Off-Grid Solar Upgrades and Repairs in Queensland and Northern NSW
If your generator is running regularly under normal conditions, your system is not doing the job it was designed for. We repair and upgrade off-grid solar systems across Queensland and Northern NSW, including plenty we did not install ourselves.
Request A Quote
Tell us what your system is doing and we will tell you what it needs.
When To Upgrade An Off-Grid Solar System
Two systems can behave the same way from inside the house and still need completely different work, so the first thing worth establishing is which problem you actually have.
A Genuine Fault Tends To Arrive Suddenly
Output drops off, an inverter throws an error, or a charge controller stops charging, and something that worked last month has stopped working this month.
An Undersized System Degrades Gradually
It keeps working, but only just, and it gets worse as your power use grows. Most people notice it when they add an appliance or start running tools in the shed and the system that coped for years can no longer keep up.
Nothing has actually failed. There was simply never enough headroom in the original design to absorb any change, which is why we build systems designed to expand from the start.
The distinction matters because the fix is different and so is the cost. Replacing a battery bank on a system that really needs more solar array can leave you close to where you started. We work out which one you are dealing with before we quote, and we tell you the answer even when the cheaper option is the right one.
Off-Grid Battery Replacement And Expansion
Reduced overnight capacity is usually the first thing anyone notices, though by that point the decline has generally been under way for a while.
We assess the state of health of the bank against what it was originally specified to deliver, then work out whether you are looking at replacement or expansion.
Some modular LiFePO4 battery systems can be expanded without replacing the whole bank, though compatibility, the age and condition of the existing modules, and the manufacturer's own requirements all need checking first. Where expansion is possible it generally works out cheaper than a full replacement.
If you are still running lead-acid and thinking about moving to lithium, the make and model of your inverter and charge controllers will usually tell us over the phone whether that is a straightforward swap or a larger rebuild.
Off-Grid Solar Repairs And Fault Finding
Fault finding on an off-grid system is different from grid-connected work because there is no grid to fall back on while you diagnose. We handle diagnosis across inverters, charge controllers, battery banks and wiring, and we can often narrow the problem down over the phone before anyone gets in a vehicle.
Where a component is still under warranty we can assist with the claim, which is one of the reasons we are careful about which brands we install in the first place.
What Happens When You Call
We start by asking what the system is doing now, what it used to do, and what has changed in between.
Tell Us What Changed
We compare the current behaviour with how the system used to perform.
Review Monitoring Data
If you have monitoring fitted we can review the data remotely, which usually shortens the diagnosis considerably.
Check Generator Behaviour
If the generator is running more than it should be , that on its own tells us a good deal about where the system is falling short.
Give You A Straight Answer
From there you get a straight answer on whether you are looking at a repair, an expansion or a redesign, along with a quote that leaves room for whatever comes next. Systems that cannot grow are the reason most of this work exists.
Areas We Cover For Off-Grid Repairs
We work across Queensland and Northern NSW from our base in Warwick, covering the Southern Downs and Granite Belt, the Darling Downs and Western Downs, the Scenic Rim and Somerset regions, and Moreton Bay. We also travel further afield for larger jobs, so it is worth asking even if you are outside those areas.
You can see systems we have installed across these areas in our project library.
Off-grid specialists
Why Property Owners Call Us
We have been designing and installing off grid systems since 2006. Mark Wright, who designs every system we build, has spent more than twenty years working on off grid power across rural Australia, which means most faults we see are ones he has already worked through on someone else's property.
- 2006
- Designing and installing off grid systems
- 20+
- Years of off grid experience behind every design
A good share of our customers first came to us for a repair and stayed with us for the upgrades that followed.
Keeping The System Right Afterwards
Once a system is performing the way it should, regular servicing is what keeps it there. A fair amount of the urgent work we get called out for could have been planned instead if somebody had looked at the system twelve months earlier.
Talk To Us About Your System
Tell us what your system is doing and we will tell you what it needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Work On A System You Did Not Install?
Yes, and a good proportion of our repair and upgrade work is exactly that. The first visit usually takes a bit longer because we document what is there as well as assessing it.
How Do I Know If My Off-Grid System Is Undersized?
The clearest sign is a generator that runs to a schedule rather than in an emergency. Batteries that no longer carry you through a run of grey days point the same way, as does a system that started struggling the moment you added something new.
Can I Add Lithium Batteries To A Lead-Acid System?
Sometimes, depending on whether your inverter and charge controllers support lithium charge profiles. We can usually work that out from the make and model without coming out.
Can I Add Panels If My Original Model Is Discontinued?
Often yes, though it depends on the space you have, the voltage limits of the existing setup and how the array is currently configured. We assess that before recommending an approach.
Do You Charge For A Diagnosis?
Site visits are quoted before we come out so you know what you are agreeing to. Where we can narrow the problem down over the phone or through your monitoring data, we will do that first.
What Will An Upgrade Cost?
It depends on whether we are adding to what you have or replacing it, which is what the assessment establishes. Adding modules to an existing lithium bank sits at the lower end, while a full redesign because the system was never sized for the property sits at the other. We work that out before quoting, and if the cheaper option is the right one we will say so.
How Far Do You Travel?
Queensland and Northern NSW. Distance affects the quote, and for remote properties we try to resolve as much as possible before anyone travels.