Solar Solutions

Great job, in & out fast- professional crew - thanks Solar Solutions

We were pleased with the punctuality and service we received. The solar panels and system were existing when we purchased our home. This winter we noticed a leak in the panels. After a recommendation from our pool service company, we called Solar Solutions. They were going to be in our neighborhood the following day and fit us on the schedule. They did an inspection of the system and panels and patched the leak. The system has been working great!

When Tim came to bid the job he asked me how I had heard of his company. I told him, ?Angie?s List.? I hoped that that might help assure a good quality of service. My hope was in vain. When the guys came to install the water heater, they needed to borrow my flashlight and screwdrivers. Perhaps I?m a naif but I had thought professionals would provide their own tools. They also failed to arrive with the gaskets. When you?re drilling holes in a roof, gaskets are pretty much required, no? My guess: they wanted to get home early on Christmas Eve so they left them at the warehouse on purpose. Just a thought. So, when they left on Christmas Eve with the job half done, they promised they would be back the day after Christmas. They stood here while I wrote that down in front of them. On the day after Christmas, I sat here till early afternoon waiting for them then phoned the office. Tim told me that they had not said any such thing to me [After I had written it down while they stood here. Uh huh.] He said that they were busy and hadn't made room in their schedule for me [after not completing the job as scheduled. He didn't mention that part.] He promised they would return the following day. They did arrive the next day and did complete the installation. And, after the PV panels had been installed, they were prompt on getting the inspector here. The job passed muster with no caveats. These facts are the sole reasons they did not receive an F on this review. However, given later events [see further update below] maybe they deserve an F for this as well. Could the inspector have been an incompetent as the installation crew was? As difficult as that may be to believe, perhaps it's true. We had to wait for the energy company to come install a new meter on the house. For reasons passing understanding, that couldn?t have been arranged while I waited several weeks for them to begin the job or while they were here but - - there you are - - another wait of a about 3 weeks. Then, after the meter was installed, Solar Solutions was to come back, inspect the job, make sure all was in order and start the panels. They didn?t. And they didn?t. And they didn?t. So I phoned and asked if the only thing left to do was flip the breaker marked ?Solar? in the power panel. Tim said, yes, that was all that needed doing but he did want to send someone out to do a final walkthrough. I told him I wanted that to happen too but that, in the meantime, I would go ahead and flip that breaker which I did while I had him on the phone. He agreed that someone would come for the walkthrough soon. I never heard back from him and no one ever arrived. By that time I was so fed up with this company I decided to simply wait and see if the job had been done correctly. I was soon to have my answer. About three weeks later, my electric bill came due. It had gone UP. I phoned Solar Solutions and spoke to a very sympathetic woman who said she was sorry that had happened and passed the message on to Tim [although I had told her I would rather work with someone else, quite frankly.] Tim phoned and tried to blame the rise in my bill on the fact that I have had the blatant audacity to turn on my furnace. Hello? While living in a larger house and using these same panels, my electricity use had been a negative amount whether the furnace or the a/c or neither had been turned on. When solar panels are installed, it?s a given that one?s bill WILL lower even when one is ? you know ? actually using electricity. That?s how things are supposed to work. But it is the hallmark of the incompetent to blame others for their own failings. I?ve seen it happen far too often. When I took umbrage at his attempt to blame me for the fact that the panels weren?t doing their job, Tim became defensive and said he was simply attempting to figure out the problem. I?m sorry but that is not something he can do over the phone. In fact, that is something which no salesman can do at all. He needed to send a professional to my home to assertain that the wires were hooked up properly and that the inverter was working ? not speculate over the phone. At the moment, I?m still waiting for the tech to arrive. Again. Update: Tim phoned back and asked if my inverter was turned on. I checked and told him that it seems not to be. So he gave me wrong information when he said that I simply needed to turn on the solar breaker in the electric panel inside the house. And he failed to arrange a follow-up appointment to check the system as he had promised about 3 weeks earlier. The tech came and turned on the system and showed me how to tell if the meter is running backward. Finally. And now I wait again. Now that the system is ostensibly working, I have to wait for another full billing cycle to roll around to see if the panels are doing what they're supposed to do. Further update: I began this process in December, 2013. The water heater was installed between the dates of 12/24 ? 12/27. The pv panels were installed in early January. Before the panels were installed, my bill ranged between $70.00 and $110.00. Today, March 15 my bill arrived. It is $72.00. When I lived in my previous [larger] home where the panels were installed, my bill was $10.48 per month - every month. So, obviously, I was using no coal or gas in my previous home. Now, just as obviously, I?m using virtually the same amount of fossil fuel as I did before the panels were installed. Something is very, very wrong, here. At this point, I have no intention of calling Solar Solutions to fix the problem. They?ve been given two chances already and have not seemed to be even slightly interested in solving it. In fact, Tim has simply blamed me every step of the way. After I have a new company out to assess and repair the damage, I will post yet another update here as to what the problem is. In the meantime, a word to the wise: Do not use this company. Run the other way as fast as your legs can carry you. Just do it. Updated 6/1/14 [after the installation of optimizers and extensive testing of the system to be sure the problem is, at long last, solved.] Well, true to form, the people at Solar Solutions are being disingenuous and passing the buck. Please allow me to set the record straight: First, the person who wrote the response would have you believe I have added a Chevy Volt or similar vehicle to the work load of the solar panels. The ?electric car? he referred to is a street-legal golf cart: http://www.polaris.com/en-us/gem-electric-car/shopping-tools/pages/overview.aspx So the load has not increased substantially - - especially when one takes into account the fact that the panels were moved to a home which is considerably smaller than the house they were originally installed on and whose electricity usage prior to installation was approximately half that of the previous home. [A drop from a bill of $192.00 per month on the level-pay plan to a range of $70.00 - $128.00 per month.] In the original house I generated far more electricity than I used?here, the ratio should have been substantially higher. And, in both homes, an electric golf cart was being charged on a regular basis. So the ?electric car? excuse Tim used should be treated as the red herring it is. Secondly, two companies that I have consulted have given me the same information: since the panels were moved from a single south-facing roof to two separate roofs -one facing south, the other west ? the system now needs a very different arrangement when it comes to the inverter. They say that this is standard procedure and any professional company should be aware of this requirement. As a result of this fact, I have now added optimizers to the panels [an alternative would be to install two inverters.] Prior to the installation of the optimizers, on a sunny day, a gentleman from another company came by. He assessed the situation and noted that the panels were creating 583 watts of power. Thus they were generating approximately 11% of the energy they should have been putting out. Obviously, the company?s protests notwithstanding, something was very, very wrong. And, now that I have added the optimizers, the system is functioning properly. Another matter: I had asked Solar Solutions to install the original monitoring system which I had brought from the previous home along with the panels. They did not do so. When the optimizers were installed, they came with their own monitoring system [both online and a local, manual unit.] This has now been installed and I can check to see that the system is functioning properly - - something I was unable to do after Solar Solutions had done their initial installation. Thus, I had to wait a month after each trip they made to ?trouble shoot? the array[look at the system, shake their heads and claim that it should be working - - even though it obviously was not] before I could assess whether the system was working or not. So, the fix took almost 5 months to complete since I had no monitoring method other than my monthly electric bill. The majority of the reviews below are for solar pool arrangements soSolar Solutions seems to be up to that task. Furthermore, it was able to install the solar water heater on my home just fine [even though they did arrive without the gaskets, flashlights or screwdrivers.] It is, however, not nearly ready to attempt pv panel installations. The people there simply do not have the knowledge to undertake the more complicated procedure. They could have saved themselves and me a great deal of angst had they not advertised themselves as capable of doing this sort of job and/or if they had taken responsibility for their mistakes.

