Enphase's new RMA system stinks!

[RegGuheert]

The replacement of the first three failed Enphase M190 inverters in my system was very straightforward: Enphase sent me a new unit with a return shipping label included. I had one "roof session" to replace the failed unit, tossed the old unit into the box and slapped the adhesive label over the old one. Then I went online and scheduled a pickup by FedEx. Done!

But that apparently made too much sense. I now have a fourth inverter approved for replacement. Their support representative informed me of this fact, but he did not tell me things would be different this time.

Unfortunately, the next email I got from Enphase 10 days later confused me thoroughly, so I sent them a couple of emails asking for clarification. Nothing. So I thought I would post here to see if anyone who has had a recent replacement can fill me in on the details. Here is the email, with commentary:

Subject: Return Merchandise Authorization XXXXXXXX

Dear Reg Guheert,

Enphase has approved your Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) request for the "" installation (Enlighten Site ID: ). The RMA number you should reference for this transaction is XXXXXXXX.

This authorizes you to return the following serial numbered units to Enphase:
XXXXXXXXXXXX

So far, so good!

Please click on the following link to obtain a prepaid return shipping label.
http://returnlabel.enphaseenergy.com/rma/XXXXXXXX" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's a change, but I can handle that.

An email should follow with more shipping confirmation details regarding your advanced replacement units.

This is the point at which I start to get confused. Two words cause the confusion:

"advanced" - Does that mean that they will send the new unit before I have to send the old one back or does it mean that the unit is technologically advanced when compared with the one that has failed. I know that the second definition is true, so I wonder about the first one.

"follow" - What does it follow? Does it follow this email? Or perhaps it follows me clicking the link and printing the shipping label? Or perhaps it will only follow once they receive the failed unit from me? Who knows?

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I guess we are moving on to the next "phase" of the email.

Why are you receiving this email?

Enphase Energy making some changes to the product return portion of our Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) process. Historically, Enphase has provided a prepaid return label inside the box containing the replacement unit. Enphase will now be providing an email link to a prepaid label that you can print at your convenience.

O.K. I have already gathered that much. But is that the ONLY change, or do I need to return the old unit before you will send me a new one?

Here are the steps to use the return label emailed to you:

1) Click on the link above to access your prepaid return shipping label.

2) Print the label.

3) Place the device(s) to be returned into a box.

"a box"? That implies to me that I do not already have a box shipped by Enphase. Or perhaps I merely have the option to ship it in advance.

4) Affix the label to the box.

5) Drop off at Fedex or schedule a pickup (fedex.com/pickup).

If you lose the email containing the return label link, simply email or call Customer Support and we will provide you a link to obtain a return label.

That seems clear.

We welcome any feedback you have about this process change. Please send us an email at [email protected] with any feedback you have.

This is the best part of the whole email. Great! They want feedback on this new process. So I sent a facsimile of the above feedback to the provided email alias, also copying the support email address. Unfortunately, [email protected] does not accept email from me (and, yes, I checked the spelling carefully. Of course it was correct since I copied it rather than typing it.) So I sent a second email to support explaining that their feedback alias did not work. After four business day, I have not received a reply to either email.

Thank You,
Enphase Customer Service

You're welcome.

So, has anyone else done an Enphase RMA via this procedure, having received this email? If so, can you please explain the ambiguous items which currently have me flummoxed? TIA!

If not, I will update this thread as I learn more...

 

[GeekEV]

You seem to be totally overthinking this one. I would interpret the "advanced replacement units" to be poor grammar, nothing more. I'm pretty sure they mean "advance replacement units" in that they are sent to you in advance of you replacing them. By "an email should follow" they mean "you will get another email at some point in the future." And the box part is merely saying you can use any box you want to, it doesn't have to be the one they send you. I'm sure the replacement will come in a box of some sort...

Let us know how it turns out.

