This has established that solar panels are one of the most efficient ways to power your home or business as they convert the energy of the sun into electricity that you can use for many things, however, the problem is that solar panels need to be cleaned regularly to keep them working at their best.

Most homeowners don’t know how to clean their panels, so they hire a professional company to do it hence the problem with this is that they usually charge a lot of money for this service, which is why most people don’t do it.

There are many ways to clean solar panels and one of the best ways is to use the rotating brush for cleaning solar panels as these brushes are easy to use and work well to keep your panels clean for a longer period of time.

What Is a Rotating Brush For Cleaning Solar Panels?

It is normal practice to use various types of solar panel cleaning brushes when cleaning solar panels however, rotating brushes for cleaning solar panels are widely recognized as one of the most effective cleaning tools and they are perfect to clean panels of any size on all types of panels.

The two most common brush kinds are: The first instrument is the analog hand brush, which was employed in the previous stage. On the other hand, in a world where new technologies prevail, electric revolving cleaning brushes driven by solar energy have also been invented.

They’re made of hard plastic bristles with a metal hub and the bristles are designed to reach into the crevices of the pane in addition, some of them have grooves that make the cleaning process easier including an adjustable handle that lets you control the speed at which it rotates.

You can buy a rotating brush online and it’s available for a reasonable price. You’ll also find that they’re easy to use. They’re simple to set up and operate, and you can clean the panels quickly.

The rotating bushes are made into spiral brush rollers, tufted brush rollers, disc brushes, and other shapes and these brushes are usually sold with a cleaning solution. It’s best to use a brush cleaner with the brush to prevent the solution from running down the side of the panel. Most of the brushes come with an instruction manual.

 

Never Use Cleaning Agent Or Soap To Clean Solar Panels-Is This True?

There is a big discussion going on these days as to what to put in the water when cleaning solar panels with a rotating brush. Some people prefer cleaning agents or soap while others simply use water.

Bland Company, a California-based company that installs and maintains solar systems, never uses cleaning agents on solar panels; instead, it utilizes deionized water and a rotating-brush device to wash them.

Daniel Green, marketing director for Bland, stated that soaps “may leave a film or residue that not only shades panels like the dirt that was just wiped off, but it can also promote dirt to stick and build up faster that is why we apply deionized water using a rotating brush mechanism. The solar panels can be left looking as spotless and stunning as the day they were initially installed by doing this.

 

Credit Image: Sola-Tecs

 

Since 2018, Bland has used   Sola-Tecs brush cleaners as opposed to taking a chance on worker safety or potential harm to the solar panels they are cleaning. It is possible to deep clean the solar panels nearly completely without using your hands by using wheels with a rolling brush attached to them. Additionally, Bland uses an ionizing and demineralizing technology to treat the customer’s water.

We solely employ the Sola-Tecs cleaning procedure. We’ve discovered that it works best for cleaning solar panels when combined with our water treatment process,” Green said. It doesn’t use harsh chemicals or detergents, uses less water, and requires fewer passes.

 

Credit Image: Premier Solar Cleaning

 

For cleaning solar systems,   Premier Solar Cleaning (PSC) in Southern California has discovered that water-fed poles and brushes fed with deionized water perform just fine.

According to Adam Fuller, a co-founder of PSC, “if you’ve ever smelled your hands after washing them with soap, what you smell is the soap left behind, even though you can’t see any soap afterward. The very little soap molecules would leave something behind for dust and debris to build atop if we used soap to clean panels.”

PSC provides a comprehensive maintenance package, which includes infrared examinations to identify damaged panels that require more than a simple wash. Fuller also keeps busy cleaning beneath panels, putting critter guards to keep out critters, and doing “pigeon evictions” throughout the year. He takes satisfaction in providing consumers with truthful responses and outlining how increased productivity will result from cleaning the panels.

According to Fuller, “the homes and factories closest to the airport and highways absorb smog or oil-based pollutants, which resist flowing off with a typical rainstorm.” These first give some of the older blue panels a black appearance therefore light is reflected away from the panels by dirt on the surface however, a clean panel maintains a cooler temperature, facilitating easier electron movement.

SunSystem Technology, a national provider of O&M services for homes and businesses, cleans panels without using soap and instead uses filtered water and a rotating brush, but the director of marketing Jeff Struhm said the company also uses a solution of diluted vinegar and hydrogen peroxide to help remove dirt and grime.

When it rains, earth gathers at the solar panel’s bottom edge, blocking the lowest row of PV cells and reducing production efficiency, according to Struhm. “It’s like hosing down a car; you still have to clean it or use a soil-releasing combination to prevent scrubbing.”

Even while everyone believes that soap should never be used, occasionally water alone is insufficient. For this reason, lubricant producer   Polywater five years ago introduced its Solar Panel Wash. According to Charlie Cole, vice president of worldwide operations for Polywater, the highly concentrated ingredient is not a filmy soap but rather improves water’s capacity to clean solar panels.

