diff --git a/config/alfresco/templates/webscripts/org/alfresco/repository/facet/solr-facet-config-admin.get.json.ftl b/config/alfresco/templates/webscripts/org/alfresco/repository/facet/solr-facet-config-admin.get.json.ftl
index 71103c4aff..f3c58b9ca5 100644
--- a/config/alfresco/templates/webscripts/org/alfresco/repository/facet/solr-facet-config-admin.get.json.ftl
+++ b/config/alfresco/templates/webscripts/org/alfresco/repository/facet/solr-facet-config-admin.get.json.ftl
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
+<#macro stripEmptyNamespace qnameString>${qnameString?replace("{}", "")}</#macro>
 <#macro facetJSON facet>
 <#escape x as jsonUtils.encodeJSONString(x)>
              "filterID" : "${facet.filterID}",
-             "facetQName" : "${facet.facetQName}",
+             "facetQName" : "<@stripEmptyNamespace qnameString=facet.facetQName?string/>",
              "displayName" : "${facet.displayName}",
              "displayControl" : "${facet.displayControl}",
              "maxFilters" : ${facet.maxFilters?c},
diff --git a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/web/scripts/facet/SolrFacetConfigAdminPost.java b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/web/scripts/facet/SolrFacetConfigAdminPost.java
index 340639c331..490dca46a8 100644
--- a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/web/scripts/facet/SolrFacetConfigAdminPost.java
+++ b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/web/scripts/facet/SolrFacetConfigAdminPost.java
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ public class SolrFacetConfigAdminPost extends AbstractSolrFacetConfigAdminWebScr
             validateFilterID(filterID);
 
             final String facetQNameStr = json.getString(PARAM_FACET_QNAME);
-            final QName facetQName = QName.resolveToQName(namespaceService, facetQNameStr);
+            final QName facetQName = QName.createQName(facetQNameStr, namespaceService);
             final String displayName = json.getString(PARAM_DISPLAY_NAME);
             final String displayControl = json.getString(PARAM_DISPLAY_CONTROL);
             final int maxFilters = json.getInt(PARAM_MAX_FILTERS);
diff --git a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/web/scripts/facet/SolrFacetConfigAdminPut.java b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/web/scripts/facet/SolrFacetConfigAdminPut.java
index 3f2221acc9..6288b2311f 100644
--- a/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/web/scripts/facet/SolrFacetConfigAdminPut.java
+++ b/source/java/org/alfresco/repo/web/scripts/facet/SolrFacetConfigAdminPut.java
@@ -137,7 +137,11 @@ public class SolrFacetConfigAdminPut extends AbstractSolrFacetConfigAdminWebScri
             final String filterID = json.getString(PARAM_FILTER_ID); // Must exist
 
             final String facetQNameStr = getValue(String.class, json.opt(PARAM_FACET_QNAME), null);
-            final QName facetQName = (facetQNameStr == null) ? null : QName.resolveToQName(namespaceService, facetQNameStr);
+            
+            // Note that in resolving the QName string here, we expect there to be some facet QNames which are not
+            // really QNames. These are SOLR/SearchService 'specials', examples being "SITE" or "TAG".
+            // These will be resolved here to a QName with no namespace.
+            final QName facetQName = (facetQNameStr == null) ? null : QName.createQName(facetQNameStr, namespaceService);
             final String displayName = getValue(String.class, json.opt(PARAM_DISPLAY_NAME), null);
             final String displayControl = getValue(String.class, json.opt(PARAM_DISPLAY_CONTROL), null);
             final int maxFilters = getValue(Integer.class, json.opt(PARAM_MAX_FILTERS), -1);