Vivint Solar System Not Working? Common Issues & What to Do

Vivint Solar was once one of the fastest-growing residential solar companies in America. Founded in 2010, they installed systems across the US with aggressive sales tactics and competitive pricing. In 2020, however, Vivint Solar was acquired by SunRun, and thousands of customers have reported ongoing issues with system performance and customer support.

About Vivint Solar Installations

Vivint Solar systems typically used SolarEdge inverters paired with high-efficiency panels (often REC, Canadian Solar, or SunPower brands). The combination was solid in theory, but many Vivint installations were plagued by installation quality issues and inadequate monitoring setup.

Common Vivint Solar Problems

Underperformance: The most common complaint from Vivint customers is that their systems produce far less than promised. Many report 20-40% lower production than their original sales projections. This is often due to poor site assessment during the sales process.

Inverter Failures: SolarEdge string inverters used in many Vivint systems have experienced failure rates higher than average. When these fail, production drops to zero until replacement.

Poor Monitoring Setup: Many Vivint customers report that their SolarEdge monitoring was never properly activated or connected. They have no visibility into their system performance.

Unresponsive Customer Service: After the SunRun acquisition, many Vivint customers found it difficult to get support. Service requests took months, and some were never resolved.

Is This a Vivint Problem or Equipment Problem?

Here's how to tell: Log into your SolarEdge monitoring portal and check your daily production. Compare it to the production estimate your system should generate based on your location and system size.

If production is 20%+ lower than expected most days, it could be:

• A hardware failure (most often the SolarEdge inverter)
• Poor installation quality (wiring issues, panel shading from improper mounting)
• Suboptimal system design from the original sales process

Contact SunRun (Vivint's parent company) about a warranty claim. If the inverter failed, SolarEdge covers replacement under their equipment warranty.

What If You Can't Reach SunRun?

Many customers report that SunRun takes weeks or months to respond to Vivint customer service requests. If you're dealing with this:

File a warranty claim directly with SolarEdge: Go to solaredge.com/owners and register your system. You can file a warranty claim without going through your installer. SolarEdge will handle the repair.

Contact your state's Public Utilities Commission: File a complaint against SunRun for unresponsive customer service. This escalates your case and often gets a response.

Hire an independent service provider: You don't need SunRun to fix your system. Any licensed solar contractor can diagnose and repair Vivint installations.

How SolarDoctor Helps Vivint Customers

Whether your Vivint system is failing due to equipment problems or installation issues, you need to know what's happening. SolarDoctor gives you a free health score that shows exactly how your system is performing and alerts you to problems within hours of them happening.

This is especially important for Vivint customers because you may not get fast support from SunRun. By monitoring your system independently, you catch problems early and can either file warranty claims or hire independent contractors to fix them — saving you thousands in lost production.