Should you clean your solar panels?

‍When it comes to powering your home, solar is a great way to go!

Patrick and I used to work a company that has now added solar to their selection of services, and  the results we've seen and the success their having is a testament to the power of renewable energy. And the amount of homeowners opting to use solar panels here in Cache Valley has been astounding! Both Patrick and I agree that we've seen as many if not more solar panels on homes here than we have in beautiful, sunny St. George.

Now once they're installed, you may be thinking that it's set and forget, but there are a few things that should be done every so often. Specifically, they should be cleaned once every blue moon specifically at least once every 2 years. ​According to Australian company "Energy Matters" solar panel efficiency can actually drop by 20% the first year they're not cleaned, and drop even further, down 35%, if they're not cleaned every 2 years. That's a pretty significant drop, especially when you're trying to use solar to lower your energy bill.

Honestly cleaning solar panels really isn't that hard. It's a lot easier than cleaning windows actually because you're not worried about streaks, and it's especially easy if you can walk on your roof. So that being said, here's a few DIY tips to help you guys out:

• Come armed with the right tools. While we tend to clean panels with a purified water set-up that rinses and softly scrubs each panel, that's not really practical or even needed if you decide to clean your own. Instead we suggest you use a water hose, a sponge for gentle scrubbing, and dish detergent for bird poop or other sticky substances.
• Don't scrape, just scrub softly. We don't suggest you scrape or use any type of abrasive on your panels. While we do suggest using 4#0 steel wool to remove the hard water from your home's windows, that doesn't exactly apply to solar panels. We use a super-soft, sponge-like scrubber pad, and we don't suggest using anything more than that!
  
• Buy yourself an extension pole. These will end up saving you a ton of time, especially if you're dealing with wide rows of panels or a steeply angled roof. If you live in Cache Valley, we actually suggest going to Don Asletts. There you can buy a "T-bar" and scrubber pad (the same ones you'd use for windows) as well as an extension pole. That should give you plenty of reach and plenty of scrubbing power!

Conclusion

Solar panels are pretty awesome. They have a lot of benefits that can really improve your home and when taken care of can keep your energy bills low. Of course, sometimes it not always possible to do that yourself. In that case we're always more than happy to help with our purified water system specifically designed for cleaning the solar panels on your home.

Hopefully this article brought you some value and we hope to hear from you with any questions or concerns!

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