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Cleaning Solar Panels Is Very Easy
Welcome to Toolbox DIY. Today I’m on the roof and I’m going to demonstrate my method for cleaning solar panels. If you’re joining me today, you are probably one of the many folks that have been told the rain will clean solar panels just fine, but then you discovered that’s actually not the case. As you can see in the video and the thumbnail, I get a decent amount of grime that builds up on my panels. It takes more than a little water to remove this stuff.
Invest a Little Money To Properly Clean Solar Panels
So my method requires a small investment – which is very small compared to what you paid for your solar array. I invest in one of these water fed pole brushes such as this Aqua Spray Water Pole Kits. They aren’t cheap, about $250-300, but they make this much easier and in some cases much safer. This one extends up to 24 feet which means for a sloped roof with solar panels you can pretty much clean the entire array without having to reposition yourself.
I also recommend a high quality window squeegee, solar panel glass cleaner such as Glass Glean Solar, and an expandable garden hose if you have to get on the roof to clean your panels. These hoses don’t last as long as a traditional rubber garden hose, but they are so much lighter that it makes the job a whole lot easier…especially, when you are going up and down a ladder.
Rinse and Brush Solar Panels First
The first step is to rinse and brush without using any cleaner. Get the panel plenty wet and then give it a quick scrub. No need to put a lot of elbow grease into this. We’re just trying to remove the low hanging fruit. This where the water fed pole brush really shines (pun intended). You get constant water while scrubbing so a good portion of the dirt and grime comes off in this first step.
Apply Solar Glass Cleaner, Scrub, and Rinse Again
After the initial rinse, we’re going to apply the cleaner. I use Glass Gleam Solar. This is a concentrate. So I dilute it with water and use a garden sprayer to apply it to the panels. You may find that this step isn’t necessary for you. If you clean your panels annually and there isn’t much build up, the water brush may be enough. In my case, I need to use the cleaner. I apply it to each solar panel and then I use the water brush to agitate it. I don’t turn on the water for this just yet. I usually apply the cleaner to 2-3 panels, agitate all the panels, and then turn on the water for a final scrub and rinse.
For good measure, you may also want to use a garden nozzle as a final rinse. This is completely optional. The important step is to get all the solar glass cleaner off the panels. As a last step, I take a squeegee to each panel to get all the excess water off.
As you can see, this is quite effective and is not a huge time investment. If you want to save money by not purchasing the water brush, you always use a garden nozzle and hand brush. Under no circumstances would I recommend scraping your solar panels with a blade if they have a lot of build up. It’s very easy to scratch the solar glass when scraping and it’s not worth the risk.
Final Thoughts on Cleaning Solar Panels
Lastly, for those of you who will either be on a ladder or using a ladder to access the roof, don’t forget your shoes might be wet so be careful on those ladder rungs.
Okay that will do it for today’s episode. Please subscribe and don’t forget to click the bell. And don’t forget to tell us how your project went in the comments down below. Thanks for watching everyone. I’m Chris with Toolbox DIY.
