On 2023/08/25 at 9:50 PM, chrisc said:

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 

I have exactly the same problem, with a huge oak tree behind the house.  My roof, gutters and paving all have a black residue build-up.  The solar panels are far enough from the tree that they don't get dirty very quickly, but over time they develop a black film that doesn't come off with rain or a garden hose.  I clean them every 6 months or so with a microfibre mop (the type with the flat mop pad that sticks on with velcro) and water with sunlight liquid.

1 hour ago, Bernardf said:

I have exactly the same problem, with a huge oak tree behind the house.  My roof, gutters and paving all have a black residue build-up.  The solar panels are far enough from the tree that they don't get dirty very quickly, but over time they develop a black film that doesn't come off with rain or a garden hose.  I clean them every 6 months or so with a microfibre mop (the type with the flat mop pad that sticks on with velcro) and water with sunlight liquid.

This is an interesting discussion. Several, but not all, people have told me that you use ONLY municipal tap water and maybe a little vinegar if there's an accumulation of scale along the edges of the frame, but clearly something more is needed in some real life circumstances.

I saw the shield cleaner and it sure as hell smells a lot like diluted window wash stuff that cars use.......so I dunno, water and a bit of vinegar should sort you out. 

I use a a alluminium pool pipe. its around 3m long with a additional 1.8m telescopic squeegee.

Stand on a 1.8m ladder  and i can reach the top panels.

roof is +-4.5m wide where panels are mounted. 2 x 4 panels mounted narrow side by side.

I clean around every 3-4 months either in early morning or very late afternoon with fuses disconnected.

I spray water onto panels with garden hose and clean with foam side of squeegee.

for stubborn bird poo i use a dab of sunlight on the foam and scrub lightly.

once done rinse with garden hose.

Nothing special to use, just rinse well.

Edited September 7, 20232 yr by razzor13bt

Got a mailer earlier today from Kleen Bin who are now offering a Kleen Panel service...pricing doesn't look too bad either. I might try them out, currently make use of their Kleen Bin service.

https://kleenbin.com/kleenpanel/

That 300 odd days without load shedding killed off whole chunks of solar business. The company that installed my system - and was providing backup service - was amongs the casualties. So I think that not only is there a market for cleaning, there is also a market for maintenance. Or a combined service like cleaning and checking all cables and connections, making sure that everything is properly secured. There's a lot of people out there who bought systems and now the guys they bought from have gone out of business. Who do you turn to when you have problems or want some changes made?

16 minutes ago, Bobster. said:

That 300 odd days without load shedding killed off whole chunks of solar business. The company that installed my system - and was providing backup service - was amongs the casualties. So I think that not only is there a market for cleaning, there is also a market for maintenance. Or a combined service like cleaning and checking all cables and connections, making sure that everything is properly secured. There's a lot of people out there who bought systems and now the guys they bought from have gone out of business. Who do you turn to when you have problems or want some changes made?

You actually make a great point on the maintenance - while in general there is little to no maintenance required its always good to get things checked once over to keep things running seamlessly

15 hours ago, mzezman said:

You actually make a great point on the maintenance - while in general there is little to no maintenance required its always good to get things checked once over to keep things running seamlessly

Thinking of my system, Stage 6 exposed a problem that was eventually solved with a firmware update. Do that myself? I'm sure I could install the firmware (because I have IT skills) but maybe not everybody would fill confident to do that, but getting it was another problem. And there was a length of wiring on the roof that was a bit weathered

On 2025/07/23 at 9:04 PM, Henry Aguilar said:

If you're looking to keep your solar panels working efficiently, regular panel cleaning is a must. Over time, dust, dirt, bird droppings, and other debris can reduce their performance. A good panel cleaning service uses the right tools and techniques to safely wash your panels without causing damage. It’s not just about making them look good — clean panels mean better energy output. Most people get them cleaned every 6 months to a year, depending on the environment. It's a small investment that helps your system run at its best.

Get this chat got bot out of here