Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Smudger on December 11, 2017, 04:09:32 pm

Title: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Smudger on December 11, 2017, 04:09:32 pm
Think this says different

(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1513008527_BDDEE017-E26F-4243-8DDC-B39143FB1CD5.jpeg)
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: zesty on December 11, 2017, 05:19:31 pm
No one?  ;D

Mother and father in law have just had a set of new solar panels installed on there new house. They were told by the company to have them cleaned twice a year minimum, surprised me!
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Brian Nunn on December 11, 2017, 05:37:10 pm
Never cleaned any before but see plenty around here.
Are they at all sensitive to being cleaned with a brush, what about if you caught one of those cross wires?
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Elfyn on December 11, 2017, 06:17:12 pm
I have a customer that I clean his solar panels twice a year and he keeps a database of the output from the panels. He tells me that the output increases by 25 to 35% after a clean and he's thinking of changing the cleans to three times a year.
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Og on December 11, 2017, 06:22:46 pm
Some we do quarterly!

The days of them being sold as ‘self cleaning’ are long gone. It’s industry standard to get them done now.

You want lots of water and a rotary brush on those.
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Susan Dean (1stclean) on December 11, 2017, 06:35:09 pm
we work with the x-ray testing unit all over the country and just leaving them over night after cleaning them that day took 4% off its out put !
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: P @ F on December 11, 2017, 06:40:57 pm
I clean mine every day , but then its easy as they are on my van roof !
They do get minging
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Og on December 11, 2017, 07:03:39 pm
we work with the x-ray testing unit all over the country and just leaving them over night after cleaning them that day took 4% off its out put !

Do you mean a tic?
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Spruce on December 12, 2017, 02:23:10 pm
I clean mine every day , but then its easy as they are on my van roof !
They do get minging
;D
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Smudger on December 12, 2017, 03:55:57 pm
Unfortunately many seem to think they are self cleaning over 800 like this

(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1513094138_52F927DD-AFCA-4581-BEBB-91CA87542E54.jpeg)

Good progress tho!
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Og on December 12, 2017, 04:58:37 pm
Looks like a broiler shed. Old one too.
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Plankton on December 12, 2017, 05:26:37 pm
Feck that for 25p!
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Slacky on December 12, 2017, 06:44:53 pm
Unfortunately many seem to think they are self cleaning over 800 like this

(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1513094138_52F927DD-AFCA-4581-BEBB-91CA87542E54.jpeg)

Good progress tho!

They were probably told the barn roof was self cleaning as well by the looks of it.
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: P @ F on December 12, 2017, 08:22:24 pm
How the hell did they carry on with that , them panels couldnt have been pulling sod all in !
House manager needs a good kick up the arse  ;D
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Solar Steve on December 12, 2017, 08:32:19 pm
we work with the x-ray testing unit all over the country and just leaving them over night after cleaning them that day took 4% off its out put !
Who the hell is x-raying panels?  They looking for broken bones?  NO ONE X-rays their panels Julian.  Your information is inaccurate.  I have a course if you're interested in learning what your 'x-ray testing unit' are actually doing!  ;D

(Everyone grab your popcorn!)  ;D
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Splash & dash on December 12, 2017, 08:41:52 pm
we work with the x-ray testing unit all over the country and just leaving them over night after cleaning them that day took 4% off its out put !
Who the hell is x-raying panels?  They looking for broken bones?  NO ONE X-rays their panels Julian.  Your information is inaccurate.  I have a course if you're interested in learning what your 'x-ray testing unit' are actually doing!  ;D






Hear we go everyone is going to die unless they go on Steve’s course , and asked his permission to clean them 😂😂😂😂😂😂

(Everyone grab your popcorn!)  ;D
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Smudger on December 12, 2017, 09:21:13 pm
Feck that for 25p!


That’s SS rate _ I get a little more than that 😎
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Smudger on December 12, 2017, 09:21:53 pm

It’s a chicken farm

Darran
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: P @ F on December 12, 2017, 09:27:12 pm
Dont get it .....What would chickens do with all that electric ?     ;D
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: P @ F on December 12, 2017, 09:29:33 pm
Ahhh , they are all Kentucky Fried Chickens  ;D
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Smudger on December 12, 2017, 09:31:58 pm
Ahhh , they are all Kentucky Fried Chickens  ;D

 ;D
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Splash & dash on December 12, 2017, 10:13:43 pm
Feck that for 25p!