Ok so here is the in February of 2012 my elderly monthers solar pool panels sprung leaks like a sprinkler so she shut the system down. That?s when she asked me to assist her in finding someone to replace the system. I searched out companies who specialized in solar pool systems, who had good reviews, had current licenses and were insured. We selected 3 to get estimates and our final choice was Solar Solutions. Their bid was to come in and replace the panels and get the system back in running order. Tim Converse was the contractor?s rep who was very nice and seemed to be up front and knowledgeable. He stated it would only take a few hours and she would be good to go. I asked him if the price included the permit and he stated he did not need to pull a permit to replace panels on this job. They came out in April and replaced the system things seemed fine until July when a large leak broke through in her lanai ceiling (which by the way was re-done when the flat roof had been replaced in 2007). From what I recall it was days after a rain so she thought the solar panels were leaking and called Tim Converse. Tim sent out one of his tech that reported back and said it was not the panels. I won't go through the whole situation here but we went back and forth with Solar Solutions, their insurance company, the County, and Mom's insurance company. Her insurance would not cover anything but the ceiling of the lanai. Moms Insurance Adjuster wrote up a complete report and found the solar panels had been moving on the roof and there is evidence on the screws of a particular panel with roofing material on it. The County told us that they could not come out and inspect the job since no Permit was pulled and it WAS REQUIRED. So Solar Solutions cut corners on the install after all. We went round and round with the county and Solar Solutions. After almost a year Solar Solutions finally pulled a permit and we we able to have the county inspect the job. Well low in behold they agreed with Mom's Insurance adjuster that the damage was caused by a gouge on the flat roof from a solar panel either being dragged across the roof and or the faulty tie down straps which caused the panels to move as they filled and emptied and the whole installation was not UP TO CODE. No one would take responsibility and with another rainy season just around the corner we had to do something so we started contacting contractors, roofers, and solar compaines again. Mind you mom had already spent $3630.00 for the solar job done by Solar Solutions. Now after many many estimates we paid a total of $8793.49!!! Yes we had to have the panels removed, the roof re-roofed (no one would do a patch job since they could not guarntee the work), the ceiling had to be completely re-done, with new drywall in the area of the leak and re-exturing of the entire ceiling along with painting it. Oh of course then the Solar panels had to be re-installed UP TO CODE. Mind you during this back and forth Solar Solutions insurance company offered a $1000.00 mom to make this go away! Their words not mine. We told the agent how much this was costing and she said she would contact her client. We never heard back from them. Unfortunately because of a loop hole they appear at this point to have gotten away with their shoddy job not putting the system in up to code. It's not like we hired some fly by night solar guy this is a specialty company who really knew better. You know I'm so tired of companies this this taking advantanage of the Elderly and the homeowners when they knew better but do not seem to care, they got their easy money. This whole ordeal has been extremely rough on my Mother as well as myself. PLEASE PEOPLE learn from our experience and before you sign on the dotted line call the county and be sure if a permit should be pulled for the job at hand. We trusted Tim and believed he was representing his company in a honest and professional manor. Remember this $3600 job turned into $12,423.49!!!!!! nightmare

