Deionised water, soft brush
Purified water and soft-bristle equipment lift soiling without scratching the anti-reflective coating or leaving mineral spotting as it dries.
Solar Panel Cleaningand Maintenance
Panels only earn their keep when light reaches the cells. Dust, pollen, salt spray, lichen, moss and bird droppings all cut output, faster than most people expect.
Why it matters
Dirty panelsquietly cost you money
Soiling losses are gradual, which is exactly why they go unnoticed. Output drifts down season by season and the system still looks like it is working.
Performance: over time, dust, dirt, pollen, bird droppings and salt residue can reduce solar panel performance by up to 25 to 35%. Professional cleaning restores efficiency, maximises energy output, lowers power bills, helps prevent long-term damage such as hot spots, and extends the life of your solar system.
Canterbury throws a particular mix at a roof: dust off dry paddocks and nor’west winds, pollen in spring, salt closer to the coast, and lichen or moss on shaded, damp sections. Low-pitch roofs are worse again, because rain does not run off hard enough to rinse anything away.
- Output recovered without adding a single panel
- A visual check of mounts, clamps and cabling while we are up there
- Early sight of cracked glass, lifted seals or corrosion
- Monitoring data before and after, so you can see the difference
How we work
Cleaned properly,not just hosed down
Panels are glass over a laminated cell stack, with seals and earthing that matter. The wrong method costs far more than the clean.
No harsh chemicals, no pressure blasting
High pressure and abrasive detergents force water past seals and damage coatings. We do not use them, and we would be wary of anyone who does.
Electrically aware throughout
A solar array is live in daylight. We are the electricians who install these systems, so isolation, earthing and safe working practice are routine rather than an afterthought.
Height safety as standard
Roof work is planned properly with the right access and fall protection: the same way we approach any install.
How often
Once or twice a yearsuits most Canterbury roofs
For a typical suburban home, an annual clean keeps output where it should be. Some sites need it more often:
- Rural and agricultural: dust, chaff and spray drift
- Coastal: salt film builds up quickly
- Under or near trees: leaf litter, sap and bird mess
- Low-pitch or flat arrays: rain does not rinse them clean
- Commercial rooftops: larger arrays, bigger losses when soiled
If we already look after your system, we will flag when a clean is worth doing rather than selling you one on a schedule.
Panels looking tired? We will take a look.
Book a Clean
Worth saying plainly
Please do not clean them yourself
We would rather talk you out of a job than see someone hurt. Wet glass on a pitched roof is genuinely dangerous, garden-hose pressure can drive water past the frame seals, household detergents leave a film that attracts more dirt, and cold water on hot glass can crack it. If the array is at ground level and you want to rinse it gently on an overcast morning, that is a different conversation: ask us and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth it.
Common questions
Panel cleaning, answered
We would not recommend it. Most manufacturer warranties require panels to be maintained properly, and the wrong products or equipment can void that warranty: household detergents, abrasive pads and water blasters all do damage that is not obvious until output drops. There is also the small matter of being on a roof. We use deionised pure water and soft brushes precisely because that is what the manufacturers ask for.
No. Manufacturers specify how panels should be cleaned, and abrasive pads, harsh chemicals and high-pressure washing are what put a warranty at risk, which is precisely why we do not use them.
Yes. Large roof-mount and ground-mount arrays are well suited to scheduled cleaning, because a small percentage loss across a big system adds up quickly. We can show you your monitoring data either side of the clean, so you can see the real difference on your own system.
Yes, and we do. A visual inspection of mounts, clamps, cabling and glass comes with the clean, and if we spot something that needs attention we will tell you what it is and what it would take to fix.
Ready to get your output back?
Book a clean, or bundle it with a service while we are on site.
Or email office@energon.co.nz