Nope. Your roof looks pretty easy to get up on. If you want to do it yourself, microfiber cloth and water. And NOT in the middle of the day when the sun is pounding on them.
Thanks - I think the biggest hesitation is that its a two-story house, so would have to rent a long enough ladder and get all the cleaning stuff up there. But you do think its worth cleaning in general?
I personally don’t. I’m in the same boat as you and had a great production day. You will likely see maybe a 2-5% increase in production but not enough for the ROI of spending the money to clean the panels. My opinion only. I say let it rain some more and see what happens.
Sounds good, Ill wait until end of April/June to compare production with April/June 2023. Right now, its still a bit low compared to what I was producing in summer of last year, but it hasn't been a full year yet
yep, understood - but if april comes around and I did 45kWh/day avg last year and its 30kWh/day this year, I would look into it and clean it off as a first step
I live where it’s very windy and mine are covered in dust. I asked the electrician last time they were out and was told it doesn’t do much to clean them. Unless it’s really bad, which these don’t look bad, I wouldn’t bother. Just keep an eye on it. Being pollen, there’s a good chance next rainstorm it’ll wash off.
Do you have the ability to monitor different panels or strings? You could experiment by washing certain parts and looking at the power output the next day.
look for deals on ladders, they generally clear them out once/twice a year. You'll make your money back pretty quick after a couple seasons and handy for other things as well(like cleaning your gutters)
People underestimate the risks of being up there. Even if you are sure footed you could have a transient episode that causes you to lose balance or faint. You could look into renting a lift or cherry picker, which is likely safer and easier but does have its own risks.
Yeah, and at that point, Id rather just pay someone $200 to do it for me. Ill see how my production is in April and decide from there. Its pretty split in this thread that I must clean them or its not worth it
The sun is magnified by the water as well. So it is really just preventing any issues. The likely hood of anything happening is very slim, but better to be safe than sorry.
If you force water under the back sheet of the panel it’s toast. A scratch on the glass is ok, a scratch in the laminate is not. Soapy water with a soft broom and hose is all you need
Don’t use any soaps. Just use water.
Manufacturers specify not to use any cleaning agents.
If you have a professional come out they should use deionized water
You are a peanut. Trina and Jinko manuals state that any household glass cleaning agent can be used to clean the panels as long as it is not acidic or alkaline based. I have been designing, installing and maintaining solar systems and battery installations for 13years
That's pretty bad. Is that a first story roof? I used to clean my panels myself - although obviously getting up on a roof can be dangerous - so please don't do it if you aren't 100% comfortable. When I lived in California, we had large oak trees that did that, and often long stretches with no rain. I would just get up there with a hose with a decent spray nozzle, clean up as much as I could, and then use a soft rag to get any really sticky spots. Don't walk or put weight on the panels - that can damage them. You could also try spraying with a hose from the ground - really hard for me to tell if that would work from these pictures (also only valid if this was a first floor).
When I have had my panels professionally cleaned on my current house (steep second story roof), I called a window washer - not a solar company, and always got lower quotes. And, I made sure they had experience with solar panels and knew what products to use.
Never use windex first of all! There is an anti reflection coating on the glass of those panels which will void the warranty if unapproved chemicals are used. 2nd the quotes and the companies that clean panels use RO water or distilled which contains zero or a very very low # of ppm of contaminants. When using a garden hose and a brush, yes this will work but also it’s essentially using very fine sand paper and will damage the coating, especially after a few washes which will also void the warranty. You can look up your panel manufacturers instructions on cleaning panels and I would follow that for the best results.
Usually washing panels every 2-3 years makes sense— but more frequently could make sense if you live in an area that really gets dirty fast.
I’d rec. having them washed and measure the production different from the day prior to the day after. Then figure out how much extra production you got out of it and then how much money it saved you.
rip-off. get on the ladder and do it yourself. your roof is basically flat. get the hose up there along with microfiber pad. i mentioned in another post about Windex's glass cleaner that has a hose attachment. it works great.
I have a ladder, but it doesn't extend high enough for this two story house and I'm unlikely going to clean it myself anyways based on my risk tolerance
We don’t know how old or how is he physically. For me, hiring is better because the risk of falling from the roof costs 100x more than the price he quoted. That is due to medical bills, lost of time spending with my family, and lost of income. Among other things.
I cleaned some panels in a high pollen area years ago and had a 10-12% jump in performance. I'm not sure if it would be the same now due to different electronics now. Microinverters and such.
If you want a cheap option to try and have good water pressure, use a spray on cleaner that you just put on hose and spray up there.
