How Do You Properly Maintain Solar Panels?
Solar panels are one of the best ways to keep electricity costs to a minimum in your home. While they require a bit of an up-front investment, most American households pay them off within a decade! Since solar panels last for over 25 years, that means you’ll enjoy at least 15 years of free or heavily discounted energy.
If you’re considering solar panels for your home, you may have some questions. For one thing, how do you properly maintain solar panels? We’ll answer that question today, so read on!
Do You Need To Maintain Solar Panels?
While solar panels require a little maintenance now and again, they are primarily OK to leave as-is. Solar panels are designed to function for a few decades, and they are resilient enough to go without maintenance for long periods of time.
The only time you will need to do regular maintenance is if you experience a period of heavy snowfall—it’s hard to capture solar energy from underneath inches of snow!
Cleaning Frequency
Most solar panel installers recommend routine cleaning twice a year, but you may want to clean your panels four times a year, depending on their production. Most debris and dust will naturally be cleared away by rainfall, but you may need to clean your panels off yourself if you notice a decline in energy production.
Because solar panels should not drop in production until you’ve had them for 25 years, significant production decline is often due to debris obstructing your panels.
What To Do
Whether you notice a drop in production or you simply want to perform routine maintenance, cleaning your panels is a simple task. If you have solar in Albuquerque or another area with minimal snowfall, all you’ll need to do is clear off the panels with a leaf blower or spray them with a garden hose. For people in snowy climates, use lukewarm water and a squeegee with a long handle to clear off the panels.
Now that you know how to properly maintain solar panels, perform routine maintenance to continue getting the most out of your solar panel system.