • DashCam AKA Rolts on 05/01/2020 - 17:15
            +1

            @brendanm: My reply was in respect to the previous comments saying that I hadn't signed an agreement with the energy provider, and by implication, may have had some relevance to the situation. Not all households are on the current offers re FIT. Older FIT agreements may not carry over to a new occupier. Surely something to check out, to ensure the cessation of a generation agreement has led to deactivation of the site's PV cells.

            • brendanm on 05/01/2020 - 17:38
              +2

              @DashCam AKA Rolts: You can't "deactivate" the panels. Op would still be feeding into the grid, just not getting payed for it. As I stated in another comments pretty easy to tell if your panels are working by using your eyes and looking at the meter.

        • JimmyF on 05/01/2020 - 17:20
          +1

          Sorry to disagree, but my feed in tariff of 58.2c per kWh is not transferrable

          Looks like you're on one of the shoulder PFIT rates when they started to phase out the good ones. Who told you that its not transferable? as they had been wrong.

          Older FIT agreements may not carry over to a new occupier

          The OP is based in VIC, and the VIC gov would disagree with you.

          The PFIT is linked to the property where the solar panels are installed, so when moving house you cannot take the PFIT with you. But any house which is signed up to the premium scheme will remain eligible until 2024, even if the house is sold and new residents move in.

          https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/renewable-energy/victorian-fee…

          • DashCam AKA Rolts on 05/01/2020 - 17:27

            @JimmyF: Fair enough, my experience is in South Australia, and I only have my own experience and documentation to go by.

            • JimmyF on 05/01/2020 - 18:44
              +1

              @DashCam AKA Rolts:

              my experience is in South Australia, and I only have my own experience and documentation to go by.

              Same, same…..SA is the same as VIC.

              https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/energy-and-environment/energy-b…

            • kickling on 05/01/2020 - 23:43
              +3

              @DashCam AKA Rolts: I am in Adelaide. Solar system installed 2011. I purchased the house in 2016. 44 cents FIT agreement stays with the property.

              Not sure what documentation you are looking at, but JimmyF's document is correct :

              If you are moving out of your home, your solar PV system's eligibility for solar feed-in payments will be available to the new occupant, assuming they meet the eligibility criteria. You cannot take your payment amounts with you, as they belong to the address of the solar PV system.

              • Ti-au on 06/01/2020 - 18:25
                -1

                @kickling: It can depend on the State and the region (city v country, etc).

                • JimmyF on 06/01/2020 - 19:08
                  +1

                  @Ti-au:

                  It can depend on the State

                  Sure what state doesn't have it?

                  city v country

                  haha nope

                  Gee looking at the votes on this thread, lots of dumb people who have no idea how the PFIT works and what its linked to. It is true, they walk among us.

                • kickling on 06/01/2020 - 22:55

                  @Ti-au: Please provide documentation stating that Country/Regional FIT has a variation to City/Metro within any State. I am interested to know more about this.

  • spal on 05/01/2020 - 10:39
    -4

    You are lucky that the old system isn’t working. Get a new system. It would be much more efficient and you should be able to better meet your energy needs. Old 10 panel system, with a history of faults after repairs would probably still generate about one third of a new and bigger system.

    • Melb69 on 05/01/2020 - 10:46
      +4

      OP should check how old the system is. Panels are meant to have a life span of 20-25years. A good maintenance check would be worth doing. Get the panels cleaned properly and check all systems working. Before forking out for new ones. IMO

      • lgacb08 on 05/01/2020 - 15:33

        thing is, with 10 panel system described it's very likely to be small sub 200w panel and will be grossly inadequate for daily consumption, let alone exporting to grid. Most houses nowaday can easily fit a system double that size. Even if it were working, the savings will be negligible (couple hundred bucks a year at most with no warranty it won't break in another year). The cost to fix existing system will be in the 1-2 grand easy, and for a bit more OP can get a brand new one that give him enough power and FIT.

        The only case it might worth looking at is the system eligible for premium FIT (60c/kwh), even in that case OP will find himself in the dilemna of not using all his solar generation during the day so he can earn 60c, especially if he got someone that stay home all day because it's very easy to use up that 60c per kwh during the day for such small system.

        • KaTst3R on 05/01/2020 - 16:31
          -3

          From memory, a house needs about 40 panels to totally offset a small family's consumption. 10 panel system is just inadequate.

          • readeral on 06/01/2020 - 21:48

            @KaTst3R: We (a family of 3) have an 16 panel 5.36kW system, which puts our power bill in credit each month. Far cry short of 40 panels, as number of panels means nothing without the panel specs to go with it.

