Best Way To Clean Lichen Off Solar Panels

The most effective way to clean your solar panels is with a hose and a bucket of soapy water.

Best way to clean lichen off solar panels. They found that tilted panels don t require cleaning as much as flat panels. Because of the way it forms a strong bond with the glass conventional panel cleaning methods both manual and machine do not remove lichen. These panels have probably been up there for 8 years or so. Clean the surface of the solar panel with a soft cloth or sponge.

I tried brushing it off from the ground with a broom but it didn t come off so i got out a ladder and climbed up and sure enough it was lichen. Once this is done brush off any loose dust and debris from your panels. Dish soap and warm water applied with a soft sponge or cloth is the safest and easiest cleaning method. Google did a study on the need to clean solar panels.

Using just clean water and your soft brush with sponge and squeegee functions remove any stubborn grime and residue. If you can see the panels on a single story building then you can almost certainly spray them with a hose. Remember avoid damaging or scratching the glass at all costs. The safest way to clean solar panels the best way to avoid falling off a ladder or roof is to stay on the ground.

Lichen makes the most of this and attaches itself into the pits in the glass. I highly recommend this approach. Follow the instructions in your solar panel manual to completely shut off the system before attempting any sort of cleaning. But first let s look at when and why you might need to invest in solar panel cleaning equipment or hire a professional cleaning service.

Essentially in the same manner you would wash your car at home. It s best to approach panel cleaning the same way you might clean your car. You do not have to clean the wiring underneath. Because you don t want to scratch the panels in any way it s best to use just water and a non abrasive sponge to apply soapy water.

The only way to remove lichen as mentioned earlier is by total destruction be that removing the lichen by hand or by chemical. I had to use a plastic scrapper to remove it and i noticed there was a very small amount of moss on the lip on the bottom edge of the panel. Managing director of clean solar solutions steve williams provides a quick fire explanation of the effect of bird droppings and lichen pronounced li ken. We ll get to the best way to clean your solar panels in a minute.