The photovoltaic effect

[valet]

The only think I have found in Panasonic /Sanyo Guarantee docs:

Section 3 Exceptions and Limitations
A: The limited guarantees (see Section 1) shall not be granted in the following cases:


c) A Module has been damaged by way of abuse or any alterations and/or actions and repairs which were not performed by SANYO.

 

[moggy1968]

Thank you Gavin,

I do know about Sanyo build warranty now 10 years used to be 5 years.

Would you be happy if you was a customer to find out your item do not have warranty? Because installer apparently came with a wrong connectors and tools.
I think installer should have done more research on warranty and installation requirements. I do believe some manufactures allow for connectors replacement but majority NOT.

It is a pleasure to talk to professional especially Sanyo Premium Installer. Hope you get some justification on that from Sanyo


Respect

in defence of your installer, my MC4 crimping tool was over £300. 'm not going to buy a different crimping tool for every type of connector on the market, and I'm not going to carry spares of every connector either.

I think Sanyo are on thin ice on this one frankly.

 

[wstevew]

Page 4 of the Suntech installation guide says:-

Removal of the connectors will void the warranty.

 

[SibertSolar]

Always a contentious point as different manufacturers seem to have different statements. If anyone does need any assistance with MC3/MC4 adaptors then, as has been mentioned already (thanks), we have stocks at the moment.

 

[valet]

Thanks guys for all your input very helpful!!! :17:

That what I received today from eu.panasonic.com

"Dear Sir,
Thank you for your email.
Unfortunately, any modification of our modules will make you lose the guarantee.
Please ask your installation company to keep the modules in the initial state.

Best regards."

Disappointed with Sanyo/Panasonic!!!
:banghead::banghead:

It is scary how many people lost their warranty, just like that?!!!!

Gavin did you manage to talk/email with Panasonic?

 

[moggy1968]

err, about half my customers have lost theirs on that basis, oops! will have to use converters from now on. If it came to the crunch I still reckon they would struggle with this though

 

[SolarCity]

As Gavin says, the chance of a panel failing are about as close to zero as is imaginable. The chances of the panel failing which happened to have the ends changed would be even less likely.

And, of course, even if the panel did fail, you could always change the end for an MC3 afterwards.

You would hope that Panasonic would use common sense if this kind of scenario arose.

 

[valet]

Thank you SolarCity for your input always appreciated. That’s what Panasonic sent me to reply on swapping back to MC3.


“If I were you (not the manufacturer), as the initial mistake comes from the installation company because they are “professionals” and they didn’t clearly respect our guarantee conditions, I would first at all ask the installer to replace simply the modules.
The replacement back to MC3 connectors will always be “visible” for us. As you wrote, at least, the cables will be shorter and therefore, I cannot promise the customer service will see or not this. It’s a bet !”

 

[SolarCity]

Thank you SolarCity for your input always appreciated. That’s what Panasonic sent me to reply on swapping back to MC3.


“If I were you (not the manufacturer), as the initial mistake comes from the installation company because they are “professionals” and they didn’t clearly respect our guarantee conditions, I would first at all ask the installer to replace simply the modules.
The replacement back to MC3 connectors will always be “visible” for us. As you wrote, at least, the cables will be shorter and therefore, I cannot promise the customer service will see or not this. It’s a bet !”

What an absolutely pathetic stance to take. I would ask them to explain exactly why replacing an MC3 connector should invalidate the warranty - it cannot possibly affect the panel in any way at all.

 

[MorganPVI]

What would happen if you took any electrical item back to the shop after you'd cut the 3 pin plug off and installed another? - they'd refuse the warranty as you've modified/damaged the item.

Sanyo and any other manufacturer are well within their rights to refuse a warranty on a damaged or modified panel. Any professional installer would not be cutting cables and fitting MC4s. (I know we've all done it) but you cannot blame Sanyo just because you do not have the correct tools for the job.

Perhaps this is an unpopular view, but it's needs to be said whatever effect it may or may not have on the panel.

 

[SolarCity]

Perhaps this is an unpopular view, but it's needs to be said whatever effect it may or may not have on the panel.

Even if it has zero effect on the panel? Panasonic/Sanyo are going to find it tougher and tougher to compete with the reduction in FITs - it'll be stupid decisions like this which would make me turn their back on them completely.

I would honour our warranty on an install unless the customer had done something stupid which directly affected the system.

 

[MorganPVI]

I would honour our warranty on an install unless the customer had done something stupid which directly affected the system.

Yes, I agree, we probably would too, but your not ruled by accountants who see over a million units shipped and the liabitlies and risk associated with warranty claims. Imagine what it would do to your share price if your warranty covered installers butching your lovely product.

 

[moggy1968]

I don't know why 'any reputable installer' wouldn't change connections, it's quite within the scope of any competent electrician and if the changing of the plugs has had no impact on the reason for the warranty claim I see no justification for it being held up by the manufacturers as a reason to weasel out of their obligations. And if it was some domestic appliance I had changed the plug on I wouldn't expect that to affect a warranty either, unless it was a material fact, like the wrong fuse size had been installed.

This really smacks of manufacturers trying to get out of their warranties. 'I know, lets all use different connectors so then when installers are forced to change them and invalidate the warranty'

the failure rate of panels is so low as to be negligable to these companies, even for the bean counters

 

[SolarCity]

Imagine what it would do to your share price if your warranty covered installers butching your lovely product.

I would be fully in agreement with you if I thought that replacing an MC3 connector for an MC4 connector was butchering a product.

It is like a car manufacturer voiding a warranty because someone hung an air freshner from the rear view mirror.

 

[moggy1968]

or changed the tyres!!