This video will show you how to reset or clear error code 4301, an electrical arc detected, in an SMA transformerless inverter. This applies only to "TL" or transformer-less style SMA solar inverters.
Thanks for the video! A solar technician inspected my system and found two places where water had gotten into connectors. To reset the 4301 error though required a tap next to the display ONE TIME when prompted as the system was coming back up.
great...i purchased this home with the SunPower unit from 2016 having zero info on it. thanks for the info...if this doesn't work i'll have a service call but at least I saved an unnecessary call fixing a simple reset.
Paul, I went through every scenario my solar company told me, then they said they'd have to schedule a tech to come out. It's been a month 1 of my inverters has been down. They NEGLECTED to mention the tap to confirm. I am back online, Thanks Man!
You are the man! I have spent weeks researching this issue (we have literally been without solar for about a month) and I am so fortunate to have found your video. I was literally about to call a professional today. You saved me big thank you thank you thank you!!!!!
Amazing! We came back from a trip to find this error had been on there for over a week. Quick and easy to follow. Worked like a charm and the neighbors think I'm nuts for knocking on my box. 😁 thank you!
This is great! It worked! Thank you so very much you saved me a HUGE headache, as the company that installed and warrantied my installation went bankrupt!
I'm glad I could help you start producing solar energy sooner! The more renewable energy produced means less fossil fuel consumption. Please stay tuned for more upcoming solar videos.
THANK YOU!!! I was going for a month before I realized it had an error code. Then I got the bill.... Thanks to this it is reset. (Had a wasp next inside the panel)
Thank you so much. For this video!!! It helped. Ps I tried it at night when I got home and found out about it but I’m not sure if it has to be done in the day. It was not making powering at night. So I tried it first thing in the morning and 💥 it worked. Thanks
Awesome! I forgot to mention that both AC & DC voltage needs to be present for troubleshooting. Thanks for pointing that out to me, I will be sure to correct it in the next video.
yes, this worked perfectly for my sunny boy inverter. i accidentally had turned off the circuit breaker that connects the inverter output to the line for a month. when i turned it back on got an arc fault, then DC Generator off warning. followed this video and it worked wonderfully. on mine,, tapping on the box did not make the display brighter. and it took mine a little longer to show the "tap to confirm arcfault reset". then it took a good two minutes to completely turn on
Hey Paul couldn’t find your email in the about section, but I’m a ole man! Anyway, your resetting video was great! I have 21 sun power panels with 2 sunny boy 3800, one has 10 panels the other has 11. The one with 11 panels is the one I reset
I guess I sent it by accident, after the reset the next morning I get an error insulation resist, check generator and tries to restart after 10 minutes which it eventually does start green light blinking, red light constant during the restart. Sometimes it can take up to couple of hours to kick on! Does all this mean a loose wire under the panel? Thanks Steve
If it has never happened and you were able to reset it, along with the fact that it continues to run normally; would indicate a nuisance trip/fault. These particular inverter models were known to have sensitive arc-fault sensors that throw an error without an actual fault. If the problem persists, contact you installer to inspect the system as there is likely an issue.
Hello Steve, thank you for your comment. I have added my business email to the "about" section of my page, so you can contact me there directly with any questions or anything you would like me to cover on my channel. Thank you for bringing this oversight to my attention.
There could be a few reasons you are getting this error. Please read the other comments and responses as well for more info as well. It has to do with the solar panels and wiring on the roof. It could be due to a loose connection, water infiltration, or bad solar module. Those inverters have had known issues of the detectors being overly sensitive and producing nuisance trips. If you are not able to reset it, or if it trips again immediately, contact your solar installer for further diagnoses.
Hello Steve. I frequently install Spiffy Solar critter guard where we are. It is easy to work with and gets the job done, just make sure to remove any nests/debris first. You may need to remove the bottom piece to clean out any leaf build up every few years, depending on the size of your module mid clips.
Sorry they were not helpful, but I'm glad it worked for you. Sunpower typically works through their network of certified dealers and installers. If you continue experiencing issues, you can find the closest one to you here: us.sunpower.com/dealers-installers/find-dealer-installer
i suppose an electrical equipment manufacturer would be hessitant about telling how to reset an arc fault to just any old consumer. if it is a real arc fault, the panel can burn down the house
Hi! We follow your arc fault reset advice during the day and checked it every once in a while and got a solid green light on the inverted, plus it would all the while show the activity on the display panel. Now, we went out at night and found the lights and the display panel off. Quick question... Is that normal or is there a problem? We do remember that when there was a fault, the display panel would be on day and night (as well as the slow blinking green light and also the solid red light).
Thanks for the video, very helpful. If there is a problem within the system and the device will not reset, correct? I have this exact issue on my unit in Phoenix.
Thank you for your comment. These particular inverters have had sensitivity issues with the built-in AFCI sensors, which have occasionally resulted in nuisance tripping/shutdowns. If your inverter will not reset, or if you continue to experience the same error, contact your system installer for further diagnosis.
Thanks Paul! I will monitor the inverter until my scheduled (2 weeks out) service appt is due. If no issues then you saved me $250 + credits. Thank you 😊
Having the same problem repeatedly with my SMA inverter here in hawaii. Any thoughts on how to diagnose why the system is tripping ie why electric arc?
Hello Jack. If the system is newly installed and is repeatedly experiencing this error code after resetting it, have your installer check all electrical connections to make sure they are properly torqued. If it is a system that has been running for some time, it MAY be faulty sensor if you are not experiencing any other electrical issues in the building.
We have been having this issue intermittently for about 6 months now. Our installer is no longer a SunPower dealer and we are having issues getting to the bottom of this. Any idea what is causing this to continue to happen? Side note - we were told by our tech to knock continuously on the window until the unit clicks. Sometimes that can take more than 10 minutes!
Sorry for the delay, RU-vid wasn't showing me all of these comments. You should only need to knock to clear the code when the display reads "knock to confirm". Any other time will simply illuminate the display. Were you able to get this issue resolved?
If you have 2 separate inverters and only 1 is showing this error message, then this reset will only need to be performed on the inverter with the arc fault error message.
Generally it is always best to wait to perform any troubleshooting or maintenance if it is raining. Sun is not necessary, but at least a somewhat bright sky.
I found this error at night and tried to reset it. Once I went through all the steps the error code never came back up. The screen just says update complete. Am I doing something wrong?
You're welcome, I'm glad you found it helpful. That video was filmed in April 2020 and we were required to wear masks inside buildings in my area. That one is Bumblebee from Transformers 😎
@@Paul_The_Solar_Titan Im about to attack the same unit next door that has never worked properly in the 8 years its been installed. Armed with your information I now understand what Im looking at and for. I also understand why there is an external isolation box for the PV grid as NZ follows the same regulations. Wish me luck
@@Paul_The_Solar_Titan Well I got one going but the other is saying error changing grid param unchanged. Looking on the web it looks like a fault in the unit or configuration which I cant access. Its definitely got DC volts within range and AC volts and frequency is the same as the adjacent unit so I suspect Im knackered.
Never worked for me I had to call service. They had to take unit casing off. Now it failed again after 2 months and this reset is not reacting to my knocking
Sorry for the delay, RU-vid wasn't showing me all of the comments. Likely there is a fault in your system. Were you able to get it resolved, and get the system back online?