            But given OPs panels are older tech and will have reduced performance, they won't be anywhere near the 335W my panels output.

            But with new panels, 10 could still be adequate for a single/couple, generating 3.3kWs.

        • serpserpserp on 05/01/2020 - 16:33
          +2

          I get what you are saying. But if the cost to fix is low it is worth keeping the system until it is kaput. I can't imagine how environmentally unfriendly it is to scrap a almost working solar system for a brand new one.

          • lgacb08 on 05/01/2020 - 21:05

            @serpserpserp: based on OP description (system commissioned by True value solar) it's very high chance that the gear is cheap and cost of fixing won't be cheap, even get someone out to do the proper diagnosis is gonna cost him a few hundred easy. I agree with your sentiment that going green (solar) we should care for the environment and not wasting these electronic bits but the way labour cost is going in this country and how tradies and their regulatory agencies colluding to rip off consumer in the name of safety, that's the sensible way doing it without breaking our banks.

            In saying that OP can just get a bit more infor here for the community to help him with diagnosis and point him to the right direction, before committing to pay someone to do a proper diagnosis and fixing the system. He just need to be aware that the scenario I pointed out is very common one and be prepared for it.

          • Ti-au on 06/01/2020 - 18:29
            +1

            @serpserpserp:

            I can't imagine how environmentally unfriendly it is to scrap a almost working solar system for a brand new one.

            Haha, wait until we have solar waste issues - I read an estimate of 65+ million panels by 2050.
            Hopefully not, but….

            • Euphemistic on 07/01/2020 - 20:43

              @Ti-au: That’s a massive amount of resources that someone will work out how to mine. After all it’s a heck of a lot cheaper to collect precious metals etc from on a rooftop than dig it out of the ground.

              • Ti-au on 12/01/2020 - 13:40

                @Euphemistic: Considering about 1% of solar panels are metal I doubt that, plus the most valuable commodity in a solar panel, silver is being used less and less.

                Basically it comes down to this - today recycling costs more than the economic value of the materials recovered
                So really the only solution is Parliamentary action. The real worry is overseas dumping because solar panels can be extremely toxic - already 60-90% of e-waste is (usually illegally) dumped in poor nations

        • bmerigan on 06/01/2020 - 21:22

          10 panels would be 2kW or so right? My power use during the day is less than that. 7PM is a different story…

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 05/01/2020 - 11:00

    Caveat Emptor.

  • bloom on 05/01/2020 - 11:41
    +7

    That setup is small, old, cheap and installed by a pack of clowns. Turn it off and take it down, did the same on my place

    Sell it on gumtree for $100

  • brendanm on 05/01/2020 - 12:04

    It was too hard to look at your electricity meter one day, then check it the next day and see if the feed in had changed?

    At any rate, simply put a new system on.

  • cjbowden on 05/01/2020 - 13:53
    +1

    If you had a clause in your contract that all appliances inc Solar were working, then you will have a chance of some compensation. If not, houses are sold as-is, so if the Solar was not working when you inspected it, then it doesn't have to be rectified by the previous owner. If by chance the solar was working when you initially viewed the house and stopped working between contract signing and settlement, the owner should have fixed it, but you will never know.

  • JimmyF on 05/01/2020 - 14:09
    +1

    I see the solar panels system as being no different, particularly if it's not working and they were previously aware of this and failed to disclose.

    You're in VIC, they don't need to disclose if anything working or not. All homes are sold as is and its up to you to check. Maybe the solar hasn't been working for years and they never knew, most people don't check these things.

    what recourse do I have to get these working from the vendor as the house was advertised and sold with solar panels?

    None…… Your house has solar panels on it. Did they advertise them as working or just included?

    Any advice would be much appreciated!

    Check the breakers are all on for the solar panels, there might even be one on the roof, so check that as well.

    Otherwise call in a company that deals in solar to see what they say as this

    a small screen display that is weathered, so we could not see anything in the inverter indicating that are on and working.

    Sounds like the inverter has died or the main breaker is turned off to it.

    Breakers are easy to fix, turn them on and away you go.

    • Ti-au on 06/01/2020 - 18:30
      -1

      Inverters are expensive.

      • JimmyF on 06/01/2020 - 19:09

        and thats related to my comment how? Doesn't change the facts.

        • Ti-au on 06/01/2020 - 21:36

          Sounds like the inverter has died or the main breaker is turned off to it.

          Breakers are easy to fix, turn them on and away you go.

          You mentioned Breakers price, you didn't mention inverters price. I did.

          and thats how its related to your comment.

          • JimmyF on 06/01/2020 - 21:55

            @Ti-au:

            You mentioned Breakers price,

            No I didn't mention price…..

            I said about turning the breaker on and off, nothing about price.

