How to Safely Restart a Solar Inverter
A surprising number of inverter error codes clear with one thing: a proper power cycle. But the order you switch things off and on matters, and doing it wrong on the DC side is dangerous. This is the safe, standard way to restart almost any hybrid or grid-tied solar inverter, and how to know when a restart will help and when it won't.
The golden rule: AC off first, DC off last, then reverse
Solar panels produce dangerous DC voltage whenever there is daylight, and that side cannot be switched off at the panels. So you always de-energise the AC side first, then the DC, and power back up in the opposite order. Never pull a live DC connector.
The safe restart, step by step
- Turn off the AC output breaker. This is the breaker between the inverter and your home or the grid.
- Turn off the DC isolator. This is the switch (often a rotary knob) between the solar panels and the inverter. If you have a battery isolator, switch that off too.
- Wait 5 minutes. This lets the internal capacitors fully discharge so the inverter starts clean. A 60-second wait is enough for minor glitches, but 5 minutes is the safe default.
- Turn the DC isolator back on (and the battery isolator, if you have one).
- Turn the AC output breaker back on.
- Give it a minute. Grid-tied inverters wait a short, standards-required reconnection delay before they come fully online. This pause is normal.
When a restart actually fixes the problem
A power cycle is the right move for transient and "check and restart" type faults, such as a mode change, a one-off overcurrent, a grid blip, or a thermal trip after the unit has cooled. On Deye and Sunsynk inverters these include codes like:
When you should NOT keep restarting
Some codes are protections warning you about a real, sometimes dangerous condition. Repeatedly clearing them defeats the safety system and can be risky. Stop power-cycling and call a professional for codes like:
A good rule of thumb: if a code clears on the first restart and stays gone, you are fine. If it comes straight back, or it is a fire or shock safety code, do not keep resetting it.
Find your exact code
The safest next step is to look up the specific code your inverter is showing, since the right fix depends on it. Type your error code on the home page to get the meaning, how urgent it is, and the exact steps.