Often you can rely on the rain to keep your solar panels clean. But if it hasn’t rained for a while or there’s been a storm, you may get a build-up of dust and dirt, and this can affect the amount of sun’s energy they generate for your home.
When this happens, you may be able to simply clean them yourself, but if they’re higher up or haven’t been checked by professionally for awhile, it’s very easy to call a cleaning company to do the job for you.
Here are some tips of what’s required to keep your solar panel clean.
1. Safety precautions
To ensure your safety, shut off the solar panels before you start cleaning. It’s also best to clean them from the ground rather than climbing onto the roof. Without the proper safety equipment you’re more likely to have an accident.
2. Simple equipment will often suffice
For a really basic clean you can simply use a garden hose. But only do this in the morning or evening, spraying solar panels with cold water when they’re hot may damage them. If you need to do a more intensive clean, then a long-handled brush or a squeegee with a wiper blade should make it easy to clean them from the ground.
3. What not to use
The use of liquid soap, harsh abrasives and metal objects can scratch the glass and this can affect a panel’s performance. Clean water and a little elbow grease should suffice.
4. Wipe the solar panels
Leaving the panels wet, especially if the water is hard (i.e. mineral rich) then you’ll get a deposit build up. It’s important to squeegee them dry to prevent this happening.
5. What about oily stains?
Sometimes oil stains can occur if you’re living under a flight path, near an airport or a motorway. Bird poop is another common issue with solar panels. Isopropyl alcohol is commonly recommended as a spot-cleaning substance.
6. If in doubt leave them
Solar panels are generally regarded as needing little maintenance, so it’s not necessary to make cleaning them part of a weekly house maintenance ritual. Unless you can see they’re really dirty or performance is low, then they should just take care of themselves.
Allied is a leading Australian supplier and installer of residential, hybrid, and off-grid solar solutions. For the best quality solar installations backed by renowned customer service, contact Reno Saver now.