I saw some points on a solar panel cleaning website about solar panel cleaning:
You can crack the panels if you put cold water on hot panels. (seems right)
Detergents can damage the panels. (maybe some unusual stuff)
Using a squeegee will miss stuff because all panels are not as smooth as window glass. (I use di and wfp, but still)
[COLOR=#484A4A][FONT=Verdana]Most insurance companies of ours will not pay anything for damaged solar panel.[/FONT][/COLOR]
what solar cleaning web sites? Do you have links or PM me links?
I’ve been cleaning solar panels fow a while, have cleaned them in 100+ degree weather and never cracked one…But I understand the worry because my insurance doesnt actually cover the damage to a panel. Soap and squeege is a decent way for a homeowner to clean their own panels but spots will be missed with the squeege and a soap residue can build up on their roof if they dont rinse properly. Water fed pole is the way to go for time and professional work, dries spotless so no need for touch ups/Detail work>>>>translates into more jobs per day which equals more $$$.
Living here in Arizona with the heat and constant dirt swirling around here i think anyone that has a photovoltaic system should have them cleaned at least 2-3 X a year.Solar has taken off huge here and there are home owners that get the hose out and spray them off them self’s and get the mind set they are doing the same thing as a lot of us that are using the WFP. I just look at it as why would they invest that kind of money and not get the most out of them !That would be like buying a 2013 Mercedes and not getting the oil changed ! Everything in this world needs at least some kind of preventive maintenance While all of us are in the sales & service industry we have to be innovative unlike 10 years ago most of us just cleaned windows and some skylights and pressure washing.
Now there are many things we can offer a customer to where they don’t have to call different contractors to do a specific thing.
It will be interesting to see down the road what the next innovative and must have item will be.
Do the Hot panels crack when it down pours it the middle of the day during a storm? That rain is usually pretty cool temp. Just a thought.
My insurance has told me that my liability coverage will cover solar panel cleaning as long as we don’t go above our max height and don’t use a pressure washer (currently we only do window cleaning.) I am sure that others are different. As far as wfp vs. traditional, John Lee will tell you there is no way to do it with traditional methods. I know that Titan makes a cleaner that is specifically for solar as far as soaps go.
-Thomas
GT Window Solutions
We’ve had hail storms here in some hot Arizona months, I don’t think anyone’s solar panels cracked.
I have literally cleaned thousands of solar panels and I have not cracked one panel. The only panels I have ever seen that were cracked were due to a wayward golf ball. P.S. do not clean a cracked panel. Electrocution is highly probable. The WFP method without soap is the best way to clean while squeegeeing panels is almost imposable in many situations and must be done early in the morning or all the cleaning fluid will dry up pretty fast.
For those of us without funds for a WFP system early morning “solution and squeegee” is the way to go. It would be nice to dedicate this portion of service to fund a WFP system, but in this area of Florida they are too far and few between right now. I even have a solar panel sales manager who lives several blocks from me - he doesn’t even have panels on his house!
I’ve never done it but it is a risk.
- Detergents can damage the panels. (maybe some unusual stuff)
It can leave residue that will attract more dirt and a horizontal PV module will hold more dust than a vertical window pane.
- Using a squeegee will miss stuff because all panels are not as smooth as window glass. (I use di and wfp, but still)
It’s true that the glass is not smooth. It has a light texture to it. I believe it’s done to improve the light transmission to the cells. But I have used a squeegee in some situations where I couldn’t use my WFP.
First you should understand the product that u are cleaning. the glass face of a solar panel is a a piece of tempered glass, It will not crack, break or shatter with water of any temperature that u can use upon it.
ITS GLASS… Detergent isnt gonna damage it. it is Slightly textured however you can get very good results squeegeeing the glass after all it is glass.
I squeegee solar panels in the middle of the day in full sun. Use less soap more water.
I think pointing a thermal tempiture reading device at the glass and making a videio for People to eas there mind is what I’m going to do but I have figured out a exact tempiture that the glass would crack I’m guessing it’s around 130 degrees the same as boiling water does any one have an idea on this ?
Why doesn’t an automobile tempered glass crack sitting in the hot sun, then a cold rain shower happens to pop up?
It will, only if it had pre existing damage…
aouto is temperd big differnce
Actually windshields are Safety Glass and tempered. House glass is annealed and tempered depending on usage.
If the glass is thicker and a drastic temperature change happens then the thickness of the glass allows uneven cooling and the glass will break. The thinner the glass the less likely this will happen. Is the water THAT cold that is being used? If it is a problem form hot part of the day cleaning, then would a “bucket heater” be a solution?
prorbaly a good idea but just another piece of equipment
