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How often do You clean your solar pannels
By Psycogeek, Section Solar Posted on Thu Jun 9th, 2005 at 08:09:42 AM MST
Does dust love solar power :-)

How often do you clean your solar pannels?
how fast are they dirty (in your location) till they work poor?
How much are you ignoring it :-)
being NEW and all to this, i am paying more attention, and keeping mine clean, squegeeing off water and all, like a new baby.
but some of you have teens, are they easy to ignore :)

How often do You clean your solar pannels | 15 comments (15 topical, 0 editorial)

Re: How often do You clean your solar pannels (3.00 / 0) (#1)
by ghurd on Thu Jun 9th, 2005 at 06:09:33 AM MST
(User Info)

The factory made PVs I use and most others I have worked with
have a slimy feel to the front,
are mounted at about 50 degrees,
and nothing stays on them after a light rain.

Some of the smaller PVs have more of a regular glass feel,
dust builds up that takes some work to remove,
maybe twice a year.

G-

Re: How often do You clean your solar pannels (3.00 / 0) (#2)
by sandovalch (sandovalch@yahoo.com) on Thu Jun 9th, 2005 at 06:57:18 AM MST
(User Info)

Mine are homemade and in the beginning I used to clean them every weekend later, later every 15 days... now I put on some Rain-X and leave them to clean themselves. But we are in a rainy season now and the rain cleans them very well every day.
In other seasons dust accumulates very rapidly and they have to be cleaned like once every 15 days.

Re: How often do You clean your solar pannels (3.00 / 0) (#3)
by wpowokal on Thu Jun 9th, 2005 at 07:31:21 AM MST
(User Info)

You mean some of you "clean them"?

Mine have a 25 year guarentee.

Actually I one bought a squegie thingy to clean them but never got around to using it, correct orientation pays much more dividins.

A life lived in fear is a life half lived.

Re: How often do You clean your solar pannels (3.00 / 0) (#4)
by fishfarm on Thu Jun 9th, 2005 at 07:37:30 AM MST
(User Info)

I check mine daily, which is easy to do since they are at ground level. In six months, I've only had to clean them twice (rinsed off with a garden hose) due to a heavy buildup of tree pollen. Otherwise, occasional rain keeps them fairly clean.

Re: How often do You clean your solar pannels (3.00 / 0) (#5)
by richhagen (richhagen (a t) Juno.com) on Thu Jun 9th, 2005 at 11:36:34 AM MST
(User Info)

I live in an urban, and dusty environment. I find that after a while, dust accumulates on the glass to a fairly visible level. I have never measured the decrease in power, but I would bet that when they get really dusty, It drops by 5 or 10%. I do not have a regular cleaning schedule for them, but when I am on the roof for some other maintenance or reason, I wipe them off, or rinse them if water is available. Rich
'A Joule saved is a Joule made'

Re: How often do You clean your solar pannels (3.00 / 0) (#6)
by Ungrounded Lightning Rod on Thu Jun 9th, 2005 at 01:42:25 PM MST
(User Info)

Unless you live in an area with some special problem, it could be argued that, if you need to clean your panels more than once or twice a year, you didn't install enough panels.

When the cost of your time cleaning panels and the shortened life of your batteries exceeds the cost of more panels, add one or two. Then kick back, relax, and check whether they need cleaning whenever you go on/off daylight savings time. B-)

But seriously: Check whether they need cleaning whenever the batteries aren't staying full. Then, if there's no special problem (like a dust storm, tree pollen, soot from an upwind stack, leaves / pine needles, or a snowdrift) and your batteries and distribution system are OK, add more panels or reduce loads until your batteries stay up without constant attention and cleaning.

Re: How often do You clean your solar pannels (3.00 / 0) (#7)
by ghurd on Thu Jun 9th, 2005 at 01:58:11 PM MST
(User Info)

Excellent point!

I think most of the smaller ones are cleaned for cosmetic purposes.