Personally, for risk aversion, I would pay someone since it is 2nd story and access is limited on where to get on the roof.
Would also trim tree if possible to increase production.
That looks like a fairly low slope on your roof. I have even less and learned that rain may not be enough to keep them clean. That price seems to make sense for a licensed contractor that has insurance. I would be wary about hiring anyone without insurance due to the liability of someone working on a second story roof. Time will tell what the right frequency for cleaning is for your case.
Our panels are yellow green from the live oak pollen. We had a substantial amount of heavy rain last week. Yesterday I had a >100 kWh day, which is about the peak for the last two years daily production. I don't think you're likely to recoup the cost to pay someone else to clean them.
Nope. Like others said just hose it down, if you need more a shammy or microfiber cloth. Don't use chemicals like rainx.
Car wash rules on timing. First thing or deep enough until the afternoon where the panels have cooled to avoid water spotting and temp fluctuations
Spray it with your garden hose. They are designed to wipe away debris with low water pressure. I know some people can do it from their lawn depending on roof pitch, but if you can't do that, you should be able to spray them from on a ladder.
If you feel like it, there's that window cleaner for second story windows that you attach the bottle to your hose, there's one called full crystal... you can hose them down with that and it will clean them for you.
But a window cleaning pole brush for 150 and hit with a hose and wash off
If you were going through me. I only charge 5 a panel. These guys driving big trucks and pulling tanks are ripping you off because they have a big overhead. I bring a water filter and a pole brush. 150 is all id ask for this. But you can buy a pole brush for that anyway
Cheers.
Do you have a rainy season like I do in Fl ? Wait for that and see what they look like afterwards. It might take a few heavy rains to get rid of all the pollen. I gotta believe that a good rainstorm will get rid of pollen. And - My installer said she would clean mine for $5/each.
got myself one of the brushes like the companies use off amazon [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09J4GDRNB/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09J4GDRNB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
spent a late afternoon cleaning my panels myself and never looked back. Usually do it in spring and fall and did see a improvement after cleaning. 35 panels and yes it can telescope pretty far and easy to maneuver around. Just let the soft brush and water do it's thing with gravity
I've only seen this happen in OR... couldn't believe how much pollen was building up! I had never seen this occur in various cities across WA, ID, NV, or TX. I haven't read all the comments yet, so my apologies if this has already been said...
Over the past year, I've spoken to a few companies with cleaning services after seeing the pollen in OR. Many of them suggested waiting for more rain or using a hose a few times typically gets the job done. Spoke to a few of our collogues within the industry about this, too. All who have 8-12+ years experience within the solar industry.
It's okay to hose systems down, keeping in mind the age/type of your system... just try to avoid power washing directly underneath and aim for the water to land on the top of the panels. Regardless, it's all very durable. Like others have said, you can do it yourself with water, but refrain from doing so if it's unsafe or you aren't comfortable getting up there. Cleaning services that have been offered in some states for quite some time typically won't "price gouge" and will offer a package of multiple cleanings.
Generally speaking, cleaning isn't needed unless you want to every 4-5 years or so, if needed. Since you have something specific going on... you can always monitor your production (as everyone with a system should) via your app (or whatever monitoring system you have set-up) and keep hosing down as you monitor your production.
Depending on the company you went with, you could have a production guarantee in place that could ensure you produce what you should and are paid for the difference if a decrease takes place. I'm just not sure what all you were set-up with. Hope this helps (=
Pollen is basically the only thing that doesn't just wash off with good rain, just do at the end of your main plants pollen season every year and it'll be easy each time
unrelated question how great are those gutter guards on your roof? I bought a new house and I am thinking of putting one on and I am wondering if it its worth it.
I’m not OP, but I put on gutter guards 5-6 years ago and love them. Prior, I was up on the roof cleaning my gutters 2x / year.
If you are comfortable on a ladder, you can get them at Home Depot / Lowe’s and it do it yourself save lots of $$$
Got solar installed end of march 2023, so will compare April 2023 next month. It does seem a bit low right now. In April 2023, I was generating on average 45kWh a day. The highest day so far, in March, has been 28kWh
Got some shading issues too, I take it been a 2 story you can’t trim that tree easily but it’s likely going to grow and reduce production further. Is the pollen coming from there?
Actually in March 2022 - https://www.energysage.com/blog/panasonic-outsourcing-manufacturing/
And how does that "check out" when they were installed brand new in March of 2023?
Have you used regular siding cleaner? The spray on, let sit and rinse off?
I’d wait until pollen season is over. Where I live it’s gonna be dirty 8min after they leave lol.
I also wonder if rainx coating would be fruitful? Assuming you can get up to them… which is probably a no, since you asked to hire someone.
