Solar Panel Maintenance
Solar panel maintenance needs to be done two to four times a year, but see your solar company’s manual for panel-specific maintenance. Because panels catch dust and dirt after the winter, it is best to do maintenance work in the fall and spring. It is a very easy-to-clean solar panel with a normal garden hose, a commonly used soap, and a rag, without any need for typical cleaning technology.
Solar panels don’t require very deep maintenance once installed. This is mostly due to the system’s lack of moving parts. The only fixed maintenance cost is the inverter, which has a life of about 15 years.
Solar Panels Maintenance - Is it necessary?
In general, solar panel maintenance isn’t considered mandatory, so you can usually leave them alone. The only thing required is a gentle cleaning on a regular basis to ensure that dirt, leaves, and other debris may not hinder the sun’s beams.
The only time you may need substantial maintenance is during severe snowfall days, as inches of snow can impair the solar panels working and will result in low power generation or some damage.
How Do You Do Solar Panels Maintenance?
If your panels are sloped, you’re fortunate, rain will wash away any debris that has built up on them. But, during the dry season or no rain for a long period, it is necessary to physically clean them.
It is a key point to note that never use hot water to clean snow from the panels. The panels are made up of tempered glass, and the temperature difference between hot water and cold panels can cause them to break.
When Do You Need Solar Panels Maintenance?
It is very crucial to vigilantly track the energy generation of your solar panels. A persistent decrease in production is usually an alarm for solar panel maintenance. Solar panels gradually lose efficiency as they get older, but any decline in performance early in their lifespan is more likely due to filthy or obstructed panels.
Solar Panel Maintenance Tips
- Keep solar panels preferably facing sunlight since they generate less energy when they don’t have thorough exposure to sunshine.
- Be highly vigilant over the solar panels and ensure that the inverters are displaying green lights. If they are not, you are losing money since you are not reimbursing for your electricity consumption.
- Monitor daily output for optimal solar panel maintenance. It is essential to document how much energy is produced at a constant time each day. Also, take into account specific dates when the sky is cloudy.
- Sensors show you how much you support the atmosphere and how much CO2 it emits. They also guide you on how much you can gain from the feed-in tariff plan.
- When you are at home, keep viewing information on your solar panels’ device on a wall-mounted display.
- If you cannot spare time to clean your solar panels, you can place sprinkler-style automated cleaners or call a solar panel expert.
- Happily, because solar panels have no moving parts that can deteriorate or collapse, solar panel maintenance may require maintenance less frequently.
Bottomline
We advise visiting your system’s monitoring app at least twice a month to validate that everything is working perfectly. Almost every installation has a monitoring system, but if yours does not, you can inspect your system’s inverter. All inverters are not similar, but normally, a solid green light indicated it is working properly.
Solar panels are built to endure all extremities of weather conditions such as hail, snow, and wind in order to guarantee long-term performance. Solar panels generally have a lifespan of 25 to 30 years with regular maintenance, but if you notice a drop in energy production, it is time to clean them.
Another recommendation is to have the inspection every 3-5 years to ensure that every single component is working properly. This is an optional system check-up that ensures one’s peace of mind.
Make a difference join hands today with Solar Xess, the trusted experts in solar panel maintenance, installation, and repair.