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Lichen on panel

Neil p

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7
Hi I'm new to the business so please go easy. I'm after advise. Whats the best possible way of removing lichen from solar panels. I'm currently using a wfp. Panels come out great but white spots still on panels.
Thanks
 

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Either pressure wash them with a 300 mm flat surface cleaner , or scrape them using a scraper on a pole then scrub with wfp ,if you are really keen a spray with biocide after will kill off any remaining root systems and surrounding area contamination helping to keep the panels cleaner longer , However I don’t think the manufacturers would approve of either method but it’s the only cost effective way to do the job , sometimes unless you have the experience and kit ones like this are best avoided just do the dusty ones .
 
Either pressure wash them with a 300 mm flat surface cleaner , or scrape them using a scraper on a pole then scrub with wfp ,if you are really keen a spray with biocide after will kill off any remaining root systems and surrounding area contamination helping to keep the panels cleaner longer , However I don’t think the manufacturers would approve of either method but it’s the only cost effective way to do the job , sometimes unless you have the experience and kit ones like this are best avoided just do the dusty ones .
Yeh I get what your saying. It's hard as a current solar electrician there's so many rules to obide by. And being new to the cleaning industry as well as doing the research I have done. Its very counter productive. I read that if u saying any chemical on the panels it for 1 valids the warranty ( which is for 25 years) and 2 has a high chance of damaging the panels as the chemical gets or can get trap within the panels. Yet to do the jobs that works best for the out come. your need to either pressure wash or use chemical. But again any manufacturer out there does not recommend this process
 
Yeh I get what your saying. It's hard as a current solar electrician there's so many rules to obide by. And being new to the cleaning industry as well as doing the research I have done. Its very counter productive. I read that if u saying any chemical on the panels it for 1 valids the warranty ( which is for 25 years) and 2 has a high chance of damaging the panels as the chemical gets or can get trap within the panels. Yet to do the jobs that works best for the out come. your need to either pressure wash or use chemical. But again any manufacturer out there does not recommend this process
I know a reasonable size firm that spray the panels with a hypo mix then pressure wash them and have cleaned tens of thousands of panels this way for years and have never had any problems, I personally wouldn’t want to use hypo on them but many seam to without any issues, I am not advocating doing this but just saying some do and it doesn’t appear to have done any damage , but if it did I wouldn’t want to pick up the bill !!!!!!
 
Either pressure wash them with a 300 mm flat surface cleaner , or scrape them using a scraper on a pole then scrub with wfp ,if you are really keen a spray with biocide after will kill off any remaining root systems and surrounding area contamination helping to keep the panels cleaner longer , However I don’t think the manufacturers would approve of either method but it’s the only cost effective way to do the job , sometimes unless you have the experience and kit ones like this are best av
Manufacturers don’t just disapprove - it would invalidate the 25 year warranty. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of a writ from an unhappy customer claiming maybe £10,000 for the installation of new panels.
 
Manufacturers don’t just disapprove - it would invalidate the 25 year warranty. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of a writ from an unhappy customer claiming maybe £10,000 for the installation of new panels.
I would agree. And as an active electrician I understand. But based on the knowledge what's the best way to get good results. Because it fills kind of pointless scrubbing with barely any results
 
So maybe the most sensible answer is just to wash normally with water only, no chemicals and no scrubbing, and live with the lichen and its impact on generation?
 
I would agree. And as an active electrician I understand. But based on the knowledge what's the best way to get good results. Because it fills kind of pointless scrubbing with barely any results
I usually PW them if they are that bad. If customer isn't happy, I tell them to get someone else. I'm too busy to mess about all day trying to clean panels because the customer hasn't bothered for decades. It really is the customer's problem so you are best to avoid. Once you do your first then usually there isn't a second.
 
So maybe the most sensible answer is just to wash normally with water only, no chemicals and no scrubbing, and live with the lichen and its impact on generation?
If you don’t remove the licken the panels become ineffective, we used to clean large solar farms with thousands of panels , the manufacturers now will allow a chemical treatment talking to Guy I used to deal with but it’s a huge secret unless you are doing the work for them they won’t tell you what it is .
 
I've seen panels so green one would think that's their colour. I don't expect they are generating much leccy from them. I clean mine with pure every year now because it makes a big difference.
 
If you don’t remove the licken the panels become ineffective, we used to clean large solar farms with thousands of panels , the manufacturers now will allow a chemical treatment talking to Guy I used to deal with but it’s a huge secret unless you are doing the work for them they won’t tell you what it is .
Iv seen similar things. There's a Company on YouTube. The solar clean solutions and there always going on about there own chemical but don't tell you what they use. It's like the best kept secret.
 
I've seen panels so green one would think that's their colour. I don't expect they are generating much leccy from them. I clean mine with pure every year now because it makes a big difference.
Yeh that's the thing if they left them for 10 years there bang in trouble. Thing is there's got to be a efficient way of doing it. But there's always a stepping stone. Or just avoid them all together ?
 
Iv seen similar things. There's a Company on YouTube. The solar clean solutions and there always going on about there own chemical but don't tell you what they use. It's like the best kept secret.
Lol yes I know solar Steve very well ???
 
??? It's not you is it. If so tell me what you use lol
Lol no solar Steve and I had a very big fall out ???? , Ime still trying to find out what they use but they are very cagey one of my customers phoned them up and posed as a potential customer for having there panels cleaned he asked what chemicals they use and Steve wouldn’t say just said it was approved by the panel manufacturers, the guy pushed and said he wasn’t happy unless they told him what they intended using and he was then going to get on to green gen who fitted the panels to check it was ok , they quoted him £1200 plus vat to clean 16 panels . We ended up doing them for £450 plus the cost of a scaffold tower took us a morning to do . ????
 
Lol no solar Steve and I had a very big fall out ???? , Ime still trying to find out what they use but they are very cagey one of my customers phoned them up and posed as a potential customer for having there panels cleaned he asked what chemicals they use and Steve wouldn’t say just said it was approved by the panel manufacturers, the guy pushed and said he wasn’t happy unless they told him what they intended using and he was then going to get on to green gen who fitted the panels to check it was ok , they quoted him £1200 plus vat to clean 16 panels . We ended up doing them for £450 plus the cost of a scaffold tower took us a morning to do . ????
It wouldn't be hard to find out. Just email the panel makers and they should tell you.
 
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