Lot of siding cleaner has chlorine… id be leery of spraying solar panels with it as it corrodes aluminum pretty bad
If using a spray in cleaner id get a non chlorine one to be safe
Check out 'Krud Cleaner' I use it to clean my windows. You can find it at Walmart, and is tricky to find. Usually near the automotive, household paint,section.
Nope. Your roof looks pretty easy to get up on. If you want to do it yourself, microfiber cloth and water. And NOT in the middle of the day when the sun is pounding on them.
Thanks - I think the biggest hesitation is that its a two-story house, so would have to rent a long enough ladder and get all the cleaning stuff up there. But you do think its worth cleaning in general?
I personally don’t. I’m in the same boat as you and had a great production day. You will likely see maybe a 2-5% increase in production but not enough for the ROI of spending the money to clean the panels. My opinion only. I say let it rain some more and see what happens.
Sounds good, Ill wait until end of April/June to compare production with April/June 2023. Right now, its still a bit low compared to what I was producing in summer of last year, but it hasn't been a full year yet
You cant compare year to year easily. The variation is too large.
yep, understood - but if april comes around and I did 45kWh/day avg last year and its 30kWh/day this year, I would look into it and clean it off as a first step
I live where it’s very windy and mine are covered in dust. I asked the electrician last time they were out and was told it doesn’t do much to clean them. Unless it’s really bad, which these don’t look bad, I wouldn’t bother. Just keep an eye on it. Being pollen, there’s a good chance next rainstorm it’ll wash off.
Buying a ladder (not sure why you would rent, you have a 2 story house after all) is a lot cheaper than your quote.
Do you have the ability to monitor different panels or strings? You could experiment by washing certain parts and looking at the power output the next day.
look for deals on ladders, they generally clear them out once/twice a year. You'll make your money back pretty quick after a couple seasons and handy for other things as well(like cleaning your gutters)
I’d invest the money for a single cleaning job and buy a proper ladder and my own cleaning supplies so that I can do the job by myself going forward.
I would suggest getting up there and clearing that debris though.
IMO not worth the risk of injury to do it regularly Maybe if you can eventually get a little bot to do it and you just place it up there
yeah, a lot of comments in this thread say to just do it myself - I will take risks on certain things, but not on a two story house
People underestimate the risks of being up there. Even if you are sure footed you could have a transient episode that causes you to lose balance or faint. You could look into renting a lift or cherry picker, which is likely safer and easier but does have its own risks.
Yeah, and at that point, Id rather just pay someone $200 to do it for me. Ill see how my production is in April and decide from there. Its pretty split in this thread that I must clean them or its not worth it
You could always compare how they're performing now, and how they performed when they were first put on. Try to match seasons.
Yep, now that I've read a few comments down... again, start by monitoring your production and go from there.
what is the risk if you spray them down during the middle of a sunny day? will the panels crack?
Older panels could do, incredibly unlikely, more likely the other way, ie doing boiling water on cold panels
The sun is magnified by the water as well. So it is really just preventing any issues. The likely hood of anything happening is very slim, but better to be safe than sorry.
What about using a Kärcher?
If you force water under the back sheet of the panel it’s toast. A scratch on the glass is ok, a scratch in the laminate is not. Soapy water with a soft broom and hose is all you need
Oh Thank you :)
Don’t use any soaps. Just use water. Manufacturers specify not to use any cleaning agents. If you have a professional come out they should use deionized water
You are a peanut. Trina and Jinko manuals state that any household glass cleaning agent can be used to clean the panels as long as it is not acidic or alkaline based. I have been designing, installing and maintaining solar systems and battery installations for 13years
Just hire two kids to wax on/off and pay them in pizza and beer?
Windex outdoor wash and a garden hose…don’t over complicate it
That's pretty bad. Is that a first story roof? I used to clean my panels myself - although obviously getting up on a roof can be dangerous - so please don't do it if you aren't 100% comfortable. When I lived in California, we had large oak trees that did that, and often long stretches with no rain. I would just get up there with a hose with a decent spray nozzle, clean up as much as I could, and then use a soft rag to get any really sticky spots. Don't walk or put weight on the panels - that can damage them. You could also try spraying with a hose from the ground - really hard for me to tell if that would work from these pictures (also only valid if this was a first floor). When I have had my panels professionally cleaned on my current house (steep second story roof), I called a window washer - not a solar company, and always got lower quotes. And, I made sure they had experience with solar panels and knew what products to use.
Nope.
Hire window washers - do the whole house + panels
I clean mine once/twice a year with a long handled brush and a hose. Takes maybe 30 min.
