Solar Panel Cleaning In Melbourne

Solar panel cleaning is quoted on the number of panels, the roof access and how heavy the soiling is. A standard residential array on a single-storey tile roof with clear ladder access is the simplest end of the work, and larger thirty or forty panel systems on the newer estate homes take proportionally longer. Steep roofs, double-storey properties and arrays split across several roof planes add set-up time. A system that has never been cleaned since installation, carrying baked-on bird mess and lichen at the frame edges, needs more work than one done annually. Bird proofing mesh is quoted separately. Call 0430 392 100 with your panel count.

Losses vary far too much by site for anyone to quote you an honest single figure, and any cleaner who does is guessing. What is worth understanding is the mechanism: panels in a string are wired in series, so the current through the whole string is limited by its weakest panel. That means concentrated soiling, an opaque bird dropping, lichen creeping in from the frame, or the dark band of grime that builds along the bottom edge of the glass, costs far more than an even film of light dust would. The reliable way to know your own number is to record your system's output before and after a clean.

Annually suits most homes across Melbourne's south east, with more frequent attention where conditions are harsher. Properties in the active construction corridor at Clyde, Clyde North and Cranbourne pick up airborne dust and fine soil constantly. Coastal homes through Aspendale, Frankston, Seaford and Mount Eliza get salt deposition that binds dust into a sticky film rather than letting it blow off. Anything under gum or pine canopy collects pollen, sap and bird traffic. Do not rely on rain to do the job, because light rain wets and lifts dust and then deposits it in a concentrated line along the bottom edge of each panel, which is worse than leaving it.

Cleaning the way we do it will not, and cleaning the way most warranties warn against will. Panel manufacturers generally specify no high pressure, no abrasives and no harsh chemicals, because pressure can force water past the panel seals and into the junction box, abrasives scratch the anti-reflective coating, and chemicals can attack the frame seals and the coating itself. Deionised water with a soft brush breaches none of that. Check your own manufacturer documentation if you want to be certain, and tell us if it specifies anything particular about cleaning method or water quality, and we will work to it. We do not carry out electrical work on the system.

No, deionised water only, and that is a deliberate choice rather than a cost saving. Detergent leaves a residue film on the glass, and that film then becomes something for the next round of dust to stick to, so a chemically cleaned panel gets dirty faster than a properly rinsed one. Residue can also run into the frame channels and stain. Deionised water has had the dissolved minerals stripped out of it, so it lifts and carries away soiling and then evaporates leaving absolutely nothing behind, which is the same reason it is used on high-end architectural glass. The mechanical work is done by a soft brush, worked gently across the glass.

Bird proofing mesh, which clips around the perimeter of the array to close off the cavity between the panels and the roof, is quoted as a separate materials-and-labour item. It is worth considering if you have pigeons or mynas nesting under your array, because the nesting cavity produces droppings baked onto the glass above, blocks the airflow the panels need for cooling, and drops debris and nesting material into your gutters. The area is cleaned out thoroughly first, since sealing a nest in achieves nothing good. Tell us what you are seeing when you call 0430 392 100 and we will tell you whether mesh is worth it for your array.