Author: Lacy Cook — Now that you have a sparkly new solar array on your rooftop, you’re probably wondering if there’s anything you need to do for it. Do solar panels require maintenance? What about regular cleaning? Can you check in on your panels to see how they’re performing? Good news: solar is incredibly low maintenance — here’s what you need to know.
Do I need to wash off my solar panels?
The short answer is: nope! Fun fact: Washington DC receives more inches of rain than Seattle. That means our weather typically cleans your panels off for you. No need to worry if your roof isn’t accessible or if you can’t get up there to clean your panels. It’s not essential!
The concept of not needing to clean your panels is actually backed up by University of California, San Diego research. Engineers discovered that solar panels that hadn’t received rain for 145 days during a California drought lost just 7.4% of their efficiency, and also, that it wouldn’t be worth the cost for a homeowner to pay someone to clean off their panels.
Some exceptions, according to the researchers, would be if your area receives dust storms such as those that might happen in Arizona, or if your array accumulates a large amount of bird poop. If you went solar, you likely don’t have large trees shading your array where birds might perch. And since dust storms are a rarity in the DMV, you likely won’t ever need to worry about solar panel cleaning.
If you do notice a drop in your solar panels’ output, it’s likely not due to dirty panels, but a faulty microinverter or some other unforeseen equipment issue. And since Uprise monitors all solar projects we install, we may even catch an issue before you do. But if you do think your panels aren’t performing as well as they used to and you haven’t heard from us, please give us a call and we’ll check it out. (We’ll discuss monitoring more in a minute!)
What if I want to wash off my solar panels?
If you can safely access your roof and want to clean off your panels during a dry spell, just spray them with a hose. You don’t want to scratch your solar panels. So if you do clean them, be sure not to use anything abrasive. Don’t power wash them or use harsh chemicals (that includes Windex, which can leave a residue that could mess with panel performance). It also isn’t safe to clean off your solar panels when it’s very hot outside, as your panels can heat up in bright sunlight. If you really feel that you want to pay a professional to clean your panels (again, we don’t think this is necessary, unless you have a tricky buildup of bird droppings, or if you can’t access your roof safely, for example), you can get your panels cleaned once or at most twice a year.
Do I need to clean snow off my solar panels?
Again, you don’t have to. Your solar panels are built to withstand weight from snow, which will either slide off or melt over time. Avoid the temptation to use a broom or shovel to push the snow off, since again, you don’t want to scratch your panels.
Solar panels are also built to stand up to hail. After a severe hail storm in 2017 at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory campus in Colorado, which saw hailstones with diameters of up to 2.75 inches, only one out of the lab’s 3,186 solar panels was damaged by the hail!
How can I monitor my home solar system?
You may be wondering if you need to do anything at all for your panels! If you’re curious about how they’re working, you can keep an eye on them in the Enphase App. Once we finish installation, we’ll give you access to the app. You’ll be able to track your panels’ production and even your home energy consumption. The app will give you an idea of how your panels perform over time. You’ll see them loving the summer and slowing down in the winter (kind of like many of us humans).
When you log into the Enphase App, you’ll see four different icons at the bottom of the screen. The Status icon serves as your home screen, showing how much energy your panels are generating and how much electricity your home is consuming. (Pro tip: if you tap ‘Live Status’ near the top, you’ll be able to see real-time data.) The Energy icon lets you dig deeper, revealing trends over time. You can see how much electricity your panels produced over a billing cycle, or how they performed in one season versus another. The Array icon allows you to check on the performance of individual panels. Finally, the Menu icon offers several account options. Notably, you can find Uprise’s contact info if you tap the System Icon, then Site Details.
You don’t have to monitor your solar panels — Uprise will be monitoring them. But the app is a cool way for you to gain more knowledge about your panels’ functionality and be alerted of any issues. And the insight you gain from the app can guide your decisions about how you consume electricity in the future. If you want to dig deeper, you can check out Enphase’s explainer video below.
Do solar panels need any other maintenance?
From a homeowner’s perspective, no. The only moving parts in solar panels are electrons, so you likely won’t ever need to deal with a mechanical break. Electrical issues do sometimes arise, but you don’t want to attempt to fix those yourself. It’s dangerous, and electrical work should only be performed by a solar electrician. If you do suspect something is wrong with your system, please give Uprise a call. We are experienced in solar panel maintenance and troubleshooting. And if you went solar with Uprise’s no-cost solar program, the maintenance is on us for 20 years, so you won’t even need to pay for it.
We are also willing to perform maintenance on systems we didn’t install, if you already have solar but think there’s a problem with your panels. Feel free to reach out to us! Often, we can troubleshoot remotely.
I have another solar maintenance or cleaning question!
We love chatting solar with you! So if you have a question about cleaning or maintenance that we haven’t answered here, please reach out! Call us at (202) 750-5718 or reach out via our website.