After some recent events and a discussion with my wife, it's been agreed that I'm not going up a ladder anymore (step ladder is OK-ish under conditions that we don't need to discuss here). And my panels need cleaning.

I must have sent these thoughts into the ether for an algorithm to pick up. Bingo! FB showed me an advert for such a service.

I'll add that I think there's a need for this. A guy a couple of houses up has a double story house with E and W facing strings. He probably can't even squirt them with the garden hose, and whilst somebody got the panels up there in the first place, not everybody wants to climb that sort of height, or be bothered with whether or not you can use handy andy on them. And people get older and more infirm. Where my mother lives there are several single old ladies with solar. Not very high up, but these ladies are on the wrong side of 35 and don't want to be using squeeges with a long handle or whatever. We haven't even mentioned big commercial installations...

Anyway, so I check out the web site and it all looks good, and they don't just clean, they inspect as well and let you know if the insulation is looking dodgy or whatever else they find.

So I fill in the form and click the button. And then...

 

... nothing. It's been 3 days now.

So I dunno, maybe they only want to do shopping malls or something. Maybe it's a scam to get names and addresses for spamming or nuisance calling. Maybe the wheel's spinning but the hamster's dead. Who knows?

But FB is continuing to chuck these ads at me, so I'll try another bunch and see if they will at least send me an email telling me to get lost.

Seriously, I think there's a need for this service, and for it to be done properly. I can very easily get somebody up there with some sunlight liquid and a squeegee. But I spent good money getting that lot up there, and it's been very useful the last couple of years, so I want it done PROPERLY.

If somebody turns up I'll let y'all know. But if you've had this service performed, and you're in Gauteng, then why not let me know in a reply.

PS: Call them? Yeah I could. But I did fill in the form and give them all the details and they haven't responded. This, in the end, is how I chose my installer. I emailed 3 installers, and only 1 got back to me. Guess who got the business.

Edited August 11, 20232 yr by Bobster.
Spelllin punkchewation

1 hour ago, Bobster. said:

After some recent events and a discussion with my wife, it's been agreed that I'm not going up a ladder anymore (step ladder is OK-ish under conditions that we don't need to discuss here). And my panels need cleaning.

I must have sent these thoughts into the ether for an algorithm to pick up. Bingo! FB showed me an advert for such a service.

I'll add that I think there's a need for this. A guy a couple of houses up has a double story house with E and W facing strings. He probably can't even squirt them with the garden hose, and whilst somebody got the panels up there in the first place, not everybody wants to climb that sort of height, or be bothered with whether or not you can use handy andy on them. And people get older and more infirm. Where my mother lives there are several single old ladies with solar. Not very high up, but these ladies are on the wrong side of 35 and don't want to be using squeeges with a long handle or whatever. We haven't even mentioned big commercial installations...

Anyway, so I check out the web site and it all looks good, and they don't just clean, they inspect as well and let you know if the insulation is looking dodgy or whatever else they find.

So I fill in the form and click the button. And then...

 

... nothing. It's been 3 days now.

So I dunno, maybe they only want to do shopping malls or something. Maybe it's a scam to get names and addresses for spamming or nuisance calling. Maybe the wheel's spinning but the hamster's dead. Who knows?

But FB is continuing to chuck these ads at me, so I'll try another bunch and see if they will at least send me an email telling me to get lost.

Seriously, I think there's a need for this service, and for it to be done properly. I can very easily get somebody up there with some sunlight liquid and a squeegee. But I spent good money getting that lot up there, and it's been very useful the last couple of years, so I want it done PROPERLY.

If somebody turns up I'll let y'all know. But if you've had this service performed, and you're in Gauteng, then why not let me know in a reply.

PS: Call them? Yeah I could. But I did fill in the form and give them all the details and they haven't responded. This, in the end, is how I chose my installer. I emailed 3 installers, and only 1 got back to me. Guess who got the business.

From what I have read they say no detergents on panels just clean luke warm water as to not damage the film on the panels. 

I'm awaiting a reply for cleaning from a guy in Pretoria to know if you are too far out. 

41 minutes ago, Scorp007 said:

From what I have read they say no detergents on panels just clean luke warm water as to not damage the film on the panels. 

I'm awaiting a reply for cleaning from a guy in Pretoria to know if you are too far out. 

The guys who didn't get back to me say they use "de-ionised" water. They make it sound like a really satisying experience... for the panels.

