I've been trying to find out what is up with my mother's solar panel system - as a DIYer, I'm comfortable with domestic electrics but have no experience of solar PV systems. The inverter won't start up and is displaying the error 'FE not connected' which according to the manual means protective earth not connected.
The system is grid tied with 16 panels in a single string connected to a Stecagrid 3600 inverter, its probably around 8 - 10 years old. I've checked the earthing which seems fine (Ze 0.21 Ohms at distribution board, and 0.5 Ohm at inverter). I've also been up on the roof and visually checked the panel wiring - all seems fine, and I've tried removing panels from the string four at a time to see if the fault disappears - it doesn't.
If the panels are isolated from the inverter, the error message can be cleared but reappears as soon as the panels are reconncted.
I suspect the inverter is duff, but before I commit to changing it, can anyone offer any advice - is there any other test that can be done, or does anyone know of a fault condition that can cause that error other than a bad earth?
The system is grid tied with 16 panels in a single string connected to a Stecagrid 3600 inverter, its probably around 8 - 10 years old. I've checked the earthing which seems fine (Ze 0.21 Ohms at distribution board, and 0.5 Ohm at inverter). I've also been up on the roof and visually checked the panel wiring - all seems fine, and I've tried removing panels from the string four at a time to see if the fault disappears - it doesn't.
If the panels are isolated from the inverter, the error message can be cleared but reappears as soon as the panels are reconncted.
I suspect the inverter is duff, but before I commit to changing it, can anyone offer any advice - is there any other test that can be done, or does anyone know of a fault condition that can cause that error other than a bad earth?