Is my panel warranty void because the installer closed?

No. Module and inverter warranties come from the manufacturers, not the installer. The installer's workmanship warranty is what ends. Read the manufacturer terms for what they cover and who may file a claim, and keep your serial numbers and installation date together.

Where do I find my solar permit?

In Fairfax County, search the PLUS portal for permits since October 31, 2022, or the Land Development Information History system for older ones. Other counties and cities keep their own records. We pull it as part of a takeover visit.

Will you service a system you did not install?

Yes. We service solar no matter who installed it. Once the records are rebuilt, we handle repairs, battery additions, expansions, and panel work the same way we do for our own installs.

What does a takeover visit cost?

A booked visit carries the $99 dispatch fee, waived for members. Troubleshooting and repairs are priced in writing before we start. Estimates for new work, like a battery or a panel replacement, are free.

Orphaned solar systems

When Your Solar Installer Went Out of Business

Name: AJ Long Electric
Address: 2724 Dorr Ave, Suite 102, Fairfax, VA, 22031, US
Telephone: (571) 444-6886

The installer is gone, and so is the paper trail. We rebuild it: the permit record, the equipment list, the monitoring, the utility contact, and the manufacturer warranty file. Then we service the system like one we installed.

Get a roof study Call (571) 444-6886

Reviewed 2026-09-24

Closed charcoal load center, disconnect, monitoring module with three indicator lights, and strapped metal raceways on a utility-room wall

Google reviews

1,463 across four profiles

Family-owned

Since 1996

Licensed and insured

VA 2705031092

On every install

Licensed electricians, since 1996

Backed by

Workmanship warranty

Answer first

Who takes over when the installer is gone

A licensed electrician can take over an orphaned solar system, and the first job is rebuilding the records the installer took with them. AJ Long Electric pulls the county permit record, reads every equipment label on the roof and the wall, gets the monitoring back under your control, updates the contact on the utility's record, and documents failed parts for a claim with the manufacturer. From then on, we service it like one of ours.

The installer's workmanship warranty ended with the company. The module and inverter warranties come from the manufacturers, and they are still there to claim.
Virginia's net metering rules require the customer to tell the utility when the operator or contact information for the system changes.
A takeover visit is a booked service visit: the $99 dispatch fee applies and is waived for members. Any repair is priced in writing first.
If something is broken today, start with solar service and repair. This page covers the takeover itself.

Step one: the permit record

The permit record tells us what the county approved, when it passed inspection, and whether anything was left open. In Fairfax County, the PLUS portal has been the only permit system since October 31, 2022. Records from before that live in the county's Land Development Information History system, and anything not online can be requested from Land Development Services.

Timing matters. Land Development Services keeps building plans and their supporting documents for three years after the final inspection, then destroys them. On an older system the approved plan set may be gone, so the permit history and the equipment on the roof become the record. We compare the two.

What we look for: a final inspection on the solar permit, the electrical work that covered the panel connection, and any open or failed inspection. An open permit is worth closing now, before it surfaces during a sale. Arlington, Loudoun, Prince William, and the independent cities keep their own records, and homes in Vienna and Clifton also carry a town approval.

Step two: read every label

A solar system documents itself if someone reads it. We photograph every label and build a one-page equipment list and a simple one-line diagram for your file. That list is what a manufacturer asks for on a claim and what the next inspector or buyer wants to see.

Module nameplates: manufacturer, model, wattage, and serial numbers.
Inverter or microinverter labels, including model numbers and firmware where the gateway reports it.
Rapid shutdown and disconnect labels, and the placard that shows where the solar connects and how to shut it off.
The backfed breaker or supply-side connection, its size, and the busbar and main breaker ratings on the panel label.
Monitoring gateway model and how it talks to the inverters.

Step three: get the monitoring back

Many installers registered monitoring under their own company account. When the company closes, the homeowner app shows nothing, shows old data, or stops sending alerts. We reconnect the gateway to your network, confirm it reports, and work with the manufacturer's support to move the system into an account you control.

A dead monitoring app does not always mean a dead system. We confirm the array produces before anyone pays for hardware.

Solar monitoring not working

Step four: update the utility record

Your net metering does not end because the installer closed. Dominion treats the home as a net metering premise until it is told the system has been removed. What does go stale is the contact information. Virginia's rules require the customer to notify the utility of changes in ownership, operational responsibility, or contact information for a generator, and we help you send that update to Dominion or NOVEC.

You will want the permission to operate letter for your file. Dominion emails it to both the customer and the vendor, so search your own email from the month the system turned on.

Step five: warranty claims with the manufacturer

Manufacturer claims run on documentation. Expect to need serial numbers, the installation date (the permission to operate letter or the final inspection date works), the purchase contract, and a documented fault with test results. We supply the test results and the photos, and we file the claim with you.

Some manufacturers want a recognized installer to file the claim or swap the part. Whether the manufacturer pays for labor depends on its warranty document, so we read it before we start and price any uncovered labor in writing.

Roof leaks at the attachments were covered by the installer's workmanship warranty, if anything. That coverage closed with the company, so leaks go to your roofer, and we handle the electrical side of any repair.

If the system is leased or on a power purchase agreement

With a lease or a power purchase agreement, you do not own the system, and the leasing company is usually responsible for maintenance. When an installer closes, its leases may have been transferred to another company. Find out who holds the contract now, from your billing statement or the lender, before you pay anyone for repairs.

Solar panel repair and service

Straight answers

Questions

Is my panel warranty void because the installer closed?: No. Module and inverter warranties come from the manufacturers, not the installer. The installer's workmanship warranty is what ends. Read the manufacturer terms for what they cover and who may file a claim, and keep your serial numbers and installation date together.
Can you get into my old installer's monitoring account?: We do not need to. We reconnect the gateway and work with the manufacturer's support to move the system into an account you control, so you see your own data and get your own alerts.
Where do I find my solar permit?: In Fairfax County, search the PLUS portal for permits since October 31, 2022, or the Land Development Information History system for older ones. Other counties and cities keep their own records. We pull it as part of a takeover visit.
Will you service a system you did not install?: Yes. We service solar no matter who installed it. Once the records are rebuilt, we handle repairs, battery additions, expansions, and panel work the same way we do for our own installs.
What does a takeover visit cost?: A booked visit carries the $99 dispatch fee, waived for members. Troubleshooting and repairs are priced in writing before we start. Estimates for new work, like a battery or a panel replacement, are free.

Sources

Next step

Take back your solar system

Send the address, any paperwork you have, and photos of the inverter and the panel labels. We rebuild the record, test the system, and tell you what it needs in writing.