Why Clean Them in the First Place?

Why do you need to clean your solar panels? Well like everything else that’s outside it needs to be washed and maintained. Unlike your house or windows though, which cleaning will provide mostly cosmetic benefits, a dirty solar panel loses efficiency. How much? It depends on how heavily soiled the panels. Some panels that have accumulated enough dust for about 4 months have lost only about 7%. However, heavily soiled panels can lose up to 40% of their efficiency. You’ll find varying percentages because of the different areas and conditions of the panels that are tested. Even if you were to split the difference, however, the average percentage lost would be in the mid 20%.

Can’t I Clean them Myself?

Of course you can clean them yourself, you can clean your entire house by yourself if you want. But let’s assume you aren’t the biggest Do-It-Yourself person around. Here’s what you need to know:

1. If you just hose it down it will leave spots.

The surface of a solar panel and of a window are more similar than you think. Some even compare it to a car window. So let’s test your cleaning knowledge. What happens if you hose down your car but don’t dry it? More often than not, it dries and you see the dirt you missed. Or what happens to your windows when you leave your car next to some sprinklers for a few weeks? Spots. Specifically, hard water stains that obscure the glass, which could permanently lower the efficiency of a solar panel. [NOTE: Rain water is nearly pure and will not adversely affect solar panels like hard water from the tap, although similar to the car analogy if it doesn’t rain hard enough it will not completely clean your panels.]

2. You need the right equipment.

If the panels are right outside your 2nd story window (then I apologize for the inconvenient placement) feel free to try and clean them. But I have a feeling many people will not have a ladder or other equipment to properly reach their roof panels safely to begin with. As mentioned before it’s more than just shooting water on the panels, you need to properly dry it or use the correct solution so that it dries clear to let as much sunlight in as possible.

3. You’re going to kill yourself if you get on the roof!

Ok, that was an exaggeration. My real point is there is a very real danger to cleaning anything on a slanted roof and I would not advise the average homeowner to try it. In spite of the danger, would you even want to get on your roof? It’s real hot up there. Believe me.

Why Should I Hire You?

Excellent question. Because I have the right equipment and the knowledge to use it. It’s not completely sophisticated machinery the laymen can’t understand. It’s a water fed pole. It’s a pole with a brush at the end of it that shoots pure water onto the glass. I safely operate it from the ground or the roof depending on the position of the panels. It won’t leave spots. It’s 24 ft long so I can reach just about any 2nd story roof. And I promise not to kill myself… or YOUR MONEY BACK!!!

More rain than sun? Check out our Gutter Cleaning section.