Solar Panel Cleaning Tips For Every Homeowner

Solar panels being cleaned Nicholasville, KY

For the most part, solar panels are a maintenance-free energy solution, but cleaning them helps them work more efficiently. Dust and debris create shade and reduce energy output. Synergy Home Solar recommends following these tips as part of your routine solar panel maintenance in Nicholasville, KY.

Things to Avoid

When doing solar panel cleaning chores, avoid the temptation to use store-bought glass cleaners. While this may seem like a good choice, many of these cleaners leave behind a residue that acts the same way as dust in creating shade.

Clean Them Often

It is a good idea to do a solar panel inspection about once a month to make sure they are clean, unbroken, and in good working order. Most professionals recommend cleaning your solar panels about once or twice a year. If you live in a heavily-polluted area, wooded area, or in the desert, you might need to clean them more often, so it’s not advisable to skip scheduled cleanings.

Trim Overhanging Tree Branches

For those who live in areas where tree leaves regularly fall onto the roof, you should do a weekly inspection and clear them off promptly. Unless you trim overhanging branches, you will need to clean your solar panels more often as a part of solar panel system maintenance.

Water is Best

Plain water with nothing added does an excellent job of removing most dust and debris from residential solar panels. The best tip is to get a squeegee like you use for cleaning your vehicle windows. You can use a garden hose to hose down dirt and debris. You might have to go over some debris, like bird droppings, several times, but this method should remove most.

Keeping your solar panels clean also reduces the load on your inverter. This helps your inverter last longer, and you will not need solar inverter maintenance as often. You can clean your solar panels yourself, or you can call a professional to save you the hassle.

Synergy Home Solar can help with solar panel replacement, maintenance cleaning, and repairs. Contact us today to schedule an appointment!