 

[QueenBee]

I'm with GeekEV. They clearly need to fix the email address and get on top of responding to support emails but I think the only change was that they no longer include the prepaid label in the box, you instead print it yourself. But I form this opinion only have experience with RMA processes in general not having to do with Enphase RMAs.

Regardless of if you clicked the link to print the label or sent back the failed inverter I would expect that you'll be receiving another email with tracking info for the advanced replacement inverter. Odd that it would take more than four days for that to ship though...

 

[RegGuheert]

I agree with both of your interpretations. That's my gut-level interpretation, too.

But here's the thing: Seven days have passed since the email I posted was sent. No other email has followed. Not one announcing a new unit being shipped and none responding to either of my reply emails. So what if this interpretation is incorrect and I wait two weeks? Four weeks?

The bottom line: Their communication right now is really quite poor, as is their new method of handling their RMAs.

 

[RegGuheert]

I called Enphase yesterday. The could not find either of the emails which I had sent to them last week.

The support person confirmed that "advanced" does mean that they will ship the new inverter before receiving the old one back.

He told me that no units shipped in the past week because of "database issues".

So far, still no email indicating it is on its way.

 

[RegGuheert]

The new inverter shipped yesterday with a scheduled arrival date of May 28. Considering I reported the failure on April 29, that's about a 1-month turn around on their part.

On top of all that, it appears they sent me one of the OLD M190s, part #M190-72-240-S12. I wonder where they got it from?

I'll take the old RMA system, thank you.

 

[QueenBee]

Ugh, that's disappointing!

 

[billg]

The new inverter shipped yesterday with a scheduled arrival date of May 28. Considering I reported the failure on April 29, that's about a 1-month turn around on their part.

On top of all that, it appears they sent me one of the OLD M190s, part #M190-72-240-S12. I wonder where they got it from?

I'll take the old RMA system, thank you.

I also have one inverter en route with the same part number you reference above. This will make 6 replacements out of my 23.

Unfortunately, I also reported two more failures today and they are shipping replacements for them also, so that will make 8 out of 23 failures.

 

[dan2112]

I have Enphase micro-inverters on my Solar array - how do you determine if one is bad?

 

[RegGuheert]

I have Enphase micro-inverters on my Solar array - how do you determine if one is bad?

Good question!

- First, you need to have an Enphase Envoy unit installed in your system. Nearly every Enphase system has one of these, but you certainly can build a system without one. If you do not have an Envoy, they it will be extremely difficult to find failures.
- If you have an Envoy and it is connected to the Internet, then the data from each of your inverters is uploaded to Enphase's Enlighten website. You can get to this website by clicking on the link in my signature. That will show you MY PUBLIC Enlighten data, which is interesting, but it gives very minimal ability to find failures. To see YOUR failures, you will need to login using the button in the top right of the screen. If you do not know your login credentials, then ask your installer for them.
- Once you login to your site, then click the leftmost tab entitled "View" (which should be the default). Then on the left-hand side of the page use the pull down and pick the top entry under "Energy (Wh)" entitled "Past 7 Days". You will now see each of your inverters in a light blue color with the number of kWH shown in white. If any of the inverters are instead black and display 0 kWH, then you likely have a failure.
- You may also have a failure if you have inverters which are darker than the rest and display a lower number of kWH, but this can also be caused by shading of those panels. Compare the one-week results to the lifetime results to get an idea of whether you are dealing with a failure or shading issues.

Do you know which inverters you have installed? M190s? M380s? M215? M250s? If you do not know, then if any of your inverters are visible from the ground, take a look at the unit. If it is an M190 or M380, then the entire inverter is enclosed in a metal case and therefore has a silvery color. Those are the inverters which some of us are having failures with. If, instead, your inverters have a metal plate, but the main body is black, then you have an M215 or an M250. If that is what you have, then it is extremely unlikely that you have any failures on your roof.

