Solar power is becoming among the most popular resources for renewable energy worldwide. These have the potential for taking homeowners completely off the commercial grid and making them fully independent based on their own conservative measures.

Caring for the equipment plays a part in the overall effectiveness. The quality solar panels require minimal maintenance with the exception of occasional cleaning of the surfaces.

That’s something you can rely on professionals for, or you can DIY. The process is not complicated but needs to be done as directed to avoid interference with light conversion.

The Reason Cleaning Panel Surfaces Is A Priority – But Only Periodically

You’ll notice a reduction in power if the surfaces of your panels have a layer of dust, dirt, or debris. A long-term accumulation has the potential for decreasing power production significantly.

Fortunately, if your weather pattern includes melting snow and rain during the year, this will help keep animal feces and dirt at bay. For areas with minimal precipitation but, instead, windy, dusty conditions will need more frequent washing.

For the panels placed on roofs, you might feel more comfortable having a professional perform the services for safety purposes, or you may feel confident in making a DIY effort. In order to know when it’s time for a cleaning, the panels will need to be inspected to check for accumulations of dirt.

Another method for determining an issue is when you receive the utility bill, which will indicate a loss of production. While nature will handle the responsibility in most regions, you will likely need to take a turn in wiping them down. Look here for guidance on how long these systems can last.

How Do You Clean Solar Panels

The paneling that mounts on the ground level or one-story structures is the easiest for a homeowner to take care of with merely a soft-bristled brush and a garden hose. You can use equipment like that, which would be typical of cleaning a tractor-trailer or even an RV or motorhome.

Water is typically all that’s needed to wash the surfaces. However, glass cleaners or even water and soap at a 3% consistency can help remove staining, fingerprints, or grime and dirt.

Challenging areas to access might require skilled professionals in climbing like on a second-floor roof’s surface. In many lease provisions, cleaning services are a free option. For those who purchase the system, you don’t want to incorporate supplies or use equipment with the potential for voiding the warranty.

The benefit of using the expert is they know precisely how to maneuver around the paneling to maintain integrity, wash the surfaces without leaving residue, and offer the tools meant to do the job efficiently.

These professionals are skilled in climbing higher elevations safely and should be licensed and bonded to perform the services on your property (if not, move on to someone who has these credentials.)

For a system located on the ground, it’s quite easy for a homeowner to maintain these systems in a DIY capacity with simply a garden hose and a small amount of soap. It’s essential to rinse thoroughly to avoid leaving a residue behind. Any residue can reflect the natural light, attracting dust.

In locations in the United States prone to wildfires, soot can accumulate on the surfaces. That is different from any other type of buildup on the paneling and might require different methods for cleaning.

While the fires are active, you don’t want to make any effort, but once these are contained, it’s wise to bring in professional assistance to help with the soot removal. It could require special tools or cleaning supplies.

Final Thought

For a high-quality solar system, the only maintenance that a homeowner will need to handle is cleaning the surfaces perhaps once or twice each year. You might not even need to do it that often depending on your location and the precipitation occurrences in your area.  Check out what you should know before you install a new system on your roof at https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-06/7-things-to-know-before-installing-solar-panels-on-your-roof/.

Melting snow and rainfall can take care of the dust and dirt with the need for maybe one instance of wiping the panels down to ensure optimum efficiency.