Also,
Sandovalach's system is nearer the equator and mounted very flat compared to most areas.
His will hold dust and grime more than most areas.

G-

[ Parent ]

Re: How often do You clean your solar pannels (3.00 / 0) (#8)
by sandovalch (sandovalch@yahoo.com) on Thu Jun 9th, 2005 at 03:08:36 PM MST
(User Info)

Well, that is true. In my location at this time of year they "should" be near parallel to the ground, but where would the water and dust go, since I have an aluminum frame around them?
In commercial panels you have another kind of material covering the cells, I used standard glass.

[ Parent ]

Re: How often do You clean your solar pannels (3.00 / 0) (#9)
by Ungrounded Lightning Rod on Thu Jun 9th, 2005 at 07:43:49 PM MST
(User Info)

Build a box that's mainly a slanted glass (or whatever) plate over them and let the rain wash the dirt off THAT.

(If you enclose the panels in a box with a transparent top be sure to vent it a bit near its high point to let the heat out, so the panels can cool. But not enough to let a bunch of dirt in and defeat the purpose.)

[ Parent ]

Re: How often do You clean your solar pannels (3.00 / 0) (#10)
by troy on Fri Jun 10th, 2005 at 11:24:07 AM MST
(User Info)

Actually, if you build a "box" around them with glass over the top to "protect" them, you just guaranteed yourself a 5-10% drop in output forever. Normal glass loses about 4% in reflection losses at each optical surface. I'd prefer a little dirt once in a while that I can hose off.

Finest regards,

troy

[ Parent ]

Re: How often do You clean your solar pannels (3.00 / 0) (#11)
by Ungrounded Lightning Rod on Fri Jun 10th, 2005 at 06:23:12 PM MST
(User Info)

True.

But if the panels are near horizontal, collecting dirt, leaves, and small growing things, they could be losing a LOT more than 5-10% without cleaning at very short intervals.

If it were me I'd buy 11 panels instad of 10, put the glass up, and relax for six months to six years at a time.

The whole POINT of things like electrical power is so YOU don't have to be doing a lot of work - like scrubbing stuff - using your own manual labor.

[ Parent ]

Re: How often do You clean your solar pannels (3.00 / 0) (#12)
by Psycogeek on Fri Jun 10th, 2005 at 07:26:16 PM MST
(User Info)

mine are aimed straight up this month, not much rain because here we only get 17-40in max, but that means we also get loads of sun little fog and all.
so they arent very self washing in this area, not to mention things like hard water stains, and the dust that the rain pulls down with it, when it does rain.

they get dusty fast, and the pidgeon droppings make nice shadows on them :(.
dust is collecting on them, but it doesnt effect the total output much.

and one of the complaints (from the whiner) is, ya well how you going to get up on the roof and clean the things.

so that is why i asked.

Re: How often do You clean your solar pannels (3.00 / 0) (#13)
by jimjjnn (jimjjnn at yahoo dot com) on Fri Jun 10th, 2005 at 09:11:48 PM MST
(User Info)

Put a "soaker" garden hose across the top of your panels. When panels need cleaning connect hos to water supply and let water run down panels if they are at an angle. If flat panels. HMMM. You got a problem.
Jim Denver,CO
[ Parent ]

Re: How often do You clean your solar pannels (3.00 / 0) (#14)
by Psycogeek on Sun Jun 12th, 2005 at 09:30:15 PM MST
(User Info)

now that would solve it for a (2nd story) rooftop situation, and stop the whiner from having one more thing to complain about.

[ Parent ]

Re: How often do You clean your solar pannels (3.00 / 0) (#15)
by ghurd on Sun Jun 12th, 2005 at 10:59:12 PM MST
(User Info)

Old dust tends to stick to glass and needs some scrubbing.
G-

[ Parent ]

How often do You clean your solar pannels | 15 comments (15 topical, 0 editorial)

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