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How do I safely shut down and restart my GoodWe ESA battery?

Short answer. GoodWe’s manual sets out a fixed power-off and power-on order using circuit breakers, the battery’s own switch and button, and the inverter’s DC switch. It is written for electricians, so we do it for you. The only owner step is an emergency switch-off at your main switch, and only if it is safe.

Close-up of the GoodWe ESA all-in-one home battery with its status display (GoodWe product image)
The GoodWe ESA with its status display (image: GoodWe)

A restart is rarely the answer. If your GoodWe shows an alarm, a flashing red light, or a connection problem, a restart will not fix it and may hide what we need to see.

Safety first. Do not press and hold the battery’s button. Never open a switchboard, remove a cover from your battery or inverter, or touch any wiring. Anything beyond the app, a light you can read from a safe distance, or your own router is a job for a licensed electrician. If you see smoke, smell burning, hear arcing or see water on or near the unit: keep everyone away, switch off at your main switch only if it is safe to do so, and call 000 if there is any fire or smoke.

What GoodWe’s manual says about powering off

The ESA user manual opens its power-off section with a danger warning: equipment in the system must be de-energised before any work, internal parts need time to discharge, and the battery must be shut down strictly in the manufacturer’s order to avoid damaging it. The sequence involves the system’s circuit breakers, a long press on the battery’s multifunction button, the battery switch and the inverter’s DC switch, and restarting uses the reverse order. We have deliberately not copied the steps here: they are for a licensed electrician at the unit.

What you can safely do

  • Read the lights. The inverter’s breathing light glowing blue-purple for about three minutes then going off is normal running. A green running light means it is upgrading. Red flashing is a system fault: tell us. On the battery, a steady green button light means running normally and green blinking once a second means standby; red means an alarm or fault.
  • Check the SEMS+ app. Tap Alarm on the home page to see messages. Do not try to interpret fault codes yourself; send us a screenshot.
  • Restart your own router if the issue is connection, then see our Wi-Fi reconnect guide.
  • In an emergency (smoke, burning smell, water, damage): get everyone away, switch off at your main switch only if it is safe, and call 000 for any fire or smoke.

If the house has no power

GoodWe’s manual describes a battery “black start” for a situation where there is no solar and the grid is down and the inverter cannot start. It involves holding the battery button, and we only do it with you on the phone. Call us straight away if your home lost power when you expected it to stay on.

When to call us

If we installed your system, call us on 0483 903 020. Our service help for existing customers is free: we start by working through it with you by phone. If you are not yet a customer, a service call is $250 + GST, which covers one hour on site within 20 km of Mullumbimby; travel further out is quoted separately. Contact us or call 0483 903 020 (Mon-Fri 7am-6pm, Sat 7am-4pm).

Quick questions

Can I just flick the breakers off and on to restart it?

No. GoodWe says to follow its sequence strictly to avoid damaging the battery system, and the work is for a licensed electrician.

What does a flashing red light mean?

GoodWe describes a red flashing inverter light as a system fault. Please let us know and we will take it from there.

How long does the system need after it is switched off?

GoodWe says internal parts need time to discharge and to wait the time shown on the label. That is another reason this is left to us.

Can I do a restart from the app?

GoodWe’s SEMS+ manual lists Start, Stop and Restart among the device parameters in its settings section, which is written for installer-level access. We cannot tell what an owner account shows, and a restart will not clear a fault, so please call us rather than hunting for it.

Sources

Last checked 6 October 2026. Only the manufacturer’s or the network’s own documents are used; app menus change between versions, so if your screen looks different, call us rather than guess.

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