Wasted $400 on a solar panel cleaning kit, a garden hose works better

I bought this fancy rotating brush kit from a solar startup to clean my roof panels in Portland. Took 4 hours to set up and it scratched two of the panels. The nozzle on my regular hose with plain water got them just as clean in 30 minutes. Anyone else regret buying specialized gear instead of sticking with the basics?

2 comments

2 Comments

alice_barnes3515d ago

My neighbor in Portland had the same thing happen with a kit from some startup, and we just ended up using a cheap pole mop with microfiber and a little vinegar, works perfect and never scratches.

barnes.kai15d ago

Those rotating brush kits are a scam for anyone not running a commercial solar farm. I had a buddy in Eugene who bought one and the bristles left swirl marks all over his panels, same scratch situation you had. He ended up using a simple squeegee on a pole with a bit of dish soap, worked fine. The problem is these companies sell you on the tech and the fancy carbon fiber handle, but the basic physics of water pressure and a soft edge did the job for a hundred years. Plus you gotta wonder, if the kit scratched your panels, how much power did you actually lose? Probably more than the $400 you saved by not hiring a pro.