About Macsolar Inverters
Macsolar inverters were manufactured in China and commonly installed in Australia between 2011 and 2013. Inverters in the Macsolar range came with a 5-year parts warranty and came in the following models:
Macsol-TL 1.5k-5k
MCS2-TL 1.5k-2k
MCS-TL 10-20k
The most common issues with Macsolar inverters are listed below along with what they mean and how they can be fixed.
What does a Communication Error mean?
If your Macsolar inverter is experiencing a communication error a manual reset may help clear the fault. This manual shutdown procedure will help if you aren’t sure about how to reset your inverter. If this doesn’t resolve the issue, the inverter will need to be replaced.
Is a Communication Error covered under warranty or by my household insurance policy?
Macsolar operated from Australia from 2011 until 2013 when they went out of business. This means most of these inverters will now be out of warranty in Australia. If your solar inverter is still covered by warranty (and as was installed by Solargain), we will be happy to replace it. We recommend using this opportunity to receive an annual system health check completed at the same time.
How can I get my system working again?
If you’ve tried shutting down and resetting your inverter and the issue is still present (or if you’re not confident doing a manual shutdown yourself) don’t hesitate to give us at Solargain a call. One of our helpful customer service representatives will arrange for a technician to carry out an inverter health check on your system.
If you originally purchased your inverter through us and it’s still under warranty, we’ll arrange for repair of the unit. You’ll only need to cover the cost of the inverter health check (which is recommended to be conducted annually). If your inverter is now out of warranty or was fitted by another installer, you’ll also need to pay for a replacement inverter.
We also recommend you consider whether it will be worthwhile taking the opportunity to save even more money on your power bills in the future by upgrading your system. Since you are already in the market for a new inverter, there’s never been a better time.
To speak with one of our solar experts about the best option for your home or to arrange an inverter health check, give us a call on 1300 73 93 55 or contact us.
Relay Fault - Error 19
If your Macsolar inverter is showing a fault 19 error message, it has developed a relay fault and will need to be replaced as it cannot be repaired.
Is a Relay Fault covered under warranty or by my household insurance policy?Macsolar inverters were installed in Australia between 2011 and 2013. However, Macsolar has since gone out of business. If your solar inverter is still under warranty and was installed by us, we can arrange repairs for the unit. However, the fee for an inverter health check will still apply, as the manufacturer’s warranty doesn’t include labour costs.
Depending on your individual insurance policy, you may be able to claim some of the costs associated with replacing your inverter under your household insurance. We can assist you with this process if this is indeed an option available to you.
How do I resolve an error 19 fault?
To get your solar power system back up and running, just book an inverter health check with us and we’ll swap your faulty Macsolar inverter over for a new one. If it’s still under warranty (and it was installed by us), you’ll only need to cover the cost of the inverter health check. If it’s no longer covered by warranty or if it was installed by another business, you’ll also need to pay for the replacement inverter.
Below is a full list of Macsolar inverter faults.
| Fault Code | Description | Remedy |
| 0 | Grid Voltage Fault | If the fault is intermittent, it may be a legitimate power distributor issue, which needs to be lodged. If it is constant, it can allude to an internal issue requiring replacement. |
| 1 | Grid Overvoltage.10min Fault | If the fault is intermittent, it may be a legitimate power distributor issue, which needs to be lodged. If it is constant, it can allude to an internal issue requiring replacement. |
| 2 | Grid Frequency Fault | If the fault is intermittent, it may be a legitimate power distributor issue, which needs to be lodged. If it is constant, it can allude to an internal issue requiring replacement. |
| 3 | Grid Voltage Loss | Please check that the solar supply main switch is in the "ON" position. If it is and the fault is intermittent, it may be a legitimate power distributor issue, which needs to be lodged. If the fault is permanent, it can allude to an internal issue requiring replacement. |
| 4 | DC Bus Overvoltage | This fault should only occur in perfect conditions and if the system is overloaded. If it is not the case, the inverter needs to be repaired. |
| 5 | GFCI Fault | The inverter needs to be replaced. |
| 6 | Inverter Overheat | This fault indicates a fan failure. The inverter requires replacement. |
| 7 | Varistor Fault | A surge has occurred. This fault is not covered by warranty; you will need to purchase a replacement. |
| 8 | PV Overvoltage | This fault should only occur in perfect conditions and if the system is overloaded. If it is not the case, the inverter needs to be repaired. |
| 9 | Consistence Fault | The inverter needs to be replaced |