 

Credit Image: Polywater

 

Instead of using a solvent to essentially surround the dirt particle and remove it from the panel, Cole explained, “We’re giving the water the capacity to pull the soil off the panel.” “Solar Panel Wash” is less harmful to the panel’s parts. Anti-reflective films won’t be affected, and the aluminum rails won’t rust. Because it is biodegradable and therefore non-persistent, it is environmentally friendly. The groundwater won’t be impacted.

Solar Panel Wash alters the surface tension of the water, causing it to form a continuous film across the solar panels rather than beading up to lift dirt and debris. Cole claimed that because Solar Panel Wash allows for less water to be needed in cleaning, it is particularly beneficial in desert regions with high levels of dust and limited water supplies.

“Many of these facilities are constructed in desert areas where the scarcity of water is a serious problem and it’s good for the environment if we can use less water”, Cole said.

To avoid voiding any warranties, Polywater works with panel manufacturers to have its wash certified for use. Solar Panel Wash has been approved for use on various international brands of solar panels, including Canadian Solar.

Both through Amazon in North America and Polywater’s worldwide distribution network, you can buy it furthermore providers of solar O&M are pleased that the market is realizing the importance of routine panel washing.

“At first, panel supervisors instructed employees to only use rainwater. People were paying attention to it, and three years after the panel installation, a considerable decline in productivity became apparent, according to Cole. “For a large installation, if your efficiency drops by 50%, that actually undermines the initial economic argument”

Homeowners will profit from giving their few solar panels a little extra care, even on residential projects. Customers frequently claim that the rain cleans their panels perfectly fine, however, while the rain does wash some dirt off of the panels, it doesn’t actually clean them. If the panels are already dirty, the rain just exacerbates the situation by turning fine dust into thick mud layers, according to Bland’s Green. “Think of your car as the ideal analogy; Is it better or worse to leave your car out in the weather if you haven’t washed it in six months? In the same way, filthy solar panels.

 

How To Use Rotating Brush For Cleaning Solar Panels At Home?

 

 

It is not very difficult to use a rotating brush for cleaning solar panels at home. It’s easy to use, safe, and inexpensive tool to clean your solar panels. They are available in different sizes and can be used on both flat and angled panels.

The first thing you need to do is find a good quality rotating brush and make sure to look for a plastic or stainless steel. Don’t use a cheap brush because it won’t do a good job cleaning your panels.

You can clean solar panels with the analog hand rotated brush or you can use automated rotating brush to save the time, therefore, make sure that it has a built-in motor as this will make it easier to rotate the brush around the panel or you can use an electric drill to make it rotate automatically.

Next, you need to find a good spot to clean your panels. You should look for an area that gets a lot of sunlight as this will allow the sun to shine on the panels and help them work more efficiently.

Once you have all of the tools, you are ready to start cleaning solar panels by placing the brush on the panel and turning it slowly but don’t use too much pressure, otherwise, you will scratch or break the panels.

Start to clean the panels from the top down if you start at the bottom, you will only be able to get dirt from the bottom of the panels furthermore if you start at the top, you will be able to clean the entire panel in addition clean the panels from left to right as this will give you a full 360-degree cleaning.

 

Where To Buy Rotating Brush To Clean The Solar Panels?

Some companies manufacture special rotating brushes to clean photovoltaic solar panels and sell them online. One of them is jzbrush which sells online photovoltaic cleaning brushes that are robot hairbrushes depending on the cleaning equipment.

 

 

They claim that the primary way that photovoltaic solar panels produce electricity is by receiving solar energy and turning it into electrical energy. The solar panel’s surface can be kept clean as needed to collect as much sunlight as possible and assure power generation; if the components build dust for a long time, not only will it be lost, but it will also be damaged.

It is essential to continuously pay attention because if the power generation is substantial, it will also produce the hot spot effect, which will shorten the components’ lives and even cause harm to them.

 

 

J. Racenstein, LLC, New Jersey, and California-based internet retailer, sells counter-rotating brushes that are water propelled and used to clean granite walkways, solar panels, glass porticos, atrium glass, and metal roofs. With the use of this brush, cleaning glass and other flat surfaces that are almost horizontal will be expedited.

Tanis Brush, a Milwaukee Mitchell-based company, has been recognized as an industry-leading designer and manufacturer of industrial and utility brushes that assist organizations to enhance quality and productivity. Their brushes are used for solar panel cleaning, sorting, painting, finishing, and protecting equipment, machinery, parts, and many more purposes.

 

Our final company, Vmaxpower provides solar power cleaning equipment for customers who have been struggling with solar panel maintenance. They claim that the solar panel cleaning machine is the best solution for those people who can’t afford to hire a solar panel maintenance team to do the work.

The company offers a wide range of cleaning equipment that includes roof-mounted water brushes, window cleaners, and photovoltaic panel cleaners. The company guarantees better cleaning quality, more effective cleaning, and less time spent cleaning the panels. In addition, solar panel cleaning equipment is eco-friendly because it uses no harmful chemicals.

In conclusion, dust particles, rainfall, birds’ droppings, hail and any type of filth can affect the efficiency of a solar panel. To avoid this, it is advised that you clean your solar panels at least twice a year with a rotating brush. Since you have spent a lot of money to install solar panels you keep them well-maintained, the life expectancy of the panels will decrease significantly.