Solar Panel Cleaning in Peoria, AZ

Solar Panel Cleaning makes a real difference in Peoria because the rain that would rinse panels in other places hardly ever comes. The city averages around 9 inches of rain a year. Between storms, dust settles on the glass in a fine film that builds week after week, and the monsoon's wind and dust can coat an entire array in an afternoon. A light shower after a dust storm often makes it worse, turning the layer into streaks of mud that dry hard in the sun.

How much dirt costs you

The loss depends on how dirty the panels are, but it can be large. Research cited in Wikipedia's solar panel article says a dirty panel can lose up to 30 percent of its output in high-dust or desert areas, and MIT researchers found dust can cut output by up to 30 percent in a single month. Bird droppings are worse than dust: they block light completely on the cells beneath them, and on a string inverter system, one heavily shaded panel can drag down others in the same string.

How we clean

• Soft brushes only: no pressure washers, scrapers or abrasive pads, which can scratch the glass coating or force water into seals
• Purified water: tap water can leave mineral spots on the glass as it dries in the sun, so we use filtered, deionized water
• No harsh cleaners: many panel manufacturers warn against household glass cleaners and strong chemicals
• Cool panels: cold water on glass that has baked in full sun can stress it, so we clean early in the day or after panels cool

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How often to clean in the West Valley

There is no single schedule that fits every home. Systems near desert washes, unpaved lots or construction usually get dirty faster than those in established neighborhoods. A practical approach is to watch your monitoring app: when production falls noticeably on clear days and the panels look dusty, it is time. Many West Valley owners clean once before summer, when the system produces the most, and again after monsoon season ends.

Should you clean them yourself?

You can hose off ground-level or easy-to-reach panels with a soft brush and clean water. Climbing onto a tile roof is another matter. Concrete tiles crack under foot traffic in the wrong spots, and wet panels and tile are slippery. If your array is on a second story or a tile roof, it is safer to leave it to someone with the right equipment.

A look while we are up there

Cleaning puts us right next to the array, so we note anything that looks wrong: cracked glass, browning cells, loose wiring, a mount that has shifted, or the start of a pigeon nest. If we see a problem, we tell you and price the fix separately. You decide whether to do anything about it.