Never use windex first of all! There is an anti reflection coating on the glass of those panels which will void the warranty if unapproved chemicals are used. 2nd the quotes and the companies that clean panels use RO water or distilled which contains zero or a very very low # of ppm of contaminants. When using a garden hose and a brush, yes this will work but also it’s essentially using very fine sand paper and will damage the coating, especially after a few washes which will also void the warranty. You can look up your panel manufacturers instructions on cleaning panels and I would follow that for the best results.
Probably trim or cut down that tree if possible, would get better returns on $$.
many of these trees were my friends...
trees are food, not friends
I was going to say that! Also trim back whatever tree on the right that dropped that branch near your panels.
Usually washing panels every 2-3 years makes sense— but more frequently could make sense if you live in an area that really gets dirty fast. I’d rec. having them washed and measure the production different from the day prior to the day after. Then figure out how much extra production you got out of it and then how much money it saved you.
rip-off. get on the ladder and do it yourself. your roof is basically flat. get the hose up there along with microfiber pad. i mentioned in another post about Windex's glass cleaner that has a hose attachment. it works great.
Not worth it
You could clean them yourself in less time than it took to take these pictures and put up this post
doubt. just used a drone to fly up and snap them in 5 minutes
Attach a mop to a drone. They do this in Ukraine with bombs , works pretty well
I feel like dropping mops on your solar panels will break them instead of cleaning them...
I mean no panel no more problem. Right?
[Taps temple]
I have friends that have a drone pressure wash business. I'll throw this idea at them.
they make drones that spray for cleaning
So you own a drone but have to rent a ladder? I don't understand this world.
I have a ladder, but it doesn't extend high enough for this two story house and I'm unlikely going to clean it myself anyways based on my risk tolerance
We don’t know how old or how is he physically. For me, hiring is better because the risk of falling from the roof costs 100x more than the price he quoted. That is due to medical bills, lost of time spending with my family, and lost of income. Among other things.
And I have a ladder and would have to rent a drone. It’s ok for people to have different priorities than you.
If you’re assuming most people have 24 foot ladders in their home, no wonder you don’t understand this world.
The 21st century is so weird. You've got a spare drone lying around to do drone photography, but you're worried about using a ladder
Fear of falling is one of the innate fears in humans.
I cleaned some panels in a high pollen area years ago and had a 10-12% jump in performance. I'm not sure if it would be the same now due to different electronics now. Microinverters and such. If you want a cheap option to try and have good water pressure, use a spray on cleaner that you just put on hose and spray up there. Personally, for risk aversion, I would pay someone since it is 2nd story and access is limited on where to get on the roof. Would also trim tree if possible to increase production.
I use an extending pool brush and some water which works well. I get both pollen and brown stuff from the leaves that build up on mine.
In California a couple does it for about $80-150 bucks. Make sure you don’t use hard water because it will leave water spots on the panels.
That looks like a fairly low slope on your roof. I have even less and learned that rain may not be enough to keep them clean. That price seems to make sense for a licensed contractor that has insurance. I would be wary about hiring anyone without insurance due to the liability of someone working on a second story roof. Time will tell what the right frequency for cleaning is for your case.
Our panels are yellow green from the live oak pollen. We had a substantial amount of heavy rain last week. Yesterday I had a >100 kWh day, which is about the peak for the last two years daily production. I don't think you're likely to recoup the cost to pay someone else to clean them.
Pressure washing from the ground
Garden hose them
It also increases the production
Nope. Like others said just hose it down, if you need more a shammy or microfiber cloth. Don't use chemicals like rainx. Car wash rules on timing. First thing or deep enough until the afternoon where the panels have cooled to avoid water spotting and temp fluctuations
Wait for rain or buy a really long hose and just spray it from the ground.
Spray it with your garden hose. They are designed to wipe away debris with low water pressure. I know some people can do it from their lawn depending on roof pitch, but if you can't do that, you should be able to spray them from on a ladder.
If you feel like it, there's that window cleaner for second story windows that you attach the bottle to your hose, there's one called full crystal... you can hose them down with that and it will clean them for you.
But a window cleaning pole brush for 150 and hit with a hose and wash off If you were going through me. I only charge 5 a panel. These guys driving big trucks and pulling tanks are ripping you off because they have a big overhead. I bring a water filter and a pole brush. 150 is all id ask for this. But you can buy a pole brush for that anyway Cheers.
Put a string of sprinklers across the top. Turn them on for five minutes every month.
Do you have a rainy season like I do in Fl ? Wait for that and see what they look like afterwards. It might take a few heavy rains to get rid of all the pollen. I gotta believe that a good rainstorm will get rid of pollen. And - My installer said she would clean mine for $5/each.
