How To Clean Solar Panels

Do you have solar panels installed in your home and do not know how to clean them, then here is a complete guide on How to Clean Solar Panels.

Your Guide to Learning How to Clean Solar Panels

Having solar panels installed in your home or workplace is not only a good investment but also good for the environment. Not only do you get to go green, but you also save a lot of money in the long term. However, once you get the solar panels installed, your job is not done, you also need to know how to clean solar panels.

It does not occur to everyone, but solar panels accumulate dust and other stuff on their surface after being in the open for a long time, and this reduces their efficiency. So, from time to time, they need to be cleaned to maintain maximum efficiency and today we will show you how.

Knowing how to clean solar panels is an essential skill that you should know, as it does not require too much effort and is better than calling a professional, which will cost you money. So here is everything you need to know.

How often should you clean solar panels?

Before we learn how to clean solar panels, we should know how often we need to clean solar panels. Here are the factors you need to consider when deciding how often to clean your solar panels.

• Location: Those living in dry, dusty, polluted areas or coastal areas with high salt content in the air need to clean solar panels every few months.
• Weather Conditions: If it frequently rains in your area, or dew falls, then you don’t need to clean too frequently.
• Presence of Obstructions: If there are trees or shrubs in the surroundings, and leaves may fall on the solar panels, then they require light cleaning every now and then.

What material do you need to clean solar panels?

The next step before learning how to clean solar panels is to know what materials we may need for the cleaning process. Here is everything you need for properly cleaning a solar panel.

• A soft brush or sponge or gentle scrubbing.
• Some kind of soap or detergent to clean the panels.
• A water hose with medium pressure, or you can use buckets as well.
• Pieces of cloth for drying the panels.
• Some kind of rod or pole, for reaching spaces that are high up.
• Standard safety equipment like gloves, helmets, and a harness.

Methods of cleaning solar panels

There are four main methods of cleaning solar panels and they are as follows.

• Natural Cleaning: This method does not require you to learn how to clean a solar panel, as the rain itself will clean the dust and any other light debris.
• Manual Cleaning: This is the method that requires you to learn how to clean solar panels, as you will have to manually clean the panels yourself.
• Professional Cleaning: However, if you are busy or physically unable to clean the solar panels yourself, then you can hire a professional cleaning service.
• Automatic Cleaning: If you are willing to shell out a few extra bucks at the time of solar panel installation, you can get automatic sprinklers installed over the panels for automatic cleaning.

Steps to cleaning solar panel

The following are the main steps you need to know when learning how to clean solar panels.

1. Preparation

• To avoid any electric hazard, make sure to turn off the whole solar panel system.
• Choose a cool, overcast day and early morning to clean, so you have plenty of natural light and water doesn’t rapidly evaporate.

2. Inspection

• Before cleaning the panels, inspect them for any cracks or damage, in which case, instead of cleaning them, call a professional to get them fixed first.

3. Rinse Panels

• After inspection, use the garden hose to spray the panels to remove any loose dirt and debris, but make sure the water pressure is not too high, and you may damage the panels.

4. Apply Cleaning Solution

• Next mix a small amount of soap or detergent in a bucket and soak it with a rag or brush.

5. Gently Scrub

• Now scrub the panels gently in circular motions to remove dirt and grime. Make sure not brush to too hard to avoid scratches and damaging the panels.

6. Rinse Again

• Once you have cleaned each panel, it is time to rinse it with clean water. Don’t leave the rinsing for the end to avoid soap drying on the panels.

7. Dry Panels

• Lastly use a dry piece of cloth or rag, to wipe the water off the panels, don’t let it dry naturally as the panels will retain water spots.

How to clean solar panels on a pitched roof?

If your solar panels are on a pitched roof, then the cleaning method is more or less the same, it only has a few extra steps involved and they are as follows.

• Cleaning from the ground: If you can easily access the panels from the ground using a pole or a rod, then do that to scrub the panels. However, drying them may be a bit of a challenge.
• Cleaning from the roof: If cleaning from the ground is a challenge and you are going on the roof, then make sure to use a harness and other safety equipment.

If you are following these extra steps, then the rest of the steps are the same.