System has Tesla inverter with 2x PW. Performed multiple resets, still no PV production. Call support — shocked that there was someone there on a Sunday. They stated that they could not communicate with the inverter. I logged in locally and do see WiFi connection and error 36 - DC Arc Fault. I also tried running the system with PW breakers off as well incase charging PWs is the problem. Still no PV production. Support has to escalate to Level 2. Anyone else ever get this issue?
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Woke up to no PV production - Error 36 - DC Arc Fault
- Thread starter Tim-in-CA
- Start date
Most likely causes are a bad MCI, or a poorly panel-to-panel or panel-to-MCI connection.
Unless you are an electrician or very handy I'd let the experts take care of it.
Unless you are an electrician or very handy I'd let the experts take care of it.
Finally was contacted by service team yesterday. Service appointment on 1-15; this will leave me with more than 2 weeks of no production. And, if it turns out inverter needs to be replaced, then I will have to wait again for service parts to come in. I'll update once I get diagnosis. Frustrating, but at least failure is during lowest production, I'm getting about 20kWH per day at this time.
el-guapin
Trust no One
FurryOne
Member
Turns out connection from panels to inverter was bad, they replaced all connections and system started right up. Fortunately my inverter didn’t need to be replaced.
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
Solar production on my Tesla array stopped abruptly today at 10am. Logged into the inverter this afternoon and was met with this error.
System is ~4 months old.
Case opened via app…. Awesome Tesla Service here we come…
System is ~4 months old.
Case opened via app…. Awesome Tesla Service here we come…
I had the Arc Fault error recently. I'm on my 3rd inverter since 2019. I live in sunny hot AZ, but this year has been abnormally hot for a record number of days and I recently had the Arc fault for the first time, not sure if it can be heat related. The last couple inverters were bad due to failed capacitors. The Arc fault was a 3x9A error or something like that, but on my Solaredge unit resetting it by turning it off and on didn't fix it, nor did turning off the breakers and service disconnect. What did fix the fault on mine though was to push and hold the little toggle over to the right for a few seconds to reset it. My Solaredge has a P I 0 on it and a toggle switch below it, and the normal position is the I, so I had to move it to the 0 while holding it over for a few seconds, and then putting it back on I allowed it to reboot and after a few minutes, production started again. I did that about 3 weeks ago and it has been working since.
Solar production on my Tesla array stopped abruptly today at 10am. Logged into the inverter this afternoon and was met with this error.
System is ~4 months old.
Case opened via app…. Awesome Tesla Service here we come…
Sorry to hear that.
I know we are all basically strangers to each other on the internet, but I always feel particularly bad when a regular, active member has issues if only because I feel like you all are more than strangers to me.
I know you mention you put a service request in the app, but did you also call the Tesla energy support phone number? I know they are "Tier 1" support, but at least they can possibly escalate to the right group to handle whatever they see.
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
I just opened a case in the app. They got back to me this morning to schedule a site visit... first available appointment is September 5.
Why don't these things ever fail in January?
There's an option in the interface to clear the error and bring the inverter back online. I thought about it but ultimately don't want to play with fire. So I guess I wait. Thankfully I have another PV array so not all is lost.
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
Well, they managed to move me up to September 1 and showed up promptly this morning at 7am. Still lost the entire month of August’s production.I just opened a case in the app. They got back to me this morning to schedule a site visit... first available appointment is September 5.
Lead said when he got here that it’s almost certainly a bad MCI and that they are replacing all of them with an updated part. Said they have been replacing A LOT of them lately. He also mentioned that the part is only rated to 95 degrees and the heat seems to be literally cooking them (ambient has been over 95 degrees here almost every day last month, let alone underneath the panels on the roof).
95 seems way too low to be true - I found a picture of a Tesla MCI online and it’s marked up to 50C (122F). That’s frankly still way too low - we’ve been well over 110F for days at a time this year and that’s no doubt way over 120 on the roof under the panels.
Hopefully that’s it - he said sometimes it’s the inverter and if that’s the case I’m gonna be waiting longer. They’re up there right now…
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
I'm glad that you are back up and running. Perhaps it is just me, but ...wow... a 50C temperature rating for anything on a roof seems not even in the right sport, much less the right ball park, and it seems especially low for something in a roof in an enclosed space with a black lid.
Let's review what we know? 45C ambient is warm enough to
All the best,
BG
Let's review what we know?
45C ambient is warm enough to- Bake cookies in a car
- fry an egg on a sidewalk
- melt underlayment (per @Steve76063)
- and apparently toast Tesla MCIs...
All the best,
BG
I had that a couple months ago, I cleared it, everything worked for a week or so, then it stopped working. My inverter needed to be replaced again. I get a new one almost every year. It’s hot in AZ, and I’m on my 4th Solaredge inverter. The Tesla tech basically told me that he sees it all the time here. He said Tesla finally made their own inverter, but said it’s really new and that he didn’t know a lot about longevity yet. I’d try it, but they just warranty replace and refurb the Solaredge each year.
Matt-FL
Member
Tesla has two generations of their inverters now. From what I've seen (mostly here), the older version appears to be more resilient than the newer one. Maybe they over-engineered the first generation. Seems the second generation (PW+) is having arc faults also, leaking coolant, etc. I've not seen nearly as many posts about the first generation having these issues, so I'm making (quote possibly incorrect) assumptions about this.
I have first generation Tesla inverter. I had low coolant causing inverter shut down issues as well as Arc fault caused by connection issues on the panels. Each issue took a month each for Tesla service to come out to fix.
Been dealing with these Arc Fault errors for a while now too. First power dropout and system reset was back in June. Apparently it would read the “Arc Fault” and reboot the system, taking it down for about 45 minutes. Tesla’s Tier 2 service cleared the codes and said they changed something programming wise to keep them happening in the future. That took almost 3 months. Now, beginning of October, it looks like 3 arc faults in a row one morning, right after each system reboot, and now the whole PV system has been completely dead since.
Latest update from Tesla this morning, said the system was conducting “automatic arc fault testing” when apparently my internet died last night, and it caused a system lockout, and the process/test will have to restart and take another 4 to 5 days…
Anyone else run into this? Is there really any test, unlock, protocol, procedure, anything that could take up to 5 days to complete?
Latest update from Tesla this morning, said the system was conducting “automatic arc fault testing” when apparently my internet died last night, and it caused a system lockout, and the process/test will have to restart and take another 4 to 5 days…
Anyone else run into this? Is there really any test, unlock, protocol, procedure, anything that could take up to 5 days to complete?
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