How Do You Clean Hot Water Solar Panels

You can avoid scaling by using water softeners or by circulating a mild acidic solution such as vinegar through the collector or domestic hot water loop every 3 5 years or as necessary depending on water conditions.

How do you clean hot water solar panels.

If your panels are readily accessible you can clean them yourself. It is not particularly complicated. How to clean those dusty dirty solar panels 1. In some cases this will be enough to get them clean but sometimes you ll need to do a more thorough cleaning.

Be sure to check your panel manufacturer instructions for shutting down the system before cleaning if necessary. Use a soft cloth or sponge and wipe them down with the soap solution and then rinse them with the hose. Mine are by the sea and get a salt crust on them fairly rapidly so need bi monthly cleaning. Depending on your location you may need to clean your panels more often than twice a year.

Gather some distilled water and mix it with a little dish. Solar panel wash modifies the surface tension of the water so instead of water beading up it will form a continuous film across the solar panels to lift dirt and debris. And if you re asking yourself if you can use a pressure washer to clean your solar panels we encourage you to only use a normal hose. Get the most from your solar installation by choosing cec accredited products and installers.

Gathering all of these tips let s take a look at a review of the steps you need to follow. Use your garden hose to spray down the panels. Fill a bucket with warm soapy water or cleaning solution designed for solar panels. Show extra caution if cleaning your solar panels requires you to climb up on the roof.

Clean the surface of the solar panel with a soft cloth or sponge. I have always used clean tap water and a scrubby squeegee thing on a threaded broom handle. Start early in the morning. Cole said solar panel wash is especially helpful in arid locations where dust is high and water is scarce because the wash allows for less water to be used in cleaning.

Using anything with high pressure may cause damage. Essentially in the same manner you would wash your car at home. Use a mild detergent if you feel like you need some extra help. Usually a good hosing off will do most of the job but you can also use a soft cloth or a soft bristled brush or broom and some warm soapy water or glass cleaning agent if they are particularly dirty.

Brushing any loose dirt off before spraying them with water will make the squeegeeing process quicker and easier. You may need to carefully clean heat exchanger surfaces with medium grain sandpaper. Because you don t want to scratch the panels in any way it s best to use just water and a non abrasive sponge to apply soapy water. Disconnect your pv array from the inverter by pushing the rapid shutdown button or pulling down the dc disconnect switch.