What Goes Wrong With Solar (and How Good Installers Prevent It)
Solar is reliable, but the failure modes are real and mostly preventable. Here’s what actually goes wrong — and how a good installer designs it out.
Most solar problems trace back to installation quality, not the technology. Knowing the failure modes helps you pick an installer who prevents them.
Roof leaks at the penetrations
The risk: poorly flashed mounts let water in. Prevention: proper flashing, the right mounts for your shingle type, and extra waterproofing — we run ice-and-water shield under rooftop arrays, beyond minimum code. Our Solar Insure warranty even covers reseal/reflash within 3″ of penetrations for 30 years.
Underproduction
The risk: the system makes less than promised. Prevention: an honest production estimate built on real shading data, plus microinverters that keep one shaded panel from dragging down the rest — and panel-level monitoring so you’d see a problem.
Inverter or component failure
The risk: electronics fail over a 25-year life. Prevention: quality equipment, monitoring that flags issues early, and a warranty that pays for the labor to fix them — not just the part.
The orphaned warranty
The risk: your installer closes and no one will service the system — the most common real-world nightmare. Prevention: a third-party, insurance-backed warranty that doesn’t depend on the installer surviving. See what to do if your installer closes.
The thread through all of it: quality install, real monitoring, and a warranty that outlives the company. That’s how we build.
Frequently asked.
Does solar damage your roof?
Not when it's flashed and mounted correctly. Poor penetration sealing is the cause of leaks — which is why we exceed minimum waterproofing and back it for 30 years.
What's the most common real problem?
An orphaned system after the installer closes. A third-party, insurance-backed warranty solves it — your coverage doesn't depend on one company.
Have a question we haven't covered?
Talk to a local iSolar expert — free, no pressure. Call (651) 565-1140.