A Simple Guide on How to Clean and Maintain Solar Panels
Way to go! So, you’ve made the jump to renewable solar energy aiming to go green and lower your electric bills—that should continue throughout the solar panels’ life so you can max out your return on investment.
However, you would have to exert effort and take care of them regularly. That’s exactly why we wrote a simple guide on how to clean and maintain solar panels for you here.
Scroll down to learn more about it!
How to Maintain Your Solar Panels
Luckily, solar panel care and maintenance aren’t that hard. You only have to clean out the dust, dirt, and debris that fall on them by going up the roof (with safety equipment) and using a clean rag and biodegradable soap.
If you clean very often, you can simply just run down your garden hose along the solar panels to clean them from the ground. Let the hose fall on them like rainwater and let gravity do the rest.
This is a safer method in cleaning your solar panels and should be good enough for most houses. But, as expected, you’ll most certainly do more cleaning work following a heavy storm or long dry seasons.
Your solar PV system at your house should then be in spotless and tiptop shape. By removing the debris and dust, you ensure that the units can collect more energy-convertible light from the sun.
On the professional side of things, you simply need to schedule yearly maintenance to keep your solar panels performing efficiently. The solar panel contractor can then inspect any problem and fix it right then and there.
Other than that, if you notice that your solar panels aren’t working as it should, such as they are producing less energy for you to use or have a broken part, you ought to get a pro to handle them swiftly.
The Cost of Maintaining Solar Panels
The average cost of maintaining solar panels in Malaysia is RM320 per single visit. For the typical range, you can expect to pay between RM200 and RM800 depending on how dirty they are.
The average price already includes solar panel cleaning and inverter and breaker testing services. Although most homeowners clean or maintain their solar panels once every three to five years, we strongly recommend doing it annually.
Don’t worry as nowadays, most people who buy a solar panel system can get it inspected and monitored for free, allowing you to save money on maintenance costs. And this can also be done through a mobile app or the company’s tracking system.
Using Your Solar Panel Warranty
Given the costly price of solar panels, it’s natural to get a warranty along with your purchase.
At best, a solar PV system can last about 25 to 30 years. A lot of warranties cover your unit between 10 and 20 years, with some even up to 25 years.
In case the performance level of your system drops, the installer would be able to repair it for you, which is normally expensive. The warranty will also protect your solar panels from damage arising from natural events such as storms and other unexpected circumstances.
However, note that most suppliers stipulate that for the warranty to be valid, you would have to keep up the maintenance of your solar panels. Otherwise, you won’t be able to take advantage of them, which is a huge loss on your part.
Conclusion
Cleaning and maintaining your solar panels won’t take a lot of work. As long as you do your part, your solar panels should work smoothly and as expected over the course of their life.
To protect your investment, make sure to get them inspected every year and cleaned at least twice a year. That will prevent significant damage and the related maintenance work needed, which will be very expensive to pay.