diy solar

diy solar

My Signature Solar Experience (not good)

Nice to know that SS is getting better at customer service.
Not so nice is the problems the products are giving even though there have been repeated occurrences of the same problems.
 
So disgusted said:
The Company Signature Solar has been a nightmare for our family. Our 86 year old daddy built his dream retirement home by putting a small travel trailer beside my sister’s house. At first he had electric power by connecting to an old house on their property, but when the house was torn down, he was facing a cost of $5,000 to run power to his small travel trailer. We decided to explore off grid solar. A local company bought a Growatt inverter, some solar panels, and a battery through Signature Solar. Around June of 2023 we got it installed. Later we added another battery. In all we spent $11,000 in materials and $1,000 for installation. The local technician would come and set things up, but problems would arise, and they would have to send things back. Almost every time he has had to deal with warrantyt issues with Signature Solar it has taken months to get it resolved. We waited the months of December and January to get 2 batteries replaced. We have been waiting since February to get a faulty inverter replaced. We are still waiting. Currently the CEO of Signature Solar is “investigating” the problem. My Dad hasn’t been able to use his travel trailer since June of 2023 because of this company. If any good lawyers are reading this please contact me.
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That's not a cool location for that growatt out in the open air to the elements . They like a little protection from my experience. Expect fan failures soon maybe other types as well. (guessing that a 6k).
These below their 2 I would say do not react to moisture and dust too nicely even though the features may say so.
 
Mahendra Gomanie said:
That's not a cool location for that growatt out in the open air to the elements . They like a little protection from my experience. Expect fan failures soon maybe other types as well. (guessing that a 6k).
These below their 2 I would say do not react to moisture and dust too nicely even though the features may say so.
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I might add the supplied cables for the lifepo4 batteries are not ideal for that connection on the 6k.
It's 8awg if I recall correctly.
Those cables were designed to work with SS battery rack that has a large bus for battery connections.
You might want to relook some of those installations.
Its a shame your dad can't enjoy the comfort of that system.
 
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robby said:
There should be a basic wiring diagram. (Period!)
It should be supplied by the Manufacturer but since the Chinese companies they deal with are not supplying them with it, then they should not be selling it. If they still choose to sell it and become their US distributor then the responsibility now lies with them to provide one.

You do realize that without proper Neutral and Grounding system it is possible for a person to get electrocuted in their bath tub or have their gas supply catch on fire and explode even though they may think the system is wired properly and everything seems to be working properly.

The same thing goes for their batteries. If they are going to make claims of 100A capable and then on the same line say 30 Amp recommended, that is a Red Herring. If they are going to say it work in closed loop mode and then sell batteries without even knowing if it works, then that is very dishonest.

In several States just to putting up Panels requires a NABCEP certified Installer and your not going to find a certified electrician or Installer that is going to sign off on an installation unless it meets your States codes. You can most certainly do what you want in some States so long as your not Grid tied but that does not mean your off the hook should a fire break out or if somebody gets injured. Your Insurance company is going to most likely going to reject your claim once they see the Fire Dept forensic report and find out that a non UL Listed DIY installed inverter was the cause of the fire or injuries.

SS is most certainly catering to the DIY market which is something they have stated from the beginning.
I find a DIY marketing campaign followed by Please Get a Qualified Installer and Electrician to be somewhat contradictory.DIY should come designed or pre -installed .
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I always ask myself the same question.
Most of these are not DIY. Maybe easier but not DIY
 
😆I was trying not to be too direct.
but it is what it is.
And as I said the nicer the environment the longer they last, the better they function.
 
SignatureSolarJess said:
@So disgusted

Okay! I've investigated this. Your unit was only returned to our facility by your representative at Solar & Air Supply on 5/1. Previous to this, our team could only wait for the return. The unit is currently being tested by our tech bench and I have reached out to our specialist over there for an update on the status. I will be sending you an email with an update shortly, and thereafter, I will hasten the process to get this taken care of as soon as possible. I have also reached out to our installer department manager to contact your installer to find out what took so long for them to get it to us to avoid this in the future. We completely understand the stress of not having electricity and we absolutely do care that this is the case. We will do all we can to help get your family back up and running ASAP!
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Sarah fixed me up quickly. Hopefully she will get you on top of the list.
 
Last edited:
It's a bit weird that some obvious issues weren't observed or dealt with.
This is a lot of frustration.
That's one expensive install for that kind of work.
You might want to peek at the solar panels just to be sure you got your money's worth and it won't fly off or something.
(Saw some guys clipping MC4 connectors and using wire nuts and tape on PV cables to save a buck. Not to alarm you but installers look like those kinda guys)
 
houseofancients said:
No, and OP is spanning EVERY solar group on FB.

Btw installer installed this inverter outdoor on an porch..
This isn't an outdoor inverter
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I came here to say this. OP is blaming Signature Solar when they need to hold their installer accountable for doing a horrible job. I'm surprised Signature Solar is even honoring the warranty after OP posted proof of how the products were mounted (outdoor with no protection). The inverter and batteries are NOT rated for permanent outdoor install. OP is saying how they would like to take Signature Solar to court...they need to take their installer to court. Hardware that is not rated for outdoor install will fail very quickly when exposed to the elements like this.
 
So disgusted said:
The Company Signature Solar has been a nightmare for our family. Our 86 year old daddy built his dream retirement home by putting a small travel trailer beside my sister’s house. At first he had electric power by connecting to an old house on their property, but when the house was torn down, he was facing a cost of $5,000 to run power to his small travel trailer. We decided to explore off grid solar. A local company bought a Growatt inverter, some solar panels, and a battery through Signature Solar. Around June of 2023 we got it installed. Later we added another battery. In all we spent $11,000 in materials and $1,000 for installation. The local technician would come and set things up, but problems would arise, and they would have to send things back. Almost every time he has had to deal with warranty issues with Signature Solar it has taken months to get it resolved. We waited the months of December and January to get 2 batteries replaced. We have been waiting since February to get a faulty inverter replaced. We are still waiting. Currently the CEO of Signature Solar is “investigating” the problem. My Dad hasn’t been able to use his travel trailer since June of 2023 because of this company. If any good lawyers are reading this please contact me.
Click to expand...
The picture says it all. None of that equipment is outdoor rated so I'm surprised it lasted long at all. You should be going after your "installer" for a resolution as none of this is the fault of Signature Solar.
 
featherlite said:
Does the above mean that it took the installer from February to May (i.e., three months) to send the inverter unit to Signature Solar"?
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It sounds like there was troubleshooting attempted but the unit was decommissioned before it could be completed, therefore the unit typically could not be returned for warranty but we have since bypassed this policy to assist the customer and the unit is being tested in tech bench as we speak :)
 
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