solar panel/inverter servicing in northamptonshire

dreaming

I am looking to get my 11 year old set-up serviced but the company I used no longer do solar. Does anyone have recommendations for this in Northamptonshire please? Or alternatively anyone to avoid? It still seems to be working well, with no noticeable drop in generation but it hasn't been serviced for some time. Thanks.

EricMears

What "servicing" do you think it needs ?

If it's been generating at approx same rate for 11 years,  what benefit might you expect from it being "serviced"

dreaming

OK - this might seem a bit "random" but my inverter is located in the loft and I can no longer access it due to disability, and having had no problems have had no reason to. In the last week or so however, I have noticed a low hum which seems to be inside the house (having gone outside several times to check), and having eliminated the boiler/fridge/freezer/kitchen extractor fan the only thing I can think of is that the inverter may be nearing the end of it's life and producing this noise. The only problem with that deduction (guess!) is that it tends to be at night when I hear the noise and so when no power is being generated. I live alone and have limited hearing (and I've also checled my hearing aids) but can't quite work out where the noise is coming from. I can hear it all over the bungalow at what seems to be the same level of noise, and because it also seems to be intermittent no visitors so far have heard it. So I thought that maybe it is the inverter so thought that maybe it should be serviced. If it not that then maybe a good psychologist is my next port of call

Martyn1981

My thoughts echoed Eric's, but I can see where you are coming from now. Apologies if teaching you to suck eggs, but is there any chance it's an issue with the hearing aid(s) / some kind of feedback?

Next suggestion perhaps is to ask a friend / neighbour to have a listen, but your point about nightime makes that harder.

But, given what you've said, and especially it being a bungalow, I can totally understand that a reasonably priced service / review may be a good idea, if only for peace of mind.

I've no idea what a service might cost, but so long as you don't get ripped off (perhaps £200 to 300ish?) then maybe it does make sense, contrary to my initial thoughts.

I'd hold of on the psychologist for now, but I would say that .... no I wouldn't! 

Keep_pedalling

One other possibility is tinnitus. 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tinnitus/

If the inverter is working OK the only thing you should possibly do is get the panels cleaned especially if you have any lichens growing on them. 

dreaming

Thank you all for your responses. I have checked my hearing aids, but actually hear the noise when I am not wearing them (they are more for when I am in busy/crowded spaces). I also did consider tinnitus but sort of ruled it out - I may look into it further. I do have moss on the roof (referring to the bungalow not myself - although? ) which my window cleaner said he will clean off for me this week but I don't know that he would want to clean the panels - is it difficult?I will ask him to listen out as he goes on the roof next to the chomney (which is where the inverter is placed in the attic). As I said in the original post, I was more looking for recommendations for a company that carries out this type of work as the people I contacted are no longer MCS registered. I did a google search for the area but obviously quite a few came up and so I was just wondering if anyone had used someone in the county. The people in the next street who also have solar are on holiday until just before Christmas but I was hoping to get it looked at before then.

Netexporter

The window cleaner should be able to clean the panels from the ground, on a bungalow, if he has one of those extending brush thingies.

EricMears

Seems unlikely that a hum only audible at night is coming from the solar power system ?

Perhaps next time you rear the hum you could switch off the system (surely installer provided some sort of easily accessible isolation switch) and see if the noise stops and comes back on again when reconnected.  Or even isolate the system just after sunset and switch it back on just before sunrise (both ends of day are convenient n December but don't try that in June    .

Afraid anyone asked to investigate an intermittent noise might be very tempted to recommend all sorts of (expensive) 'cures' with no guarantee that any would actually help.

dreaming

Netexporter said:

The window cleaner should be able to clean the panels from the ground, on a bungalow, if he has one of those extending brush thingies.

He is a traditional window cleaner with a bucket and chamois and noticed to moss on one side of the roof last week. He used to be a general builder so he said he would come back this week and clean the roof and gutters. I'll ask him if he feels comfortable cleaning the panels with my mop.

subjecttocontract

I'm not aware that there are any serviceable items with a solar inverter. They either work or they dont. At night, or evening the inverter won't be operating as there is no sunlight. I think the noise is unlikely to be the inverter and getting a firm over to look at it will likely result in them recommending one their shiny new inverters at a few hundred pounds. I'd suggest getting a handy man, friend, neighbour, family etc to check out the noise first.

dreaming

EricMears said:

Seems unlikely that a hum only audible at night is coming from the solar power system ?

Perhaps next time you rear the hum you could switch off the system (surely installer provided some sort of easily accessible isolation switch) and see if the noise stops and comes back on again when reconnected.  Or even isolate the system just after sunset and switch it back on just before sunrise (both ends of day are convenient n December but don't try that in June    .

Afraid anyone asked to investigate an intermittent noise might be very tempted to recommend all sorts of (expensive) 'cures' with no guarantee that any would actually help.

It isn't only at night - I heard it first thing this morning - but I think when the tv or radio is on, or I'm up and moving around, I don't notice it. Having said that, it does seem to be intermittent. The isolation switch is above the front door, which was easily accessible when it was first fitted. Then I had no problems shimmying up the stepladder to read the meter etc. but since then I have not only aged but been quite ill and now would not trust myself above the 1st step of the stepladder (I use an extendible selfie stick to take a picture of the meter reading). I am quite wary about just ringing a company "on spec" - I had anough of the crazy sales claims before I had the installation, which is why I went with the company I did. They were an established building firm local to me who had gone into the renewables market, but although the firm is still in operation as a building firm, they are no longer MCS registered. I admit I couldn't work out why any noise would be coming from the inverter when there is no generation taking place but then realised I had never had any servicing done, and some reports say inverters may only last a few years, so it's sort of a "well, let's get it checked out and see". To be honest I haven't really thought about it that much over the years - just banked the FIT payments, which as I said, seem to still be producing consistently.