Tim was very responsive to request for quotes and further information. Tried to install within days of agreeing on price etc but we wanted to wait until HOA had approved (even though we do not legally have to) and Tim was very flexible on us keep changing the date! Work was completed in about 5 to 6 hours and appears to have been done with a lot of care and detail. The engineer who completed the final pipe work to run down the wall and connect to the existing pipe work was an real artists and has done a fantastic job of tying everything together and not making it look like a pile of spaghetti! Over-all very happy and would recommend

Tim was out on Monday night. The systems was completely installed by Wednesday afternoon. The heater was functioning as promised by Saturday afternoon. Could not have been any easier and the system will easily pay for itself within a year or less Great service and product Mark

Most of my dealing were with Tim, the owner of Solar Solutions (SS). From the beginning he was prompt in retuning phone call and answering questions. He came to my home for an initial meeting to discuss heating options for my new pool. He was knowledgeable about all products SS sells and was straight forward in not wanting to over sell or push equipment that was not needed (i.e. a bigger heatpump, more solar panels etc) to heat my pool. He kept in contact months after we initially met to see what phase my pool construction was in. When finally installed, the installation was clean and professional as was the rest of the SS staff. There were two hick-ups with my experience, one was about who would wire the heat pump to my electrical panel (It was not clearly delineated upon signing my contract with SS that I had to contract and electrician to wire the heat pump to my electrical panel - a 4 foot run) that was an additional 300$ with BOLT electric. Additionally the solar controller i was originally sold was not one which will automatically increase the pool pump speed to pump water up to the solar panels when the solar valve turned on. After some negotiation, Tim agreed to change out my controller at a fair price. I list these items not as complaints, but rather "would have been nicer to know about these things earlier". Tim was great with working with me and in the end I'm very satisfied with SS!!!

Performed all the work as described in our agreement. They had a little trouble removing the old heater but that never changed the cost that we agreed on. All work was handled in a professional manner.

Staff were professional. Upon notice of minor problems after installation, they returned immediately to repair. Pool is still warm enough to swim at the end of October!

Mr. Gray was highly courteous and professional in providing a thoroughgoing presentation of their solar hot water energy system and also thorough information about their solar attic fan. He painstakingly went through the details in describing how the system worked so that we clearly understood what we would be obtaining if we went with their system. He gave us full information about the history of their company and their relationship with Angies List and the Better Business Bureau. This was very important to us as we had selected their company from information we garnered from Angie?s List. He was patient and responsive in answering our questions and we believed he was honest in his presentation as he elaborated on the costs and gains from such a system. Although this company was not selected, my wife and I had a prolonged discussion of this company and the one that was selected and for a considerable time we wavered back and forth between the two. This company had the best price and the factor that eventually tilted the scales in favor of the other company was that we were able to see the solar attic fan demonstrated. This eyes on experience was very educational for us. We would highly recommend this company to others and we have nothing but the highest praise for Joel Gray and would not hesitate to use him and his company again.

