Solar panels are a long-term investment. Purchasing solarcontributes to clean energy. Because solar panels are solar panels are expensive, costing between $10,000 to $30,000 for most homes a solar owner must do their diligence for the panels to last for a long time.
This means that you mustdevote a certain period of your time to taking care of your solar panels.
One way you can maintain the quality and effectiveness of your solar panels is by cleaning them. However, if you have not owned solar panels before or are not used to cleaning them, you probably don’t know what to do the first time.
Luckily, cleaning up solar panels is not exactly rocket science. We have listed down seven simple ways on how you can easily clean your panels.
Before commencing cleaning of your panels it is important to ensure the system is safely switched off. Please refer to your shutdown procedure.
1. Hose and soapy water
One of the most important issue you want to avoid when cleaning your solar panels would be scratching the panels. You don’t want anything with too much pressure.
When washing your solar panels, stick to using a hose and soapy water to get it done. It is a simple but harmless way to help clean your solar panels at home. Never turn up your hose too much to increase the pressure as it might create scratches on your solar panels.
Usual grime barely affects solar panels. Grime builds up sooner or later washed off by rain. Cleaning in addition to what is done naturally by rain will boost your panel’s output. Wash your panels like you’re washing your car, you have to be a little gentle with it.
2. Soft cloth and mild soap
To prevent the panel from being scratched, use a soft cloth or brush on its surface. You don’t need any other fancy tools to clean your solar panels at home. Any old fabric that is soft or does not have any abrasive elements is good enough to use.
You can also use a squeegee’s plastic blade to help clean your solar panel’s surface more smoothly. However, a soft fabric that does not leave behind any material on the surface is also an excellent choice for cleaning the solar panels.
3. Use vinegar
If you want to clean your solar panels the natural and sustainable way, consider using vinegar.
We all know how vinegar is like an all-purpose cleaner. Plus, it is readily available in your pantry. Though it might seem like it cannot do the job, vinegar is a great ingredient in keeping metal and crystal objects clean as new.
What you need to do is dilute it a bit to create a cleaning solution. Get ¼ cup of vinegar and mix it with two cups of water and half a teaspoon of liquid detergent or any non-abrasive soap. Pour that in a spray bottle, and you have yourself a cleaning solution for your solar panels. Easy as!
The vinegar helps with tougher stains that you might have a more challenging time getting rid of on the panels.
4. Avoid harsh chemicals.
Solar panels are quite an expense, so you want to make sure that you do not do anything to damage them. With that said, we do not recommend using harsh chemicals when solar panels at Maid Sailors Maid Service Chicago.
You do not even need any unique cleaning solutions to help clean up your solar panels.
It also makes sense that you should avoid using pressure washers. It might create scratches on your solar panels. If you need a more robust cleaning solution, you shouldn’t try and get the usual harsh chemicals you use to clean your house.
If you want to know what you can and cannot use to clean your solar panels, you might want to read the manufacturer’s instructions.
5. Brush loose dirt before washing
Before you start agitating anything on your solar panel’s surface, make sure that you brush away any loose material like dirt.
You should take this step specially if you are using a squeegee to clean your solar panels. The loose dirt can make your cleaning take longer than it should have with the squeegee than if you had brushed it away.
6. Use a high-quality squeegee
When you’re cleaning the solar panels, ensure that you also don’t leave hard water stains behind. Hard water mineral build-up can also affect the effectiveness of your solar panels.
Therefore, you have to make sure that you remove any excess water on your solar panels that could dry up after you’ve cleaned them.
Invest in getting a high-quality squeegee so that you can remove the excess water with ease. You can use a soft and dry cloth to remove it as well, but that could leave behind streaks, or you might not be able to get rid of all the water. A high-quality squeegee can be more helpful.
7. Hire a professional
It can be daunting to clean your solar panels when you haven’t done it before. The fact that you know how much each the solar panels costcan make you hesitant to clean them as thoroughly as you could. You surely don’t want to damage this expensive equipment, but not cleaning them can make them less efficient and less effective.
If cleaning solar panels by yourself seems a little intimidating, you can always hire professional cleaners.
You only really need to clean your solar panels at least twice a year, but it could be more than thisdepending on where you live. For example, if you live in someplace that’s windy and dusty, you may want to clean your solar panels more often than twice a year.
You can contact your solar power dealer like Natural Solar because they may have a professional solar panel cleaning service that they know. You can also consult a window washing company or even your usual cleaning company to ask if they offer any solar panel cleaning services too.
Hiring a professional cleaner will help take the hassle of cleaning your solar panels.
Conclusion
The tips listed above are some of the simplest ways you can do to clean your solar panels. Doing so allows your solar panel to look and work like brand new. It also helps maintain your solar panel’s pristine condition to perform at its fullest potential.
As a result, you can continuously harness the power of the sun to help power your house.
Please always refer to the information provided by your solar installer before cleaning your panels. It is important to ensure the process you are undertaking to maintain your panels is within the manufacturer’s allowances. The information provided on this page is for general purposes only and each customers panels are to be assessed on a case by case basis. Always ensure you are able to safely access your panels and when needed call on a specialist trades person to undertake panel maintenance if needed.