| 10 | Isolation Fault | Please check that the isolators and the solar supply main switch are all in the "ON" position. If they are, you will need to book a maintenance service in order for a technician to check that your isolators are working and that there is no water ingress in your installation. If none is found and no earth fault is detected, then your inverter will require replacing. |
| 11 | DC Injection Fault | The inverter needs to be replaced |
| 12 | Device Fault | The inverter needs to be replaced |
| 13 | GFCI Device Fault | The inverter needs to be replaced |
| 14 | Comm.Disturbed | This fault may be cleared by conducting a manual shutdown. If resetting the inverter does not fix it, then it will need to be replaced. |
| 15 | Current Sensor Fault | The inverter needs to be replaced |
| 16 | CPU Ref 2.5V Fault | This fault may be cleared by conducting a manual shutdown. If resetting the inverter does not fix it, then it will need to be replaced. |
| 17 | EEPROM R/W | This fault may be cleared by conducting a manual shutdown. If resetting the inverter does not fix it, then it will need to be replaced. |
| 18 | DC Injection Device Fault | The inverter needs to be replaced |
| 19 | Relay Fault | The inverter needs to be replaced |
| 20 | AC Over Current | The inverter needs to be replaced |
| 21 | ARM | This fault may be cleared by conducting a manual shutdown. If resetting the inverter does not fix it, then it will need to be replaced. |
| Communication Error | This fault may be cleared by conducting a manual shutdown. If resetting the inverter does not fix it, then it will need to be replaced. | |
| Inverter dead | Please check that the isolators are in the "ON" position. If they are, your inverter will require replacing. |
If your system was installed by Solargain and is within the 5 year warranty period, we’ll be happy to assist you with a claim. If you are not a Solargain customer, and as Macsolar no longer has Australian representation it’s likely that you will need to purchase a new inverter.
What if my Macsolar Inverter is out of warranty?
If your inverter is out of warranty and we cannot repair it, we will have a back-up replacement inverter available with us as an option, saving you multiple call out fees and meaning you can spend less time with the lights out.
If your Macsolar inverter isn’t displaying a fault code but you believe it isn’t working as it should, we recommend you begin monitoring your unit and check your system’s yield against the estimated yield provided to you at handover.
If you have a Macsolar inverter, it should have a green Power light and a yellow Run light displaying during the day. To check your system’s production there are two main screens you can refer to, the E-Day and the E-All. Your Macsolar inverter automatically cycles through the various menu options, however you can use the up and down arrow to control the menu and find these pages manually. Highlight Yield Power and press OK to view the two readings, Today and Total.
The E-Day or Today reading is the amount of kilowatt hours you have produced for the present day. Since it is a daily reading, the best indication of production will be towards the end of the day, before the sun goes down, while the inverter is still running. You can check this figure against those provided in your Solargain Customer User Manual, which was given to you in a black handover folder on the day of installation. If you cannot find this manual please call 1300 73 93 55 and we will send a new one to you.
The other figure is your E-All or Total. This provides a sum total of your kilowatt hours since the system was installed.To work out your average monthly production, record the difference between your E-Total figure at the start and end of each month.
For example:
- E-Total on 1st January is 1100.
- E-Total on 1st February is 1300.
January’s Monthly Yield is therefore 200 units (1300 less 1100).
January’s Average Daily Yield is 6.45kWh (200 monthly yield divided by 31 days in January).
Like the E-Today figure, you can compare this information to the estimates in your Solargain Customer User manual to determine if you are producing power at the expected levels.
Troubleshooting
Sometimes in the morning and late afternoon, as the inverter is turning on or off, it will display a red light or the Run light may turn off. It may also make a clicking noise.These are parts of normal operation and you shouldn’t be concerned. You should also note that the inverter’s noise levels increase as it works harder and produces more wattage throughout the day. Any internal issues with the inverter will be detected by the device and cause the Fault light to be displayed permanently.
If there is ample sunlight outside and your inverter is displaying a red light, or a green light with no yellow Run light, you will need to conduct a reset on the unit. Instructions explaining how to reset your inverter are available from our website.
If the red light is still on or the yellow Run light does not come on after resetting, please retrieve the error code displayed on the screen as well as the serial number from the side of your unit and contact us.
Contact us to book an inverter health check
If you’re still not happy with how your inverter is operating, you can always book your unit in for an inverter health check. We’ll send one of our qualified service technicians to inspect your inverter, identify any issues and make whatever repairs are necessary to get you back up and running. Contact us or call 1300 73 93 55 today to arrange your inverter health check.
