Do You Need To Clean Your Solar Panels

Rooftop solar panels get dirty primarily from wind blown dust and pollen.

Do you need to clean your solar panels.

Avoid using water with high mineral content. First try if your garden hose. Solar panels can become incredible hot in sunshine. How to clean solar panels the first thing you want to do is to check with your solar panel manufacturer.

In most situations panels are self cleaning and do not need to be cleaned. Use a soft cloth or sponge and wipe them down with the soap solution and then rinse them with the hose. Some say panels need an annual scrub others say quarterly. If your solar panels are installed on the ground then you can opt to use a simple sponge to clean them up or a soft brush as well.

Your solar panels need to be exposed to sunlight in order to produce power. If you ve got a lot of bird droppings on your panels rain might not wash these off very readily so it s a good idea to clean them off. As panels get dirtier their output declines. In some cases this will be enough to get them clean but sometimes you ll need to do a more thorough cleaning.

Either clean your solar panels in the morning afternoon or pick a. Companies specializing in cleaning solar panels generally say. If you do find it necessary to clean the panels and wish to carry out the task yourself contact the installer to find out if you should take any special precautions aside from not falling off the roof. However if you can see build up on the panels or if your bills or monitoring tools suggest a decrease in the efficiency it may be worth considering a system health check or clean.

Use your garden hose to spray down the panels. Brushing any loose dirt off before spraying them with water will make the squeegeeing process quicker and easier. A small amount of soiling say a light dusty film may only cause a 5 percent output decline. However if they are located on the roof then you must use a soft brush coupled with a long extension to make the work easier and safer from the ground.

Be sure to check your panel manufacturer instructions for shutting down the system before cleaning if necessary. In most cases you won t need to clean your solar panels often if at all. One company selling an automated washing system says panels should be washed every couple of weeks. This can be organised through an accredited technician.

After all anything that accumulates dirt on them for example dust or pollen will get washed off the next time it rains. How to clean those dusty dirty solar panels 1. However unless you live somewhere with high amounts of smog dust dirt or sand blowing around solar panel cleaning is generally not necessary. They might have specific recommendations.

There are some times it might make sense to clean your solar panels though. Birds are usually not a problem unless your last name is hitchcock and you live in bodega bay. Fill a bucket with warm soapy water or cleaning solution designed for solar panels.