TOO MUCH PRESSURE! DO NOT PRESSURE WASH !
Pressure washing solar panels may seem like a good idea to get your solar panels to sparkle, but as this task grows in popularity major flaws have been found with doing so. Solar panels are vacuum sealed between two pieces of glass then capped with a frame. With high amounts of pressure, homeowners face three major problems: Here are the top Three Ways To Not
Clean Solar Panels .
1) Under high pressure, the metal frame on solar panels can shed their outer coating which protects them from the elements. High pressure can and will cause the protective layers in your solar panels to detached from the glass leaving a void space and allowing water in. This should be of great concern to you because water and electric do not mix. Water will cause the solar panel to short circuit and this can cause a fire. It’s important to note, there’s no way to shut off a solar panel because as long as there’s sun light on the face of the solar panel it’s going to create electricity. The pictures below show a couple different solar systems that were cleaned with a high powered pressure washer buy another local “ So called “ professional cleaning company that didn’t know anything about solar panels or how to properly clean them.
Manufactures of most solar panels Including Hanna, Q-Cell, Kyocera, LG, REC, Jinko, Tesla, Sunpower and many others strongly advise not to pressure wash solar panels and clearly state in the warranty information that pressure washing solar panels will void their warranties. This is due to the reason listed above as well as fear that high pressure could lead to water breaking the vacuum seal allowing water to enter between the panes of glass and onto the PV system.
Another possible issue with pressure washing solar panels is damaging the roof. Pressure washing roofs has been slowing brought to the light as a bad method of cleaning. As a professional solar and roofing company we’ve seen and tested pressure washing on a variety of roofing materials and we can tell you first hand that a high pressure water spray system does in fact cause damage to your roofing materials. If the water is not angled right you could shoot water underneath you roofing as well as the pressure taking YEARS off of composite, tile and clay roofing by blasting off exterior coatings. Over spray when pressure washing solar panels is bad news and should be avoided if alternative cleaning methods are possible.
Harsh chemicals or detergents : Panel manufacturers apply a very thin protective film to the glass solar panels that can be damaged if detergents or commercial grade cleaners are used. It’s also a fact that detergents, soaps and cleaners all leave behind an oily film that will only cause dust and dirt to stick even faster to the surface of your solar panels.
Research has shown and solar panel manufactures have agreed that a low pressure, soft bristle mechanical wash is the best for cleaning solar panels. 48Solar goes one step beyond these recommendations and incorporates deionized water in our cleanings. Deionized water allows the water on the panels after the soft bristle low pressure wash to air dry to a SPOTLESS FINISH. Normal house water is not recommended because of the high minerals content in it that will leave water spots behind and can etch the glass causing permanent damage. Our filters produce pure water (which are tested by a TDS meter before every wash) to ensure the panels we clean are left spotless! Get a free quote from a
professional solar & roofing company before just letting anyone touch your solar panel system .
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