That’s SS rate _ I get a little more than that 😎




Lol he must have given all subies a massive pay rise it was 16 pence a panel when I looked at doing it with him
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: windowswashed on December 12, 2017, 10:35:33 pm
I get more and more customers asking me to clean their solar panels each year, I don't mind.  I have nine solar panels myself and always keep them clean, it does make a difference.
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: chopsie on December 12, 2017, 11:56:30 pm
I know it’s Crazy question, but what sort of money would you charge for solar panel cleaning? I guess normal tap water would be ok to clean it with rather than wasting pure?
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Smudger on December 13, 2017, 10:16:14 am
16 panel array is £55 + VAT ( house ) use SL2   if I'm in the mood its a little less for a bungalow
always use pure water ( too much hassle to swap connectors etc
Darran
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: chopsie on December 13, 2017, 01:01:35 pm
Thanks Darran, I will look into a bigger pole (slx 35?) and pushing this in the new year. is 16 panel the average on a house then?
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Splash & dash on December 13, 2017, 01:14:21 pm
Thanks Darran, I will look into a bigger pole (slx 35?) and pushing this in the new year. is 16 panel the average on a house then?




I don’t know what type of houses you have where you are but we use an ultimate 46 on most house panels as a 35 is to short
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: chopsie on December 13, 2017, 01:34:31 pm
Cheers reflections, that would mean a big outlay, so I’d need to make sure I can generate a good return on this.
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Slacky on December 13, 2017, 05:39:26 pm
Thanks Darran, I will look into a bigger pole (slx 35?) and pushing this in the new year. is 16 panel the average on a house then?



I don’t know what type of houses you have where you are but we use an ultimate 46 on most house panels as a 35 is to short

Depends what the pitch of the roof is.
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Smudger on December 13, 2017, 05:54:42 pm
Matt is correct the pitch determines how far back you need to be to reach

Honestly I wouldn’t buy a pole for solar we do maybe 50 a year residential but I already had an sl2 for large commercial work

If doing big arrays then these are either field based so an slx 20 is more than enough or you need high access like I needed for the ones above again a standard pole is fine

Darran
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: dazmond on December 14, 2017, 08:49:55 am
Thanks Darran, I will look into a bigger pole (slx 35?) and pushing this in the new year. is 16 panel the average on a house then?

i reckon your wasting your time mate.you need at least an xtreme 47 for solar panel cleaning and a 90 degree gooseneck.i do a few but its not a great money spinner,just an occasional add on job to go with the  f/s/gs and conny roof jobs.

you ll find most domestic customer wont pay much to have them cleaned and not very often too(maybe once a year or every 2 years)

you need the more expensive poles like the xtreme or ultimate poles too as a supermax or slx will be too whippy and catch on the gutters when cleaning panels on 2nd storey roofs.

i got my xtreme 47 in a sale years ago for £850 but a new one now is over a grand.
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: chopsie on December 14, 2017, 09:11:15 am
Think I’ll knock that idea on the head then lol. Thanks for the advice lads.
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Plankton on December 14, 2017, 10:03:43 am
Can you not just use a ladder and clean from the roof edge.
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Smudger on December 14, 2017, 10:16:04 am
Can you not just use a ladder and clean from the roof edge.

 :-X

by all means give it a try - let me know how you get on from the hospital bed

Darran
Title: Re: Who said solar panels are self cleaning....
Post by: Splash & dash on December 14, 2017, 05:02:09 pm
Thanks Darran, I will look into a bigger pole (slx 35?) and pushing this in the new year. is 16 panel the average on a house then?



I don’t know what type of houses you have where you are but we use an ultimate 46 on most house panels as a 35 is to short

Depends what the pitch of the roof is.




To a degree the pitch comes int play but I have some bungalows that I use a 35 on so there’s no way it will reach on houses down hear , as I say properties do differ but I always use a 46 down hear on houses , Desmond is spot on with his comments sound advice