SolarGaines

UPDATE: 12/2018Had more technicians out this summer to trouble shoot the system and found one connector that seemed to be causing the fault. Replaced connector on backside of panel and haven't had any trouble since. It was a tough fault to find, and we're hoping that was the gremlin that was causing the system to power down is finally gone. If we make it to Spring of 2019 with no issues, the system will have proved that it is 100% operational.Also, I've had to go back and reference lots of my documents over the past few years, and having the packet from SG has been great. A professional company to work with for sure!UPDATE: 5/20183 years of the system running and I'm still getting intermittent AFCI faults. I've had this issue so many times, I've resorted to manually resetting the PV system myself to clear the fault and go back to production... until the next time it faults. Faulting 1-2 times a year. Would like to see a better resolution to this problem.----original post----I've had my 10.5kw system (ground mount) for almost a year now. It is performing above what was forecast. The best part of SolarGaines was their relationship with the local county inspector - they knew exactly what was needed to make the inspections go smoothly. Additionally, they were able work with me with my unique needs with my old farmhouse. The contract was straight forward, and I'd say that due diligence is necessary when reviewing to ensure project scope is captured. That's good for both parties to ensure everyone understands what work is being done and not being done.I did have 1 SNAFU where there was some fault in the system which shut it down. Unfortunately, I only knew about it when my next electric bill came in because I don't have a monitoring system. They were on-site within 3 days to check the system and reset it. Also, they've mentioned some aftermarket monitoring device that would make it very easy to detect if there was a problem with the array and are working with me to ensure I don't have another period of 0 generation.Overall - very responsive, PROFESSIONALS (as in, this is not a franchise or some kind of weird financing scheme), have a dedicated sales and admin staff as well as installers. The senior staff of the business came out to say hello when I dropped off some signed docs - evident they are interested in their customers.Almost forgot - they took care of EVERYTHING for the paperwork - all the grant applications, inspection paperwork, EVERYTHING. It was extremely easy for me, just had to sign from time to time. And at the end of the project, they gave me a 3 ring binder with all the pertinent info in it, cleanly wrapped up.Very satisfied. I have recommended them to my friends and will return for any future expansion projects.

Beware of using SolarGaines. Their prices are low for the Baltimore,Washington area. However, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.I had several issues come up with SolarGaines:1. A price was agreed to in writing with their sales representative. This price was suppose to be all inclusive and it was agreed that I could charge the project to my credit card for no additional fee. However, 2 weeks later when it came time for me to pay, they charged me an additional 3% for using a credit card. By that point, they had already taken my down payment for the project. The sales rep basically told me I could pay the additional 3% or cancel the project.2. When the panels were installed, I was told that the inverter they purchased was not working properly and would need to be replaced. I was promised my system would be up and running within a week. When I called the project manager 4 days later, he told me that 'he forgot to order the new parts but he would try to get to it that afternoon.' He said shipping the new parts would take about a week. When I requested that the replacement part be overnighted, they said 'no'. Kinda sad that I'm paying tens of thousands of dollars for solar panels and they won't spend a couple bucks to fix the faulty parts they ordered.3. They left the room near my circuit breakers a mess. The framing around the circuit breaker box was half ripped off, and the wall was not fully repaired nor repainted. When the billing department asked for final payment, I said I was withholding payment until the job was finished. I guess that was an incentive for them to finish the job. I was promised they would come on Monday. I stayed home from work to wait for the crew, and received a call 5 minutes before they were suppose to come that they were not able to come that day because they were finishing up another project. I was told they would call to reschedule. The next morning at around 11am, I get a call that the crew is waiting outside my house...no warning or scheduling. My room finally got fixed (they did an okay job, not great), but the project was poorly managed from beginning to end.4. Once the job is done and they are paid, the company seems completely unresponsive. I reached out to them for some assistance filling out the forms to sell SRECs and received no response.With all that being said, I gave them 2 stars because it seems like they did a decent job installing the panels. Just be warned that dealing with them is a pain.

If you're considering going solar, go with Solargaines. Top notch installation, dedicated operations and administrative staff, knowledgeable and most important - HONEST. Will not sell you something more than you need, and does not offer lease programs. Also, locally owned and operated, which is important in the world we live in these days.

Having had an array for years I decided to switch from oil heat to electric. Needing more capacity added onto my existing array proved somewhat troublesome since most installers will not add to an existing array. Solar-gains said 'No problem'. Installed the panels I wanted in the configuration I wanted. Handled all permits and had me off heating oil expenses. Gotta love no electric or heating bills!!! Thanks Solar-gains. Great installer to work with.