Cleaning Your Solar Panels: A Guide
Solar panels are a terrific addition to your home because of the obvious environmental and financial benefits.
What makes them even more attractive is that they require little to no effort to maintain. If they are in direct sunlight and free of obstructions, they should work as expected.
However, they aren’t immune to performance issues. You wouldn’t expect this, but one of the main reasons why your panels may not be performing up to par is because they might be dirty.
Inclement weather and the environment you live in can greatly affect how your panels work. Residues, such as dust, dirt, or pollen, can layer onto the panels, or debris can get stuck. This blocks sunlight from being absorbed, which means the panels won’t produce energy at the optimal level.
In this article, we will guide you through how to clean your solar panels to get them working up to speed again.
Why Is It Good to Clean Solar Panels?
Cleaning your solar panels is a form of maintenance and can improve their performance. Obstructions can reduce solar energy production and therefore increase your energy consumption from the electrical grid – meaning you could be paying higher bills again when you’ve taken action to lower them!
How Frequently Should You Wash Your Panels?
How often you should clean your panels heavily depends on where you live. For the most part, rain will wash off dirt from your panels, and therefore cleaning won’t be needed as often. On the other hand, homes in drier climates that don’t see as much rain will benefit from more regular cleaning.
Here in the DMV, for example, it frequently rains so your panels often get a good rinse. But, we also get big storms that can move debris around, so you should periodically check your panels and their performance to determine if they need cleaning.
Other factors you should consider when deciding when to clean your panels are if there’s nearby construction, tree coverage, or obstructions on the roof that emit debris. Generally, we recommend cleaning every 1-3 years.
How to Safely Clean Solar Panels
If you’re able to, you can clean your solar panels yourself.
Cleaning solar panels is simple, but it can be a dangerous process - there are many safety steps to take beforehand. Here are some recommended precautions and best practices to clean your solar panels safely.
If you feel safe and confident working on your roof, you can reach your solar panels that way. Otherwise, access your panels through windows or from the ground (depending on the layout of your home and the placement of the panels), or consider hiring a professional cleaning service.
Initial Steps and Precautions:
Personal safety is of the utmost importance when it comes to cleaning your solar panels. We urge you to exercise caution at every point during this process.
Wear appropriate, full-length attire and gloves
There's all sorts of physical hazards and irritants on roofs! Full-length clothing and gloves will protect you from them.
Use proper ladders and safety gear
Gear includes safety harnesses and hard hats.
Check panels to make sure they are in good condition
If they aren’t, do not proceed with cleaning, and contact your solar installer for further inspection.
Plan to clean on a cool, cloudy day
Roofs and solar panels can get very hot on sunny days, so plan for a day that will be cooler. If that’s not possible, try to clean earlier in the morning to avoid peak temperatures.
Things to Avoid:
Take note of these things that should not be done when cleaning your panels. We want to help you take the best care of your panels and maximize their lifespan.
Do not use cleaning products
Cleaning products contain abrasive chemicals that can wear down the surface of the panels. While we don’t recommend using any cleaning materials, you can use a mild soap to clean the panels if absolutely necessary.
Do not use high-pressure washers
Be gentle! High-pressure washers can physically damage the panels, especially if used at a close distance.
Do not step on the panels
This can create micro-cracks, as the panels do not support added weight.
What You’ll Need:
We recommend you use these simple items:
Water
Grab a bucket of water or a hose with a gentle spray nozzle.
Soft bristle brush
Solar panels can get scratched up by rough, coarse materials. Make sure to use soft materials to avoid scratching.
Microfiber cloth (optional)
Use a cloth to gently wipe down the panels after cleaning to prevent water spots.
Step-by-Step Guide:
Rinse panels with water to wash off dirt and debris.
Use soft bristle brush to gently sweep off stubborn residue that didn’t come off from simple rinse.
Pat dry with microfiber cloth or allow panels to airdry.
Alternative Option
If you are unable to clean your panels yourself, don’t fret! There are cleaning services available that can do it for you.
Typically, the company that installed your panels either provides their own cleaning service, or they can recommend you to another trusted party. Solar Solution, for example, offers cleaning services, so if we installed your solar panels, we can help you directly.
Wrapping Up
Whichever way you choose to clean your panels, just know you are doing your panels and yourself a service. Cleaning your panels keeps your electric bill clean too!