7 minutes ago, Bobster. said:

The guys who didn't get back to me say they use "de-ionised" water. They make it sound like a really satisying experience... for the panels.

PM me your number so I can pass it on to him. He has some questions. 

I did read they do something with the water but could not remember. Thanks for refreshing my memory. 

I have cleaned mine a number of tjmes but only saw a improvement for 5min due to the cooling affect. 

Edited August 11, 20232 yr by Scorp007

13 minutes ago, Scorp007 said:

PM me your number so I can pass it on to him. He has some questions. 

Will do. Thanks for your trouble.

13 minutes ago, Scorp007 said:

I did read they do something with the water but could not remember. Thanks for refreshing my memory. 

I have cleaned mine a number of tjmes but only saw a improvement for 5min due to the cooling affect. 

Sure. But also you removed the layer of muck that was building up. If that's not done then eventually performance will start to degrade. Which, IMO, is why the advice is that you clean the panels 2 to 3 times a year. If I'd never cleaned mine they'd be pretty grimy by now, and I'd not be getting the full benefit.

Anyone in East London offering the service?

55 minutes ago, Bobster. said:

The guys who didn't get back to me say they use "de-ionised" water. They make it sound like a really satisying experience... for the panels.

BTW, de-ionised water is expensive to produce requiring special equipment and is corrosive.

Hey Bobster.

50 minutes ago, Bobster. said:

Will do. Thanks for your trouble.

Sure. But also you removed the layer of muck that was building up. If that's not done then eventually performance will start to degrade. Which, IMO, is why the advice is that you clean the panels 2 to 3 times a year. If I'd never cleaned mine they'd be pretty grimy by now, and I'd not be getting the full benefit.

I've also been looking for someone who provides this service, I haven't used anyone yet.

I've seen on Leroy Merlin's website there's a service for solar panel cleaning at R75 a panel...through a company called Puribo Cleaning

https://leroymerlin.co.za/cleaning-domestic-solar-panel-cleaning-per-panel-12-panels-or-more

https://puribocleaning.co.za/

 

My OCD makes me hose the panels down at least once a month 😆, usually when its windy and the few drops of rain come by and then there's this layer of brown on the panels.
Just me with a garden hose...I haven't yet done a wipe down with a microfibre cloth.

19 hours ago, Scorp007 said:

From what I have read they say no detergents on panels just clean luke warm water as to not damage the film on the panels.

Yip, NEVER use any sort of detergents on the panels, especially the new ones, they come with a protective film that also reduces reflection.

I am fortunate most year round the rain keeps my panels pretty clean, just in summer on the odd occasion some hadidaaaaaaas aim for the panels with their morning flyby's which I think they practice because they hit almost the same spot all the time 🤣
When they do this a simple spray with my garden hose and the crap is gone.

5 minutes ago, WannabeSolarSparky said:

Yip, NEVER use any sort of detergents on the panels, especially the new ones, they come with a protective film that also reduces reflection.

I am fortunate most year round the rain keeps my panels pretty clean, just in summer on the odd occasion some hadidaaaaaaas aim for the panels with their morning flyby's which I think they practice because they hit almost the same spot all the time 🤣
When they do this a simple spray with my garden hose and the crap is gone.

I have to do mine quite often, first lethabo power station about 5 Km from my house, lots of fly ash from the stacks and OfCourse, my pigeons ( dackkakers) lol.  

18 hours ago, Carl Anthony said:

My OCD makes me hose the panels down at least once a month 😆, usually when its windy and the few drops of rain come by and then there's this layer of brown on the panels.

I have two strings. One I can easily get at with a hose from ground level, but that shifts dust, not the bigger stuff.

The second string is out of hose range, somebody has to get on the roof for those, and that can longer be me. 

So the guy has been and gone. Quick, thorough work. Used low pressure water. Has a special soft broom that distributes the water and can be angled to suit the job. Also checks for and removes scale around the edges (can build up from rain). Turned up on time, which is always a tick in my book.

He's based in Pretoria. If you're in that area then you might want to use him. If he goes further afield then he charges for travel. 

I did ask him, and he said I can post his name and number here. So
Willem
+27 82 808 3591

3 hours ago, Bobster. said:

So the guy has been and gone. Quick, thorough work. Used low pressure water. Has a special soft broom that distributes the water and can be angled to suit the job. Also checks for and removes scale around the edges (can build up from rain). Turned up on time, which is always a tick in my book.