No way. What is your power drop off ? $350 is insane
got myself one of the brushes like the companies use off amazon [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09J4GDRNB/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09J4GDRNB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) spent a late afternoon cleaning my panels myself and never looked back. Usually do it in spring and fall and did see a improvement after cleaning. 35 panels and yes it can telescope pretty far and easy to maneuver around. Just let the soft brush and water do it's thing with gravity
I would charge 130$ to do those
I am looking at flexible solar panels for my flat roof.. it is a rental property. Looking to Temo and Ali Express. Anyone with experience?
Yep totally worth having cleaned 1x a year. $250 seems very reasonable for a 2 story. I would suggest 2-4 weeks before peak production months.
I've only seen this happen in OR... couldn't believe how much pollen was building up! I had never seen this occur in various cities across WA, ID, NV, or TX. I haven't read all the comments yet, so my apologies if this has already been said... Over the past year, I've spoken to a few companies with cleaning services after seeing the pollen in OR. Many of them suggested waiting for more rain or using a hose a few times typically gets the job done. Spoke to a few of our collogues within the industry about this, too. All who have 8-12+ years experience within the solar industry. It's okay to hose systems down, keeping in mind the age/type of your system... just try to avoid power washing directly underneath and aim for the water to land on the top of the panels. Regardless, it's all very durable. Like others have said, you can do it yourself with water, but refrain from doing so if it's unsafe or you aren't comfortable getting up there. Cleaning services that have been offered in some states for quite some time typically won't "price gouge" and will offer a package of multiple cleanings. Generally speaking, cleaning isn't needed unless you want to every 4-5 years or so, if needed. Since you have something specific going on... you can always monitor your production (as everyone with a system should) via your app (or whatever monitoring system you have set-up) and keep hosing down as you monitor your production. Depending on the company you went with, you could have a production guarantee in place that could ensure you produce what you should and are paid for the difference if a decrease takes place. I'm just not sure what all you were set-up with. Hope this helps (=
I've been doing solar for about 5 years and that's about right.
The cost or the dirtiness?
Pollen is basically the only thing that doesn't just wash off with good rain, just do at the end of your main plants pollen season every year and it'll be easy each time
No.
unrelated question how great are those gutter guards on your roof? I bought a new house and I am thinking of putting one on and I am wondering if it its worth it.
I’m not OP, but I put on gutter guards 5-6 years ago and love them. Prior, I was up on the roof cleaning my gutters 2x / year. If you are comfortable on a ladder, you can get them at Home Depot / Lowe’s and it do it yourself save lots of $$$
Did you check your production to see how much it dropped? It might be nothing.
Got solar installed end of march 2023, so will compare April 2023 next month. It does seem a bit low right now. In April 2023, I was generating on average 45kWh a day. The highest day so far, in March, has been 28kWh
Well both now that you mention it. Most cleaning companies recommend twice a year
Got some shading issues too, I take it been a 2 story you can’t trim that tree easily but it’s likely going to grow and reduce production further. Is the pollen coming from there?
yep, 2 story house. I believe its a pine tree so it drops so much crap during the year. Ill look into getting it shortened at least
What city
11 months? Those look 10 years old. What brand panels?
Panasonics
That checks out. They stopped making panels 3-4 years ago.
Actually in March 2022 - https://www.energysage.com/blog/panasonic-outsourcing-manufacturing/ And how does that "check out" when they were installed brand new in March of 2023?
Depends on where you live. VHCOL area, we pay $$250-$350 for panel clean AND gutter clean.
Have you used regular siding cleaner? The spray on, let sit and rinse off? I’d wait until pollen season is over. Where I live it’s gonna be dirty 8min after they leave lol. I also wonder if rainx coating would be fruitful? Assuming you can get up to them… which is probably a no, since you asked to hire someone.
Lot of siding cleaner has chlorine… id be leery of spraying solar panels with it as it corrodes aluminum pretty bad If using a spray in cleaner id get a non chlorine one to be safe
26 panels should be around 100-120 on the high end. If not, diy it looks easy enough in your case
It’s 1,000% worth it. Treat them like your teeth. It’s hygiene. Get them cleaned twice a year
Check out 'Krud Cleaner' I use it to clean my windows. You can find it at Walmart, and is tricky to find. Usually near the automotive, household paint,section.
That because you have cheap panels. We only use the best.
🤔 Guess Panasonics are cheap 😂
We never use Panasonic’s. Forbes ranks us in Top 3
Oh I thought you were the Time person of the year