March 14, 2018
A customer asked us about the most effective, and safest, ways to clean solar panels on a roof.
The fact is the majority of solar panels are designed to be self-cleaning, and as such require relatively little cleaning.
However, "self-cleaning" is a bit of a misnomer, like "self-cleaning" windows. For sure they don't need cleaning so frequently ... but they do need regular cleaning to remain efficient.
Quick tip: Grime and bird poo doesn't need to cover an entire solar panel to have a negative effect on it's performance.
In certain situations, such as solar panels mounted in a particularly dry area (allowing dust and bird droppings to build up) or where the solar panel's tilt angle is less than five degrees, most manufacturers recommend regular cleaning to ensure the panels continue to work efficiently.
Solar panel manufacturers suggest that using plain fresh water – ideally de-ionised – will be sufficient for cleaning most solar panels most of the time. They also recommend not using detergents that cause streaking and thus compromise the effectiveness of the panels.
Quick tip: In hard water areas it is crucial to wipe all water from the solar panels to prevent limescale/calcium building up.
If you are in any doubt about the best way to clean solar panels we suggest contacting the manufacturers of the panels and asking for their advice.
Materials are continually evolving and it would be wise to check that they have not introduced some new substance into the construction of the panels that cleaning could inadvertently compromise.
Quick tip: Get hold of the manufacturer's Product Data Sheets and Safety Data Sheets, which will tell you the recommended ways to clean their products.
Benz Bio Cleanze diluted 30-50:1 is a good choice (after checking with the manufacturer of the solar panels that the product would be safe to use).
We hope this information about soft washing solar panels is helpful and helps you succeed in your soft washing business.
Cheers,
Ben, Leo & Fiona
PS: Soft washing solar panels is a great market. Think of the many fields of panels that are popping up in fields all over the country, as well those on rooftops. All will need professional cleaning.
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April 01, 2021
We recently tested – just out of curiosity – some old Tornado Cleanze that was nearly two months past it's best-by date. We wanted to find out how long it could be stored for and still produce effective results. And stored badly at that ...
Want to know what happened? (the results even surprised us)
Click the link on this page to find out ...
March 11, 2021
Cleaning caravans and mobile homes is an excellent soft washing market.
The process is simple and straight-forward. And cleaning several on the same day can be highly profitable.
Click the link on this page to learn more ...
March 04, 2021
Huge thanks to all our customers for your loyalty in making Benz your softwash product supplier of choice. We appreciate the fact that so many of our trade customers come back to us week after week, month after month, year after year.
And by way of practical appreciation, we've decided to no longer pro-actively seek domestic customers for our products and will not knowingly sell products to the customers of our trade customers, i.e. those who want to play around with d.i.y.
Click the link on this page to continue reading ...
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Soft washing reduces, or even eliminates, the need to use high-pressure washing.
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