To give you an idea of the difference in reliability of the two types, suppose you have an Enphase array on your roof with 50 inverters, similar to my system. If you have the M190 inverters, then you can expect to have approximately one inverter fail every year. OTOH, if you have the M215 inverters, then you would expect to have one failure every 20 years. (While my M190 based system is extremely average with four failures in four years, many are far from average. Some systems have experienced no failures while others have had the equivalent of 5 or more failures each year in a 50-inverter system.

 

[JimSouCal]

To give you an idea of the difference in reliability of the two types, suppose you have an Enphase array on your roof with 50 inverters, similar to my system. If you have the M190 inverters, then you can expect to have approximately one inverter fail every year. OTOH, if you have the M215 inverters, then you would expect to have one failure every 20 years. (While my M190 based system is extremely average with four failures in four years, many are far from average. Some systems have experienced no failures while others have had the equivalent of 5 or more failures each year in a 50-inverter system.

Glad you clarified that newer models are much more reliable, as I am going to install solar shortly and have planned all along on micro inverters, enphase being the leader in this system format, and seemingly ready to have some battery back up in the works to allow a grid tie system to remain online during outages... Sorry your leading edge has led to some bleeding.

 

[RegGuheert]

I'll take the old RMA system, thank you.

I received the inverter on Thursday and installed it this morning.

The funny thing is that in spite of the bizarre email I received which I detailed in the OP, the RMA unit (and process) for the unit I installed today was IDENTICAL to the replacement that I did last July: It is exactly the same M190 unit with the same assemblies called out. They even appear to have been built within four months of each other in 2014 (weeks 24 and 38). There also was a return address label insight the shipping envelope on the outside of the unit. The only difference I can see is that the unit installed last July got updated firmware this January. I suspect the new unit will get that newer firmware sometime.

So I have to wonder why they sent the email that they sent. The whole thing is pretty strange given they did not change anything when compared with what they did last July.

Of course, I would have preferred to have received one of the new M190IGs, but that is not my choice to make.

 

[RegGuheert]

Glad you clarified that newer models are much more reliable,...

The details on Enphase reliability are found in this thread.

...as I am going to install solar shortly and have planned all along on micro inverters, enphase being the leader in this system format, and seemingly ready to have some battery back up in the works to allow a grid tie system to remain online during outages...

FWIW, I do not think Enphase will offer battery backup during outages anytime soon. While the new AC Battery product has been announced, it appears to use a bidirectional version of their normal microinverters called the S275 (to allow for battery charging as well as discharging). I expect the S275 to be grid-interactive just like the M-series inverters: it will drop offline as soon as the grid goes down. To enable standalone operation, Enphase will need to offer an additional capability to both isolate the home from the grid and generate a grid signal to which the inverters can sync.

SolarEdge has string inverter technology with a DC/DC converter at each module to give many of the same features as microinverters, but perhaps with higher reliability (remains to be seen). They are designing a new inverter which will be compatible with Tesla's power wall. That might be an (expensive) option for you if you want battery backup.

Sorry your leading edge has led to some bleeding.

Thanks. Yeah, the replacements are a bit of a pain. The good news is that Enphase has stood behind these units to date. Hopefully that will continue!

 

[Weatherman]

The new inverter shipped yesterday with a scheduled arrival date of May 28. Considering I reported the failure on April 29, that's about a 1-month turn around on their part.

On top of all that, it appears they sent me one of the OLD M190s, part #M190-72-240-S12. I wonder where they got it from?

I'll take the old RMA system, thank you.

I just got shipping confirmation on my next, two replacements. They are both the older units (M190-72-240-S12). Serial numbers start with 121401. Three of my other replacements were late 1213 and 1214 serial number units, so, perhaps, these will do ok. Would have preferred to see one of the newer ones with IG and serial numbers in the 1215s, instead. I've already had one case where a replacement failed and had to be replaced. I don't want a repeat of that.

 

[RegGuheert]

They are both the older units (M190-72-240-S12). Serial numbers start with 121401.

