Whether a solar panel system is designed to generate heat for our homes or produce electricity, a properly functioning solar panel is an obvious requirement. Luckily, a well-designed and installed solar panel system is durable and simple in concept. In fact, the only part of a solar heating system that has any moving parts requiring maintenance is the pump. Plus, while earlier versions of solar panels were relatively fragile, solar panels are now constructed from strong unbreakable materials, so a solar panel itself requires minimal maintenance to continue doing its job. Essentially the only breakable part of a solar panel is the glass covering. Maintaining a solar panel is very straightforward; here’s all that’s necessary.
Step One
Purchase a solar panels cleaning kit. It should contain a liquid soap, a wiper, a small brush and in some cases another brush with a longer handle. In many ways, these items are similar to what you use to clean your car, so if you cannot purchase a cleaning kit that is specifically designed for cleaning solar panels then you can substitute it with your car cleaning equipment instead.
Step Two
Mix the soap with water in a bucket. The amount that needs to be mixed should be mentioned on the bottle of liquid soap. Usually it is about the same proportion that you use when cleaning your car.
Step Three
Dip the brush into the soap and water mixture and gently rub it over the solar panels. If you have the panels divided into smaller arrangements then you should be able to get the job done with a small handheld brush. However, for larger arrangements it can be difficult to reach the panels in the middle so you will need to use the brush with the longer handle.
Step Four
Wipe the solar panels with the wiper while the panels are still wet. At times, the wiper is attached at the back of the brush. It is important that you don’t allow the soap to dry on the solar panels since this will block the amount of sunlight that they can absorb and make them inefficient.
Step Five
Hire a professional solar panel cleaner if there are some areas of the panels that you are unable to clean. Sometimes it can be difficult to reach all the panels while in other cases you may have certain stains such as the stains of bird droppings that can be very difficult to clean. It is better to hire a professional than to risk damaging your solar panels.
Step Six
Install a monitoring system to keep an eye on the performance of your solar panels. When the performance goes down you’ll know that maintenance is required. Most of these monitoring systems need to be installed professionally with the purchase of a monthly subscription fee. Here are some advantages of installing a solar panel monitoring system. You can keep track of how much energy is being produced by your solar panels. Monitoring systems can show you how you are benefiting the environment, such as lower amounts of CO2 emissions compared to other energy systems. These statistics may help you receive tax benefits when filing your tax return. Diagnose problems through your monitoring system. Many of these devices will tell you which areas of your solar panel are not functioning properly and need repair. See information about your solar panels on a wall-mounted display while at home or via the Internet while traveling.