If you live in an area that has a lot of dust/salt spray or sap falling from nearby trees on your solar array it is best to use a soft brush and normal water to clean. If the sap is very heavy then you may need a very mild cleaner to breakdown the sap.

If your panels have a build up of sap on them, you may need to use a biodegradable cleaning product to help break down the sap and to clean the panels.

Corrosive cleaning products should never be used and it is always best to check with your installer to see if they can recommend a cleaning product to use.

After cleaning with any product you will need to make sure the panels have been thoroughly rinsed to remove any residue.

Some people collect the water from their roofs for drinking. When cleaning your panels it is always best to open the down pipes so the water from cleaning does not go into your drinking water.

As you can see from the image above, there is a silicone sealant which is embedded into the aluminium frame.

In some cheaper manufactured solar panels this sealant over time can become brittle and crack and if you use a high presser water cleaner it can push the water in through these cracks to the copper ribbon and bus bar which will then corode and cause hot spots within the panel, then causing them to fail.

The use of a telescopic reach cleaning pole with a soft brush (image bellow) is the best way of cleaning your solar panels. We never recommend that you attempt to get on your roof an do this yourself. It is always best to us a professional solar cleaning company to do this maintenance.