            • Ti-au on 06/01/2020 - 22:11

              @JimmyF: Well repairing a breaker is cheap (turning it on/off is even cheaper - just opportunity cost), repairing an inverter is usually not.

  • CalmLemons on 05/01/2020 - 14:17
    +3

    It would be cheaper just to get a sparky who does solar panels to go out there and fix it.

    Good lucky trying to get anything done after settlement especially after so long.

    It's going to be a matter of he says she says, you would need to be able to prove that the solar panels weren't working on the day of settlement.

  • [Deactivated] on 05/01/2020 - 15:34
    +3

    The system you have is probably not worth having let alone fixing because solar has improved so much.
    Ten years ago it was $15,000 for 1.5kW. Its more like 6kW for $3500 now.

    • Ocker on 05/01/2020 - 15:51

      In my archives I have a quote from April 2010 for a 6.3kW system for the grand sum of $39,886 - after deducting the RECS

      • MS Paint on 05/01/2020 - 16:25

        Holy solar panels batman

      • serpserpserp on 05/01/2020 - 16:34
        +8

        Did that cost involve rotating your house for the optimal position of the panels? ;)

        • Ocker on 05/01/2020 - 16:41

          Crazy eh!
          Quote states the expected output of 8,934 kWh p.a. At our current electricity cost of $0.16/kWh the payback would be just on 28 years.

          • Rialonda on 05/01/2020 - 17:39

            @Ocker: Much less on PFIT rates. Closer to 10yrs.

          • lgacb08 on 05/01/2020 - 21:08
            +1

            @Ocker: actually if you committed to that quote you'll be likely to cashing in tax free money for a while now. there's post on whirlpool about this group

  • kriddy on 05/01/2020 - 17:36
    +1

    Do you have a smart meter? You can check export on register 5 and compare with your electricity bill.

    Former owners may have installed solar, but never had it ‘officially’ connected to the grid, in which case you’d need an electrician to provide a certificate of electrical safety to your distributor and they’d complete a simple remote meter reconfiguration.

    It may also be worth checking if you have a zero export system, in which case the demand from the grid would be lower, but you wouldn’t see any export on your bill.

    If your retailer/distributor aren’t helping you can open a case with the electricity and water ombudsman.

  • legs on 05/01/2020 - 18:51

    Have you read your meter to see if the system is generating any power? This should be the first step. Check during the day when the system would normally be working.

    If your system is working, then it's possible that your power retailer has stuffed up your first bill. This happened to me when I first connected when buying a house. The energy retailer didn't read/record the meter reading correctly and my first bill had nothing on there in relation to solar feed-in. I resolved this by calling them and they re-issued the bill with the correct solar feed-in details.

    You should also find out what solar feed-in tariff you are on. For example, in South Australia a solar system approved between July 2008 and August 2010 has a 44c per kWh distributor feed-in tariff (in addition to whatever tariff the retailer also pays). If you do not upgrade or alter your system, your 44c per kWh distributor feed-in tariff will continue until 30 June 2028. This may make your existing system, even if smaller than most new installs, more economical but this can vary depending on your household usage, etc. Do your research and don't just take advice on here as the comments above saying to just replace the entire system don't take this into account at all. Do note that one benefit of replacing an entire system is minimum safety standards have changed over the years (e.g. issues with rooftop DC isolators).

    As an example, say AGL currently pays a retailer tariff of 16.3c per kWh in SA. If you upgrade your system now you may receive only this tariff as opposed to say 44c per kWh with an older system under the older distribution tariff. The cost/benefit analysis of this would vary depending on which state you live in, your household usage, your energy retailer, costs of upgrading/replacing, etc.

    There are a number of components in a residential solar system. The inverter, solar array mounting racking and the actual solar panels being some of these. Being that your inverter seems to be extremely weathered and has no visible display it's likely the inverter has packed it in but the panels and the rest of the system may still be fine.

    My solar inverter had a complete failure last year. It was a relay issue which for this particular model meant a new replacement was required. For my household use case, simply replacing the inverter on my existing 3kW system much more economical than forking out $$ to upgrade to a new system of even double the size. Buying a new inverter for me and retaining my existing system was more economical than replacing with a newer, larger, system because of my favourable feed-in rate. In my case the cost to replace my inverter was around $800 including install by a licensed electrician. There are a number of inverter options including top quality ones for thousands (e.g. Fronius) or cheaper brands such as Growatt.

    Summary:

    1. Check the meter to see if the system is actually generating any power.
    2. If it is, then check that your power retailer hasn't stuffed up a meter reading or the bill.

