If your solar app suddenly shows every panel at zero, don't panic. The most common cause we see is a tripped or switched-off breaker, and you can often check it yourself in about five minutes.
At Rivertown Solar, many of the "my system is down" calls we get from Westchester homeowners end the same way: a breaker in one of the boxes outside the house is off. Here's how to tell whether that's your problem, which boxes to check, and when to stop and call us.
Why "all at once" points to a breaker
Panels almost never fail together. Most systems we install use microinverters, one small inverter under each panel. Each one runs and reports on its own, so a hardware problem usually takes out one or two panels, not the whole roof.
That's why it matters when your app shows every microinverter stopping at the same minute. The panels are probably fine. What stopped is the AC power they need to connect to your home, and a breaker or disconnect switch sits on that path.
When this happens, our support team checks your site remotely first. If the gateway is online but all the microinverters stopped together, we tell customers the same thing every time: "This typically indicates that an AC breaker may have been tripped."
One quick check before you go outside: if the app says the gateway is offline too, you may just have a WiFi problem. That's covered in the last section.
Safety first
Only flip switches and handles you can reach without tools. Never take off a panel cover, open the panels on your roof, or touch wiring.
- Don't go up on the roof.
- Stay away if a box is wet, scorched, smells like burning, or makes a buzzing sound. Call us instead.
- If a breaker trips again right after you reset it, leave it off. A breaker that keeps tripping is protecting you from a real fault.
- If you have a battery, follow your installer's shutdown instructions before you touch anything near it.
The 5-minute breaker checklist
Go through the boxes in the order the power flows: from your roof, to the outside of the house, to your main electrical panel. Take a photo of each box before and after. Those photos let us diagnose most problems without a site visit.
- Is the power on in your house? If there's a power outage in your neighborhood, your solar system shuts off on purpose for safety. It will restart on its own a few minutes after the power comes back. If your lights are on, keep going.
- Check the app first. Did all the microinverters stop at the same time while the gateway stayed online? If so, it's probably a breaker, so keep going. If only a few stopped, skip to the last section.
- AC disconnect. This is usually a gray box near your electric meter, often made by Eaton, with a handle on the side. Make sure the handle is in the ON position.
- Combiner box. On Enphase systems this is labeled "IQ Combiner" and is usually mounted near the disconnect. Open the front door (no tools needed) and check both breakers inside. If either one is off, or stuck halfway, push it fully OFF and then back ON.
- While the door is open, look for water or condensation inside. If you see any, close the door and call us.
- Solar breaker in your home's panel. Find the breaker labeled "Solar" or "PV" in your main panel or subpanel. Reset it the same way: fully OFF, then ON.
- Battery or backup panel, if you have one. Check the solar breaker in your backup panel as well. Some systems also have a separate breaker at the battery.
- Wait 15 to 30 minutes, in daylight. Microinverters need sun to wake up, and they usually report to the app every 15 minutes. A reset at night won't show anything until morning.
- Send us your photos. Whether or not the panels come back, send us before-and-after photos of each box. We'll confirm everything is healthy and file any warranty claim.
Did you have electrical work done recently? New batteries, generators, EV chargers, panel upgrades and inspection fixes can all leave a solar breaker switched off. If your system went quiet right after someone worked on your electrical, check the breakers first.
What we've seen on real service calls
These are real 2025–2026 support cases from our customers.
| What the homeowner saw | What it turned out to be | How it got fixed |
|---|---|---|
| Alert: "microinverters not reporting." The gateway was online, and every microinverter had stopped at the same moment. | Both 20A breakers inside the Enphase combiner box were off. There was also water inside the box. | The homeowner switched the breakers on and sent photos. Two microinverters still weren't reporting afterward, so we opened a case with Enphase and got warranty replacements. The system was back to 100% in about a month. |
| "7 panels in the front are not working again." | A tripped breaker on one branch circuit. | The homeowner reset it the same day. Because it was a repeat, we checked whether a fault or the grid was causing it. |
| "Half my panels have stopped working." | We suspected a breaker, but the photos showed every breaker was on. The real cause was failed microinverters or loose wiring on the roof. | A manufacturer warranty replacement, which typically takes 10 to 20 business days. |
| "Microinverters not reporting" for about a week. | No breaker had been touched. It was a communication gap, and the system had kept producing power the whole time. | It came back on its own. The homeowner added a signal-boosting router so it wouldn't happen again. |
The lesson: if all your panels stop at once, check the breakers first. If the breakers are fine, your photos still save a truck roll, because they help us tell a breaker problem from an equipment failure or a WiFi problem.
When it's not the breaker, and when to call us
Match what you're seeing to the most likely cause:
- Only one panel, or a few, are down. This usually means a failed microinverter or loose wiring on the roof. Don't go up there; we handle warranty replacements.
- The gateway is offline and every panel shows no data. This is usually WiFi, not lost power. Your panels often keep producing even while the app is blank. Restart your router. If it keeps happening, a hardwired ethernet connection is the permanent fix.
- Your system shuts off on hot summer afternoons. Low grid voltage in Con Edison territory can trip your system offline. Read our post The Brownout Blind Spot.
- A breaker trips again right after you reset it. Leave it off and call us. Something is causing a fault.
- Water, burn marks or a burning smell in any box. Don't touch it. Call us.
Every day your system is down costs you net-metering credits on your Con Ed bill, so don't wait for the monthly statement to find out. Turn on production alerts in your Enphase app, and check the app once a week.
Need help? Send us your photos through the support form or call (914) 231-6866. Many issues can be solved remotely.
