How Do I Clean My Solar Hot Water Panels

Hard water tends to leave deposits when it dries on glass.

How do i clean my solar hot water panels.

Check with your solar installers and providers to determine if there is any information about solar panel cleaning recommendations and dos or don ts when it comes to cleaning your system. Solar panel manufacturers do not recommend the use of cold or hot water to clean the panels. Solar panels can become incredible hot in sunshine. They have the appropriate safety equipment for navigating the roof.

Solar panels are generally self cleaning but in particularly dry areas or where panel tilt is minimal dust and other substances such as bird droppings can build up over time and impact on the amount electricity generated by a module. If you would rather not have soap suds in your water tank then only use water to clean your panels. But remember generally cleaning your solar panels isn t something you need to bother with. There are services that will clean your solar panels for you and many people opt for this because they don t want the stress and hassle of cleaning them on their own.

The most effective way to clean your solar panels is with a hose and a bucket of soapy water. The reason behind this is that sudden and drastic differences in temperature could crack the surface of the glass. The best way to figure out if your panels need cleaning is to assess the above conditions. Either clean your solar panels in the morning afternoon or pick a relatively cool day.

Grime and bird poop doesn t need to cover an entire panel to have an effect. If your water is hard the technician may elect to use a squeegee to dry the panels afterwards. If the gutter below your solar panels leads to a water tank then anything you wash off those panels will end up in it. Fill a bucket or spray bottle with warm water and soap no other.

Rainwater is not clean water and the dirt it leaves behind needs to be washed off of your solar panels. If you can t clean your panels from the ground hire a company. If a lot of dust and dirt has accumulated you might need to clean more thoroughly. This is where cleaning solar panels may have to be done.

This mostly applies to flat panel style solar collectors but the advice is relevant for evacuated tube collectors too rainwater will keep the panels clean for the most part but from time to time and in particular during a hot and dusty dry spell you will need to do this yourself. First try if your garden hose alone does the job.