He's based in Pretoria. If you're in that area then you might want to use him. If he goes further afield then he charges for travel. 

I did ask him, and he said I can post his name and number here. So
Willem
+27 82 808 3591

Good to hear you sorted…may I ask what he charged you for his services?

Thanks for the contact info, will check him out. Hopefully he offers his services in the Jhb areas.

39 minutes ago, Carl Anthony said:

Good to hear you sorted…may I ask what he charged you for his services?

Call him and have a chat. ISTM that the price depends on the number of panels. number of strings and how high up they are. So I don't want to say that it's X amount.

39 minutes ago, Carl Anthony said:

Thanks for the contact info, will check him out. Hopefully he offers his services in the Jhb areas.

Well he did today. But as I said, he charges for travel.

On 2023/08/11 at 5:10 PM, Peter V said:

Anyone in East London offering the service?

Peter my wife saw someone advertising a few weeks ago. I'll see if she can find the details. 

At the Solar Expo in Cape Town in March, there were 2 suppliers selling detergent for PV panels.  I thought it a good idea to clean the panels anyway.  On the bottle was mentioned SLES, SLS and sodium citrate which is a water softener.  The first two are detergents.  SLES is also found in hair shampoo

My solution if I can put it like that was to dilute car wash liquid 20:1 and spray this on the panels with the low-pressure dispenser on a pressure-cleaner.  Allowed 10-15 mins for this to take effect, then used the sweep nozzle on the high-pressure washer to rinse it off

The amount of grime that came off was astonishing.  Afterwards, they looked shiny as they were when new

I just use an extendable window washer tool with water. Thats it. My guy goes up on the roof once a month to clean them.

17 hours ago, chrisc said:

At the Solar Expo in Cape Town in March, there were 2 suppliers selling detergent for PV panels.  I thought it a good idea to clean the panels anyway.  On the bottle was mentioned SLES, SLS and sodium citrate which is a water softener.  The first two are detergents.  SLES is also found in hair shampoo

My solution if I can put it like that was to dilute car wash liquid 20:1 and spray this on the panels with the low-pressure dispenser on a pressure-cleaner.  Allowed 10-15 mins for this to take effect, then used the sweep nozzle on the high-pressure washer to rinse it off

The amount of grime that came off was astonishing.  Afterwards, they looked shiny as they were when new

I agree, I think some detergent is necessary, I just use sunlight soap, but be careful with high pressure on solar panels, you might damage the silicone seal around the edge of the glass over time which can cause water ingress and electrical shorts.

17 hours ago, WAP said:

I just use an extendable window washer tool with water. Thats it. My guy goes up on the roof once a month to clean them.

I use the same, but I find the telescopic handles a bit cheap and flimsy, I have attached a wooden broom handle instead.

I have never cleaned my panels - 6 years later and the PV production has been constant over that time.

My installer, OneSolar, said it wasn't necessary to clean. Rain will do it, unless there's bird poo or something on it.

Edited August 25, 20232 yr by ZaydS

5 minutes ago, ZaydS said:

I have never cleaned my panels - 6 years later and the PV production has been constant over that time.

My installer, OneSolar, said it wasn't necessary to clean. Rain will do it, unless there's bird poo or something on it.

You are lucky, I have Hadada Ibis pooing all over my panels.

I had a geese and hadeda problem and installed those rotating reflectors around my pool and one on the roof. Solved the problem.

Smilar to this:

I found this on Eagle Eyes' website. Does the shading not impact PV production?

 

I saw this at one of the suppliers, I cannot remember which though but I am keen to get some to try.

 

That supplier also was selling the broom solar panel cleaner - I assume the bristle are very soft although I prefer the idea of a window squeegee to clean the panels with instead - don't want to damage the panels at all.

My problem is dust attaching to panels caused by liquid excreta (wee-wee) from aphids.  There is a 20m high oak tree with thousands of leaves.  Under each leaf are at least 10 aphids, piddling all day.  Comes down like rain

Driveway, walls, car and PV panels all get dirty.  Easy to wash off but needs to be done frequently 

Edited August 25, 20232 yr by chrisc

Interesting self cleaning concept https://www.pv-magazine.com/2023/08/29/water-based-solar-module-cleaning-tech-for-rooftop-pv/