Having a beautiful home is a dream many people share. There is no better feeling than having a place to call your own and decorating it according to your own taste. But being a homeowner isn’t just about having breathtaking interior and exterior design. They don’t mean a lot if you don’t do everything you can to preserve that beauty. The key to a beautiful home is dedicating the time to keep things in order and invest in the maintenance of your home. One of the things homeowners often neglect to pay attention to is solar panels. Fortunately, experts from Peak Services have the best tips on that topic. If you wish your home to stay beautiful and preserved, follow the advice from our ultimate solar panel maintenance guide.
What you need to consider for the best solar panel maintenance
Solar panels are not a cheap purchase. This is an investment that should last for about 20 years. But if you wish them to last this long, the key is to apply proper maintenance. Solar panels require minimal maintenance and should not take too much time and money. But if not applied regularly, damages and repairs can be quite costly. So, in order to keep your solar panels in a top-notch condition, there are some things you need to take into consideration.
Properly maintaining your solar panels is the key to having them as long as possible.
First of all, when it comes to the proper maintenance of solar panels, you need to make sure that you avoid mistakes when installing solar panels. Lack of maintenance is surely the most important one but not paying attention to things like the quality of panels or power consumption can also be the cause of damage and short lifespan of your panels. So, when trying to preserve the condition of your solar panels, you should pay attention to:
- Washing and cleaning – is the essential part when it comes to solar panel maintenance
- Things that surround your solar panels – things like gutters, chimneys, and trees have to be cared for too in order not to create a problem for solar panels
- Bird proofing – keeping birds away from your roof will make your solar panels last longer
The proper way to maintain and wash your solar panels
You may already have your own ideas on how to properly clean and keep your roof in good condition. But the truth is, proper roof maintenance shouldn’t be open for discussion. There are a few steps you need to take in order to always keep your solar panels in the best possible condition. The first one is to make sure you follow the roof cleaning and maintenance tips. That way, you will be sure that your solar panels will last you a long time.
Visual inspection
The term can sound a little bit technical, but it simply means that you have to look up at your roof once in a while. People love to do maintenance jobs when the weather becomes nicer, usually around spring. But when it comes to solar panels, it won’t hurt to glance a bit more often than that. Don’t worry about having to climb up the roof. That won’t be necessary. In most cases, you can see the roof from standing in your backyard.
Regularly checking your roof can help you to quickly fix any damages.
We advise that you search for basic damages. Those are usually loose panels, dirty spots, or cracks. This can all be seen from the ground so you can immediately react accordingly. Some of them you can fix for yourself, but others would require calling in the professionals.
Washing your roof is crucial when it comes to solar panel maintenance
After you have inspected your roof, you may have noticed unclean places. That is completely normal. Your roof is exposed to all kinds of weather, and it is bound to get very dirty from time to time. Cleaning a roof is a task that you can do yourself, but we suggest considering hiring professional services for solar panel cleaning Las Vegas. It isn’t only the question of aesthetics. Many problems can arise if you don’t clean your roof and if you don’t clean it properly.
Using pressure washing for cleaning is best for solar panel maintenance.
Due to rain and moist weather, your panels can become damp and therefore susceptible to mold and algae growth. This is something you definitely don’t want on your roof since it is one of the most difficult problems to solve and it can be really expensive. The best way to clean your roof would be pressure washing but please don’t do this yourself. Solar panel roofs are very sensitive and not doing it the proper way can do more damage than good. Because of that, we highly recommend that you consider hiring professionals for pressure washing Las Vegas. If you do it yourself and don’t apply the right pressure, you might end up spraying water underneath the shingles, which can cause even more problems.
Prolong the lifespan of your solar panels by keeping the surroundings in check
While it’s crucial to properly maintain your solar panels, you have to keep in mind that there are other things in their surrounding that can cause damage. Your gutters, trees, chimney, and attic can play an important role in solar panel maintenance. Taking care of them is just as important as taking care of the solar panels themselves. And in the following text, you’ll see why.
Taking care of your gutters
Gutters are a very important part of your roof construction. Therefore, proper care is necessary. You may wonder what they have to do with maintaining your solar panels. But the truth is, they have to do a lot. If not maintained regularly, neglected gutters can cause serious problems. Thus, we recommend regular maintenance. Twice a year would be sufficient and it’s best to do it in spring and autumn.
