Starting situation
A string cable ran along a long outdoor route at a farm or ground-mounted system to the inverter's PV input.
Real troubleshooting at a rural system
A rodent chewed completely through the string cable
A rodent severed the outdoor DC cable. One entire string stopped while the rest of the system kept producing.
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Monitoring can show which string disappeared; locating the damaged cable and confirming the cause still requires inspection of the complete route.
The problem
A rodent damaged and eventually severed the cable. The string stopped carrying energy while other strings could keep producing.
What became visible
During production hours, one input stopped while others remained active. This identified the circuit but not whether the cause was a connector, cable, module or another DC-side fault.
SM Sentinel's role
If the source exposes the required per-input measurements, SM Sentinel can detect the monitored string's loss and record the affected input and time.
Human next step
Qualified personnel safely isolate the DC system, inspect the full cable route, replace the damaged section, check nearby cables and add suitable mechanical protection.
Expected operational outcome
After repair, required measurements and safety checks, circuit continuity and string production could be restored. Better cable protection reduces repeat risk.
What is this story based on?
A real case involving a fully severed string cable that was found and repaired, presented without identifiers.
Service boundary
SM Sentinel cannot see physical cable condition, identify rodent damage or locate the break. Confirmation and safe repair remain on-site professional work.
NEXT STEP
Find out what we can see from your system.
After connection, you can make a clearer choice about which SM Sentinel plan fits your operation.