Professional Solar Panel Cleaning in Bury

Why Bury arrays lose output

Most of the solar around Bury sits on suburban roofs in Tottington, Ramsbottom, Whitefield, Radcliffe and Prestwich, and a lot of those roofs have mature trees nearby. Trees mean leaf debris, sap and, more importantly, birds. Bird mess is the single worst thing that lands on a panel because it is dense enough to block light completely.

The second problem is moss coming down off the tiles. Bury takes about a metre of rain a year and north-facing roofs stay damp, so the tiles grow moss and the moss migrates down onto the bottom frame of the array. That line of growth shades the lowest row of cells, and because of the way panels are wired the loss is far greater than the area covered.

Rain will not do it for you

Rain takes the loose dust away and leaves the bonded film, then runs down to the frame and leaves everything it has collected in a line at the bottom. That dark strip most people can see from the garden is the reason the array is underperforming.

How we clean panels

Purified, deionised water and a soft brush on a telescopic pole, from the ground. No chemicals, no detergents, no pressure washer, no ladders against the gutter and nobody standing on the panels. Pure water contains nothing dissolved, so it dries without spotting and leaves no residue for dust to stick to.

That is the method panel manufacturers ask for in their maintenance guidance, which is worth knowing if you ever need to make a warranty claim. Full detail on the solar panel cleaning page.

Do the roof and gutters at the same time

If the tiles above the array are mossy, cleaning the panels alone is a temporary fix. We would normally do roof cleaning in Bury at the same visit, and clear the gutter underneath while the equipment is set up, because that is where the moss ends up.

Booked together it is one visit and one price rather than three separate jobs.

Pigeons under the panels

The gap under an array is warm, dry and sheltered, and pigeons will move in. You get mess down the panel faces, blocked gutters, and scratching noises in the roof space. Perimeter mesh fitted after a clean keeps them out permanently and is far cheaper than dealing with it every year.

How often and when

Once a year for most domestic arrays in Bury. Twice where there are trees overhead or a bird problem. Late winter or early spring is the best time for a single annual clean, because the panels are then clean for the months that generate the most.

What it costs

Panel count, roof height and access. That is what sets the price. Send the number of panels and your postcode and you will get a fixed quote, usually the same day.

What we look for while we are there

A clean is a good time to spot problems. We look at the glass for cracks or clouding, check nothing has slipped on the rails, see whether bird proofing is still doing its job, note any branches that have grown into the array and check how much moss has ended up in the gutter below.

Anything electrical is for your installer. We clean the glass and report what we see.

Questions we get from Bury customers

Will cleaning damage my panels or void the warranty? No. Pure water and soft brushes are exactly what panel manufacturers recommend in their own maintenance guidance.

Is it worth it if they do not look that dirty? Usually yes, because the damage is done by the dark line along the bottom edge rather than by general dust, and that line is hard to judge from the ground.

Do you need to go on the roof? No. Poles from the ground, no ladders against the gutters.