That was manufactured about 18 months ago. The question I have is "Where are these original-style M190s coming from?" You have received *multiple* M190IGs to date and I received one of those last September. But now we are again receiving the old-style units. The M190 I received last week was apparently manufactured last September, but the two you are getting are twice as old. I suspect they are retrieving old stock from installers and vendors since I'm sure the installers don't want to install them and the vendors don't want to sell them.

Three of my other replacements were late 1213 and 1214 serial number units, so, perhaps, these will do ok.

I'm hopeful these 2014-built M190s contain a different assembly than the original units that we installed. Unfortunately we cannot tell since the original units do not report the version of the assembly that they contain.

I strongly suspect that the failures are related to the attachments of components to the circuit board. Often, a simple change in the design of the solder pads can resolve the issue, but you have to know how to change it. It can be quite an art to correct such problems. Did Enphase make any changes to the M190 design before 2014? Were these changes effective? I guess we will find out in a few years.

Would have preferred to see one of the newer ones with IG and serial numbers in the 1215s, instead. I've already had one case where a replacement failed and had to be replaced. I don't want a repeat of that.

Do you know the date code of the replacement unit which failed?

I, too, would prefer to receive the M190IG replacement units, but only to a point: I now have 12 72-cell panels in my system. With the extremely cold temperatures we have had these past two winters, I am not comfortable using the newer inverters, which have a lower voltage rating, in those 12 locations. If Enphase had fixed whatever issue they had with the M190s by 2014 AND if I eventually get more than 30 M190IGs as replacements, I may end up contacting you to trade some M190IGs for 2014-or-later original-style M190s.

 

[Weatherman]

Do you know the date code of the replacement unit which failed?

I don't recall what it was, I've had so many replacements, since then. The very first, original one died in October 2013 after only being in operation for 16 months, and it's replacement died in May 2014, so it must have had a 1212 or early 1213 serial number. It could have even been another 1211, given how fast it failed. Perhaps, by late 2013, they got the design sufficiently fixed so that the failure rate was much reduced.

Once all the latest round of replacements are in place, I'll have twelve of the newest, IG units and five of the older type as replacement units. Given the high failure rate of my micros, I've been having my installer do all the work. I don't want to be fiddling around with things, myself, at this point.

 

[dan2112]

I have Enphase micro-inverters on my Solar array - how do you determine if one is bad?

Good question!

- First, you need to have an Enphase Envoy unit installed in your system. Nearly every Enphase system has one of these, but you certainly can build a system without one. If you do not have an Envoy, they it will be extremely difficult to find failures.
- If you have an Envoy and it is connected to the Internet, then the data from each of your inverters is uploaded to Enphase's Enlighten website. You can get to this website by clicking on the link in my signature. That will show you MY PUBLIC Enlighten data, which is interesting, but it gives very minimal ability to find failures. To see YOUR failures, you will need to login using the button in the top right of the screen. If you do not know your login credentials, then ask your installer for them.
- Once you login to your site, then click the leftmost tab entitled "View" (which should be the default). Then on the left-hand side of the page use the pull down and pick the top entry under "Energy (Wh)" entitled "Past 7 Days". You will now see each of your inverters in a light blue color with the number of kWH shown in white. If any of the inverters are instead black and display 0 kWH, then you likely have a failure.
- You may also have a failure if you have inverters which are darker than the rest and display a lower number of kWH, but this can also be caused by shading of those panels. Compare the one-week results to the lifetime results to get an idea of whether you are dealing with a failure or shading issues.

Do you know which inverters you have installed? M190s? M380s? M215? M250s? If you do not know, then if any of your inverters are visible from the ground, take a look at the unit. If it is an M190 or M380, then the entire inverter is enclosed in a metal case and therefore has a silvery color. Those are the inverters which some of us are having failures with. If, instead, your inverters have a metal plate, but the main body is black, then you have an M215 or an M250. If that is what you have, then it is extremely unlikely that you have any failures on your roof.

