Your battery installer has gone. What happens to your Fox ESS warranty?
By Daniel Carmont, licensed electrical contractor Lic# 92489
Nuvolt Electrical Solutions · 7 October 2026 · 7 min read
A lot of home batteries went in very quickly once the federal rebate started, and not every company that installed them will still be around when something needs attention. Some have already gone. Others are still trading but have stopped picking up the phone.
If that is your installer and your system is a Fox ESS, the question I get asked is always the same: is my warranty gone too? The short answer is no. The longer answer is in Fox's own warranty documents, which almost nobody reads until they need them. I have read them, and this is what they say in plain English.
Two warranties from two different companies
When you bought the system you got two separate promises, and they come from two different businesses.
The manufacturer's warranty covers the equipment: the inverter and the battery modules. That promise is Fox's. It does not belong to the installer and it does not vanish when the installer does.
The workmanship warranty covers the installation: the cabling, the switchboard work, the mounting, the labelling. That promise is the installer's alone. If the company no longer exists, there is nobody left to honour it, and that is the part you genuinely lose.
So when an installer goes, you still have cover on the gear. What you have lost is cover on the install, and the party who would normally do the legwork on any claim.
What Fox's terms actually say
I am working from Fox ESS Australia's Battery Warranty Policy version 2.7, dated 15 March 2026, and its Inverter Warranty Policy version 4.0, dated 1 April 2026. Both say the same things on the points that matter here. Four of them are worth knowing.
One: the owner does not lodge the claim. Both policies say the only people eligible to claim are the installer and Fox's own authorised personnel. The claim process is written around the installer: it is the installer's duty to contact Fox with the model, the fault code and the fault details, to run the tests Fox asks for, and to send back the faulty part.
Two: there is a path when the installer has failed. The same clause says that if the installer has gone into administration or insolvency, or the site is in a remote area, the owner may appoint a local installer to carry out the functions of the original one. The words the policy uses are that this is at the owner's "discretion and expense". In other words, you choose who, and you pay for their time.
Three: a bad install is not covered. Both policies list what Fox will not accept a claim for, and near the top of that list are improper installation, installation by a non-accredited installer, and improper or non-compliant commissioning. The policies also say that if a part is sent back and found not to be faulty, or the fault falls under those exclusions, Fox can charge an inspection fee or recover the cost of the replacement. So the diagnosis has to be right before anything gets sent anywhere.
Four: registration matters. The battery policy makes it a precondition that the product is registered and connected to Fox's website at commissioning. It also says warranties should be registered within 36 months of installation, and recommends doing it within six weeks. If your installer never registered the system, the first job is to find that out while there may still be time to fix it.
One more line from the policy, because it is there for a reason: Fox states that its goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. I am an electrician, not a lawyer, so for what those rights mean for you, the ACCC and the Queensland Office of Fair Trading are the right places to read.
Gone quiet is not the same as gone broke
It matters which situation you are in, because the path is different.
If the company is still trading, it is still your installer, and it is still responsible for its work and for lodging any claim. Write to them. Email is fine. Say what the system is doing, attach photos, and ask for a date. Keep everything. If you get nowhere, Fox's own people are the other party the policy allows to act on a claim, so the next step is Fox ESS Australia's service team, with your serial numbers and your record of trying the installer. Queensland's Office of Fair Trading is there if a trading business simply refuses to deal with you.
If the company has closed, check before you assume. A free search on the ASIC website will show whether the company is still registered or is under external administration. If it has gone into administration or been wound up, that is the situation the policy's local installer clause is written for, and you can appoint someone to step in.
Either way, do not let the system sit there faulty for months while you wait on a company that is not coming. A battery that is not charging is costing you money every day, and a fault that is getting worse is not getting cheaper.
What to gather before you ring anyone
Whoever helps you, the same handful of things will be asked for, and having them ready turns a week of back and forth into one phone call.
What a local installer does, and who pays
If you appoint a local installer, their job is to do what the original installer would have done. They attend, test the system and find the actual fault. They document it the way Fox asks for it: model, serial, fault code, details, and whatever photos or test results Fox requests. They lodge the claim. If Fox approves a replacement, they fit it and send the faulty part back.
Two things to hold onto. First, nobody should swap a part before Fox has approved it. The policy is explicit that a replacement made without Fox's consent invalidates the claim. Second, the decision on any claim is Fox's. A good installer can make sure the claim is properly made and properly evidenced. They cannot promise you the result, and you should be wary of anyone who does.
On cost, the policy's wording is that appointing a local installer is at the owner's expense. So the time to attend and diagnose is yours to pay for, the same as any other service call, and the part itself is what the warranty is for. It is not the answer anyone wants, but it is better to hear it now than after the visit.
Get the install looked at while someone is there
Here is the part that ties it together. If the installer who fitted your system has gone, there is a fair chance the install was not their best work either, and Fox's terms do not cover damage caused by improper installation. So the most useful thing a local installer can do on that first visit is not only chase the fault. It is to go over the whole install and tell you, in writing, what is right and what is not.
I wrote up what a rushed install looks like, and how to check your own from the ground, in Fox ESS is good gear. Here is why some installs give it a bad name.
This is work we do across the Sunshine Coast: Fox ESS repairs and service. Fox ESS is the brand on more of our installs than any other, so we know the equipment and we know the paperwork. Start with a free estimate: upload the photos from the list above through the secure link we send you, and the estimate comes back within 1 business day of receiving them. If something can't be confirmed that way, I'll explain why, and a $299 design visit may be needed, credited back if you go ahead within 30 days.
Common questions
Is my Fox ESS warranty void if my installer goes out of business?
No. The manufacturer's warranty on the inverter and battery is Fox's and does not end with the installer. What ends is the installer's own workmanship warranty on the installation. Fox ESS Australia's warranty terms allow an owner to appoint a local installer, at the owner's expense, where the original installer has gone into administration or insolvency.
Can I lodge a Fox ESS warranty claim myself?
Not under the policy's own wording. Fox ESS Australia's battery and inverter warranty policies say the only people eligible to claim are the installer and Fox's authorised personnel. If your installer is still trading, the claim goes through them. If they have failed, you can appoint a local installer to act in their place.
How long is the Fox ESS battery warranty?
Under Fox ESS Australia's Battery Warranty Policy version 2.7, the CQ7 and EQ series carry a 10 year performance warranty from the date of installation and the CQ6 series carries 12 years, each subject to an energy throughput limit, whichever comes first. Check the policy version that applies to your model and install date.
My Fox ESS system was never registered. Is it too late?
Possibly not. Fox's battery warranty policy makes registration at commissioning a precondition, and also says warranties should be registered within 36 months of installation, with six weeks recommended. If yours was missed, have it checked and registered as soon as you can rather than waiting for a fault.
Who pays for the electrician if I appoint a local installer?
You do. The policy says appointing a local installer is at the owner's discretion and expense. The cost of attending and diagnosing is a normal service call. The warranty is for the faulty part, and the decision on any claim is made by Fox.
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