Keeping your gutters clean can prevent a lot of damage to your solar panels.
During these regular inspections, you may notice that gutters tend to hold in debris. If you don’t clean it out regularly, you will have a lot of trouble during rainy seasons. Uncleaned debris can clog the gutters and cause water retention which can be soaked into the roof and your solar panels. Solar panels can therefore rot. But that’s not all, retained water from unclogged gutters can cause damage to the rest of the house. There is staining, erosion, and a wet basement. Enough to give any homeowner a headache.
Overhanging trees
The problems trees can cause are closely connected to the previous one we mentioned. A tree doesn’t have to be hanging directly over your house to be a problem. It can cause them by simply being in your backyard. Wind can blow leaves and seeds directly into your gutters and cause them to clog. If you noticed that your gutters are often full of debris, this may be the reason why. To prevent this from happening, trim your trees on a regular basis.
Untrimmed branches can cause a lot of damage to solar panels.
Keep an eye out for large branches that could be close to your roof. In case of a storm, one of them could break off and fall onto your roof. You may need a roof replacement after that, and it may cost you thousands of dollars. Don’t allow that since this expensive damage can be prevented by simply cutting off problematic branches on time.
Pay attention to chimneys
While not every home will have a chimney, those homeowners whose houses have one need to pay close attention to it. A chimney is not a threat to the entire roof, but the part close to it can be susceptible to heat damage or leaks. There’s even a danger of one of the bricks falling onto your roof and damaging some of your shingles. This is why it’s important to call the professionals as soon as you notice even a small change on your chimney.
Keep a close watch on your attic
Regularly checking your attic can help you in maintaining your solar panel. If your roof is leaking and causing water damage, the attic is the first place you will notice it. You should keep an eye on things such as insulation that looks wet and signs of dark spots or discoloration on the floor. However, there might not be any physical evidence of damage. In that case, a moldy scent can tell you there is a problem that needs to be fixed.
Bird proofing is essential when it comes to solar panel maintenance
Birds under solar panels might not sound like much of a problem, but they can be more destructive than you think. They can cause an unpleasant mess and they can damage your equipment if you aren’t careful. This is why pigeon proofing solar panels is one of the most important things you need to do if you want to keep your panels in the best possible condition.
Bird proofing your solar panels is one of the most important tasks you need to do when installing your equipment.
Birds like pigeons are attracted to places that are warm, covered, and safe. Unfortunately, solar panels provide all of these conditions. It wouldn’t be much of a problem if there wasn’t a way they could damage your equipment. But there is. Bird waste is highly acidic and over time it can reduce the energy efficiency of your panels. Also, nests underneath the panels will limit the airflow and increase the temperature which can cause the solar panels to stop working.
Ways to prevent bird damage and improve solar panel maintenance
Using a solar panel bird guard for bird control is the best and most effective way to protect your panels. It’s made of mesh, and you are supposed to attach it to the side of your panels. They will prevent the birds from getting underneath but will still allow airflow. It’s also a good thing that they blend quite nicely and are unnoticeable from the ground.
Roof spikes are another option to protect solar panels. Installing these spikes might keep the birds away since they won’t have a comfortable spot to build a nest in. However, the downside of this option is that the spikes are not very attractive. Also, it is not uncommon that birds to build nests despite the spikes.
Ultrasonic bird repellers might be a good option for you if you don’t have any pets. These repellers emit a sound that can be heard only by animals, so you don’t have to worry about being startled by the sound. It can be quite useful to scare off any kind of pests. The only downside is that it can be a bit expensive. If none of these options sounds good to you there are plenty more bird control devices to choose from. But we advise you to choose one that won’t be harmful to the birds.
Conclusion
After reading this article, you will be familiar with proper solar panel maintenance. Each and every step is important to follow if you are serious about keeping your solar panel functional as long as possible. To summarize, the most essential things are properly cleaning your roof, and keeping in check things that can cause damage – chimneys, overhanging trees, and clogged gutters. Last but not least, keep birds away from your solar panel using one of the options we mentioned. By properly caring for your solar panel roof, you will make sure that it will last many years to come.