To give you an idea of the difference in reliability of the two types, suppose you have an Enphase array on your roof with 50 inverters, similar to my system. If you have the M190 inverters, then you can expect to have approximately one inverter fail every year. OTOH, if you have the M215 inverters, then you would expect to have one failure every 20 years. (While my M190 based system is extremely average with four failures in four years, many are far from average. Some systems have experienced no failures while others have had the equivalent of 5 or more failures each year in a 50-inverter system.

Thank you for the information - I have 14 panels and all of my micro inverters are M215s - all green (active) and seem to be healthy from a power standpoint.

 

[ecoobsessive]

I'm getting ready to call Enphase or the installer that has been helping me with replacements (original installer is out of business). Looking for any advice here before I call. Summary: Originally had 12 of the 380 microinverters (190s doubled - 24 panels). 5 of the 380s have already been replaced with 10 190s. Now 2 more panels are out - 1 more 380 - so I'm at 50% failure rate and it's been 4 years since installation. None of my replacements have needed to be replaced (yet!). I have been paying the labor costs. Does anyone know if Enphase should be paying labor costs for these replacements? I think I can get them to replace the rest all at one time even though the rest have not yet gone bad. I really want replacements with 215s since they are more reliable. What is the chance of that? Would there be a problem of having a mix of 190s and 215s? Other places on the internet state that Enphase is not manufacturing the 190s anymore - so if they are still sending them out then they have been sitting in a warehouse - how is that affecting their lifespan? Do you recommend that I make the call or have the installer do it?


Thanks!!

 

[Weatherman]

I've been lucky that my installer is still in business and is willing to swap out replacements at no cost to me (Enphase should be paying them for this). I do initiate contact, myself, to Enhpase, however, to start the RMA process. I've had 18 replacements out of 30, m190s in only three years.

I've found Enphase to be unwilling to authorize a replacement unless a micro is completely dead, or the output has fallen to more than a 10% loss as compared to its nearby neighbors. No replacements of the m190s with m215s. Four of my first replacements looked like the original m190s with, maybe, minor modifications. The next twelve looked like modified m215. They were designated as IG (integrated ground). The last two went back to being m190 look-alikes.

I've only had one replacement die (the very first one). All other replacements have done ok, but they haven't been in service for very long.


So, bottom line... I make the call to Enphase. My installer does the work and Enphase compensates them for it, and, at best, I've been getting "IG", m190 replacements only for micros completely dead or severely degraded. No upgrades to m215s. And, only one of my replacements has died (the first one and it died very quickly).

 

[JimSouCal]

Glad you clarified that newer models are much more reliable,...

The details on Enphase reliability are found in this thread.

...as I am going to install solar shortly and have planned all along on micro inverters, enphase being the leader in this system format, and seemingly ready to have some battery back up in the works to allow a grid tie system to remain online during outages...

FWIW, I do not think Enphase will offer battery backup during outages anytime soon. While the new AC Battery product has been announced, it appears to use a bidirectional version of their normal microinverters called the S275 (to allow for battery charging as well as discharging). I expect the S275 to be grid-interactive just like the M-series inverters: it will drop offline as soon as the grid goes down. To enable standalone operation, Enphase will need to offer an additional capability to both isolate the home from the grid and generate a grid signal to which the inverters can sync.

SolarEdge has string inverter technology with a DC/DC converter at each module to give many of the same features as microinverters, but perhaps with higher reliability (remains to be seen). They are designing a new inverter which will be compatible with Tesla's power wall. That might be an (expensive) option for you if you want battery backup.

Thanks for the suggestion. I went and read up on Solar Edge... Not so sure that waiting on Tesla PowerWall is a good strategy...

I conceptually understand the grid tie inverters needed a "grid" signal, etc. It frustrates me to think of having a large solar array that is useless when the power is out, and others have the workaround to get a relatively small back up signal to get the array production back, and allow load balancing based on solar output and high insolation...

Getting off topic here... When I have better thinking and information in my own mindscape, I'll start a new thread maybe... Thanks again...