Car polish on panels?

[upny]

Hi

During winter snow keeps covering my panels now and then . I got this idea to put car polish (Turtle wax) on the glass surface.On my car this works great on cold days, as long as the windshield is cold snow is easily brushed off or on a windy day it just blows off. Is there any risks with car wax on the panels? Will it reduce power?

Thank you

[deerslayer660]

   I would try rain x schould be ok george

[iFred]

I don't see why not... thats actually a good idea. I have oil inside my panel, does not effect the cells at all.

[Ungrounded Lightning Rod]

I note that solar panels get hot, which may make the snow melt and tend to stick, and that wax will yellow over the years and absorb some sunlight.  Also:  If your rain is a bit alkaline the wax may gradually turn to soap and wash off.  So you'll probably need to strip and replace it from time to time - like every few years.

iFred:  Your oil may darken and become cloudy over several years due to sun exposure (even under glass) and need changing.  (That's a real problem for compases on boats, which are oil-filled for damping, and is usually dealt with by covering the compas when the boat is at dock.)

[tcrenshaw]

No fair Fred. I'm jealous. I only have two panels completely finished and three more needing framing to be done. With a stack of cells setting on the work bench for another 20+ panels I've got a lot of work ahead of me!

[Psycogeek]

adding

beading makes little magnifyers, and also causes spotting from hard water, and stuff in the water.

with car polishes, the FAD seems to go from excessive beading, to the reverse, with water skin breakers for sheening instead of beading.

I now use a "silicoln" type of car polish, what i WANT out of a polish, is it to protect And FALL OFF , like boat paint.  if the top tiny skin of polish falls off when blasted with hot water, it makes cleaning the dirt off fast and easy.

Silicoln stuff (the many products you can find it in) seems to make a fine skin, encourages beading :-( and falls off easy.

that old wax stuff worked great for that, but it does yellow.

and almost every polish i have seen says "may reduce visibility on windows"  but heck i put it on my windows anyways.  a little ammonia and its all gone anyways.

that rainX stuff is certannly a thin oily coat.

all of the waxes will have a very light mist of that powdery stuff after time.

you know the stuff that you rubbed off to get a shine, so if you try that stuff, a day after you polish it (take it off) polish it again, to remove that thin film.

[Psycogeek]

also i agree with Lightning rod

snow sticks when its thawed, not when its crystaline

start your car up, warm it up , and see how easily it blows off.

in washington snow sticked (at 34 to 35*f)

in whyoming, the snow didnt stick to nuthin (at -34 to -35*F)

[stm]

Hello,

You can get problems with dirt, leaves etc, If you are using some lubricant which never dries. - It'll stick to the panels, and you will end up spending a lot of time washing your panels - wouldn't you?

/Steffen

[stm]

Forgot to mention.....

I have solved this problem myself by raising the panels to a vertical position, and have not had any problems with the snow this year.

/steffen

[Peppyy]

I still say that nothing sticks to armor-all I use it on my door seals on my car and they open fine after an ice storm.

[pyrocasto]

That is true, because you cant stick a sticker on something you've just armoralled.

[Psycogeek]

one comment on armour all

Unless they changed the formula (which they very well could have done)

dont use it on anything.

its a short term fix, with long term disaster results.

all the people from the 70s and 80s who used it,

would throw it out if they saw it in thier garage.

when baked in the sun, it yellowed, peeled, and caused damage to the plastic it was on, it made my tires crack, and all manner of terrible unfixable things.

the above post is OPINON,

but go to an automotive site, and ask them about waxes and polishes,

 if you want to see more opinions.

i have never seen it recommended, only condemned

and as far as i am concerned it deserved it.

[DanG]

o'psychgeek is 100% correct... Armor-All doesn't. I can still smell and taste it baking in summer sun in my 1971 Pinto, the smell forver associated with a vacation-from-hell with the 1st wife. Dash splits, carpet stains from overspray, muds up with dust and pollen, etc. and dries into a shellac akin to slug slime. In my opinion, just say no to Armor-all.

Rain-X can mend alot of surface crazing in polycarbonates, fills micro gouges etc - Also helps with sand-blasted auto windshields. Rain-X worked well on my camaro plastic roof and mirrors after 120,000 miles of sand blasting and car washes.

But rain-x has a weakness - oil films. Here in Minnesota fuel oil heating is common so morning dew cycles leave layers of oily opague build-up on glass - on an auto you think nothing of it, just squeegee it off when you buy gas but it won't wear off naturally.

From what I've seen of glass, best bet is twice a year use razor blades and a non-scratch souring powder "bon-ami' (they also make glass cleaner w/ same wetting agents, I mean the sink cleaner) - Clean after spring tree pollen and late fall as the snow starts. Scraping the glass with a razor blade reduces mineral build up and the lichen and other wee-beasties that provides an anchor for more dirt to adhere to. Next use the bon-ami in a runny paste form and burnish the glass clean, hose liberally while wiping with fresh cloth and that's as good as new glass asI can get...