Repair guides
Self service guides
Plenty of what goes wrong on a solar pool heating system is within reach of a handy homeowner. These guides walk through the common failures one part at a time — what it looks like, what causes it, and how to fix it.
Written by the same people who do it for a living, and honest about the point where you should stop and hand it over. If you'd rather just have it done, book a repair or call us at (951) 276-8286.
Read this part first
Stay off the roof. Panels often sit on pitched tile or shingle, and the panels as well as the roof can be slick, especially if there is moss. Only experienced professionals who do this every day, with the right harness and the right ladder, should be on a roof.
Take the pressure off before you open anything. Shut the pump down and let the system drain back before you cut, unthread or unclamp anything. If you have a manually draining system, don't forget to open the manual drain lines.
Roof work, electrical work, and warranty claims should be left to the professionals — that's what a licensed C-46 solar contractor like us is for.
By part
Pick the part that's giving you trouble
Each guide covers one failure: how to confirm that's really what you're looking at, what you'll need, the steps, and when to stop. We're writing these as we go — more are on the way.
Actuator not turning
The valve motor isn't moving, so water never reaches the panels. Start with the switch on its side — it's the most common false alarm on the whole system.
Read the guideLeak in the panel body
A leak in the small tubes running across a collector. Repairable far more often than people expect — this rarely means a new panel.
Guide coming soonLeak in the panel header
The thick tube at either end of a panel. Unlike a body leak, a cracked header isn't patchable — the guide covers how to tell the two apart before you spend anything.
Guide coming soonLeak in a panel coupler
The connectors joining one panel to the next. A frequent drip source, and one of the more approachable repairs on the array.
Guide coming soonSensor error or bad readings
An indicator light, or temperatures that can't be true. Usually a loose or damaged wire before it's a failed sensor.
Guide coming soonSystem not heating
Everything looks like it's running and the pool stays cold. The full diagnostic order, from the control box out to the roof.
Guide coming soonLeak at the vacuum relief valve
The valve at the high point of the array that lets air in so the panels drain. A common mystery drip, and one of the cheapest parts up there.
Guide coming soonLeak in PVC plumbing
Pipe, fittings and the runs between the pad and the roof. Cutting in a repair section, and what to check before you glue anything.
Guide coming soonSolar control box not working
Dead display, no response, or a controller that won't hold its settings. What's resettable, and what isn't.
Guide coming soonBroken check valve
Weak heating, air noise in the lines, or water that won't stay up in the panels overnight. How to tell whether the valve has stopped holding, and what that does to the rest of the system.
Guide coming soonHow these guides work
Read it, watch it, or print it
Every guide is one page, in three forms — because a screen is no use with wet hands on a ladder.
Written steps
The whole repair in order, with what you'll need and roughly how long it takes. No account, no sign-up, nothing gated.
A video, where we've filmed one
Some repairs are far easier to watch than to read. Where a video exists it sits at the top of the guide; where it doesn't, one is probably coming.
A printable copy
Print any guide and you get the steps on paper without the website around them — take it out to the equipment pad and leave the phone inside.
Got partway and want a hand?
No judgement — half of what we do is finishing something that turned out to be more than it looked. Call and we'll talk it through, or send a tech.