    If it isn't then:

    1. Refer above comment re: zero export system vs. grid connected. Worthwhile checking, however I thought zero export systems are pretty rare, particularly with older systems where a lot of the payback modelling was via distributor tariffs?
    2. Fault-find the system. Has the inverter just packed it in? Find a licensed professional to assist as mentioned in an earlier comment.
    3. Decide on what to do next in terms of either repairing or replacing the system. Take into account tariffs and costs of replacement or upgrading.
  • brad1-8tsi on 05/01/2020 - 18:51

    You could get a sparky to check it. Would cost ~$100.

    10 panels won't be a huge system. 2.5kw at best. A good, entry level 6.6kw system is ~$4k so is it worth pursuing when you could upgrade or install 6.6kw in parallel and probably get the other fixed for ~$500 (it will be the inverter). NB: It's very likely the inverter is still under warranty if the manufacturer is still active in Australia.

    • cloudy on 06/01/2020 - 21:02

      You could get a sparky to check it. Would cost ~$100.

      you mean $100 to drive to your house and say hi, lol

      I remember the sparky that installed mine, he said call out alone is $180, that's before lifting a finger

      • brad1-8tsi on 07/01/2020 - 08:35
        +1

        I would think prices vary depending on area and relationship with the electrician. $180 is at the higher end of the scale IMO.

        • cloudy on 07/01/2020 - 08:56

          Fair enough, I think, only from hearing stories of others and experience of my own, this is pretty standard pricing in Melb.

          I honestly think it’s a rip off, and 100 is more fair.

          • brad1-8tsi on 07/01/2020 - 09:10

            @cloudy: I've been dealing with a few sparkies lately.

            Emergency/rush jobs are expensive but if it's a booking then $80-100 was the range and that included the first 15 mins. labour rate was $110-$140hr. For the work I wanted there was no call out as it was 1 days work and could be done anytime.

  • lltravel on 05/01/2020 - 21:47

    lol you didn't get a pre-inspection check and now expect some sort of reimbursement

    Your contract would have conditions on it. If it doesn't then tough luck

  • Trying2SaveABuck on 05/01/2020 - 22:08
    +1

    As someone who had been shafted during settlement with appliances not working and battled to no end to get some sort of compensation

    i ended up learning if this line isnt in the contract "all appliances and features must be in good working order" if you dont have that added then you pretty much are f**ked the system hates buys and landlords

    To all the keyboard warriors ranting about pre-purchase building inspections you either are idiot or someone who works in real estate that uses that excuse to continue dodgy practices. It is impossible to get a pre-building inspection these days the sells have all the power and unless money really isnt an issue you simply couldnt afford to get a inspection for every house you conisder buying

    I hate to say it mate but you probably dont have a leg to stand on -

    NOTE: it is pretty shady if they 'advertised' the property with solar panels on it but they legally can get away with it if you dont have a working order clause in the contract - same thing happening to me with the oven when i purchased a house with a 10k oven in it that didnt work.

    If you ask me the industry needs a huge change RE agents are f**ken next level dodgy the system lets them get away with it

    • Slippery Fish on 07/01/2020 - 08:39

      I remember that thread! I was like wow a 10k oven out a give you some magical food lol.

      • Trying2SaveABuck on 07/01/2020 - 11:17

        I ended up calling the manufacturer and getting the damaged parts replaced cost my around $1100 with the labour but was much cheaper then replacing the whole unit

        Have to admit it works really good, personally i wouldnt pay for an oven this expensive if i was building but the quality is there

  • whooah1979 on 06/01/2020 - 02:18
    +1

    The easiest way to check is to use a volt stick/pen or clamp. They're inductive volt testers and are perfectly safe to use on energised services. Read the manual before using them.

    You can also use service locator/detector.

  • knhchris on 06/01/2020 - 07:15
    +1

    I work in Solar and here is my 2 cents:
    1) Getting a solar monitoring - there are some monitors that shows you how much you should be producing depending on certain weather and also notifies you when the system is down. I know some good providers but just google around so that you have a better understanding of it yourself.
    2) when a monitor is installed, you will have some idea of what to do next.
    If your system is not working, it would be most likely be due to inverter failure. There are other causes of failure but I won’t be able to tell you as I don’t have much info.

    Solar Monitor costs money but I think it’s worth the money (just google around).

    If you want an electrician to get it checked, I suggest hiring a CEC accredited electrician because they have experience with solar compared to hiring an electrician who is highly likely to be guessing on what is wrong with the system.

    • knhchris on 06/01/2020 - 07:25

      P.S. you could call a company that sells Solar and see if they are willing to advice you. They will probably charge you though.
      Just ask them you are not sure what’s happening and you just want it to work, just want the solar to save you money.

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