I have called them several times because I am having a hard time getting the salt cartridge out to clean. They almost never return my calls. I just decided to not contact them any further.

Outstanding service from sales, installation, and front office. Our yard has LOTS of trees and shade and the sales rep was very up front on expectation management with the potential performance of the system. (As it turned out, the system has performed better than he predicted.) The installation crew was courteous, prompt, and professional. The front office was great in scheduling the install and very helpful with the permitting process and inspection followup. In the couple of weeks since the installation, our family has used the pool more than in the last two years. Overall it was an outstanding experience.

The service went just as promised,each team showed up on time and did their work and left with no mess or problems.The system performs as promised and I am spending more time in the pool than ever.

The solar panels are a 5,000 watt solar panel. It makes my electric meter go in the opposite direction and I feed the energy back into the power company. It took about four months to complete this project. Many times, the crew was late to arrive. Some of the workers were good, but one of the installers was huffy and seemed to want me to stay out of his business. When I found that he was doing something incorrectly, I called the company and let them know. The work was finally completed and it seems to be properly finished, but we will have to wait and see.

The workers from Solar Solutions, Inc. did show up in a timely mannor, however from start to finish they may have been here a total of 30 to 45 minutes! They too concluded that the panels on the roof needed to be removed and new pannels could then be installed. They removed the panels from my roof and I am assuming that they disposed of them as well. The issues that I am having is that there was a $135.00 "Service Call" fee in addition to the $200.00 charge to remove the old panels. My roof still has many of the old fasteners and holes where some fasteners had been removed. The technicians left very large screws and a couple of fasteners in the yard where they could have been stepped on. The service technician informed me that I would now be in need of roofing services to patch and or repair the holes left in my roof. When I asked for an estimate for the cost to replace the panels they had removed, I received a sketch on our receipt that had scribbles etc. May as well have been on a napkin! The technicians were not very knowledgable at all. They were not able to tell me that where the panels were positioned I have already lost 25% of the daily sun light, and to put more panels on the roof in that same spot, would not benefit me at all. In my oppinion, the $135.00 service charge was way too high, and then another $200.00 to remove 6 panels that took less than 30 minutes to do was too high as well! There were screws and fasteners left in my yard... I felt ripped off! Especially when I had another company come out to do the same thing for no charge at all! After getting my second oppinion, (by Morgan Construction Services, Inc.), I was told it would not even be in my best interest to put more panels on the roof for that purpose. I sure do wish Solar Solutions could have told me that! But I guess they were banking on making another $4,200.00 off of me instead! BAD BUSINESS!

Excellent. I would recommend them to anyone and would use them again...

Sales rep proved responsible. He had offered me a $100 discount if I paid immediately after installation. The bill the techs had, which they amended because of the cheaper control, did not reflect this. I paid and called the company and within a week received the $100. The installation was professional and I am pleased with the results.

Solar panels came out on June 1 to repair my system. Today one of the connections again sprung a serious leak. I called and spoke with Tim Converse who said he had some technicians in the area and would send them out. I had to leave on an errand and while I was gone, the technicians came out and repaired the leak with no further charge. This was greatly appreciated.

The entire system was leaking like a sieve. When I called they said there is a service call charge of $135.00 which would cover repairing the leaks, although plugging panels would be $5. extra. Of three panels, the technician said he repaired one and another one would have to be replaced ($500) or removed ($50). I elected to have it removed. The overall cost was almost double the estimate I was given on the phone but not much to be done about that. It appears the solar companies have a monopoly and can charge what they want. Although i indicated I would probably use them again, the fact is, if I have another similar problem, I'll probably just take the entire system out instead.

I did not use them due to the tactics used by the salesperson. His bid was figured incorrectly and then he tried several times to "offer" me a discounted price if I would sign up immediately.

They were very nice, and very efficient. I would recommend them for solar installations. Also their price i felt was reasonable. I would use them again in the future if I needed more work.

They sent a guy out. He evaluated the house and made a recommendation. We checked it out and decided to go with them. I don't remember the cost of their services. They did a good job. They showed up on time and they completed the job on time. They were really responsive to all of our needs.

They were punctual, got the work done cleanly and well and even fixed a frozen clamp on the pool system for no charge.

Everything went really well. They were very professional and very prompt. The installation was done well and they came the day I called them. I plan to use them next for some solar panels on my roof.

They gave me a decent estimate. They were very good. When they were doing the job they were careful of our possessions.