subject: How to Care for Solar Panels During the Winter [print this page] How to Care for Solar Panels During the Winter
Your solar panels provide your solar lights with the power that they need to light up at night. Therefore, during the winter, it is important to keep these panels 100 % functional by daily checking them up and cleaning them. It is a good idea to have extra units in the house available in case one or more of your panels gets damaged and becomes non-functional. Additionally you should learn how to clean your solar panels. That should be done carefully and step by step.
Check the manufacturer's manual for specifications
Your solar panels/lights will usually come with recommendations for maintenance from the manufacturer. It is important that you should keep those manuals for future use. If you make it a habit to dispose of their boxes, keep the manuals along with any warranty cards in your filing cabinet.
These recommendations will include the type of cleaning materials to use, portions of the panel which should be cleaned with caution, the frequency of cleaning and other related information.
Plain soap and water will do
A medium solution of soap, a soft but non-hairy piece of cloth (avoid cloth with loose fibers) and 2 powerful water sprayers will be all that you need. Apply the soap solution using the sprayer. Squirt well the places where bird droppings and other resistant dirt are found. Wipe away the dirty solution. Repeat the procedure until the panel is clean.
You should see to it that you have applied the sprayer to the more inaccessible portions of the panel. Spend time re-doing areas where you found animal-droppings because those substances are often acidic. Pay attention to any protective frames that the panel might have. These should be cleaned thoroughly.
After cleaning the panel, be sure that all their parts are tightly in place before drying them.
The right location
If it is snowing, place the solar panels/lights in an open section of the house that receives plenty of sunlight and is not shaded. It might be a good idea to trim tree branches that come close to the house in that location. If it is not snowing, place the gadgets on a protective plastic sheet on the ground where they are in full sunlight. The plastic is for keeping them from getting soiled by the wet ground.
If you have a sun roof, so much the better for your solar panels. All you need to do is to place them all on that roof. Make sure the panels are tilted in the right direction. They should be pointing south if you are above the equator, north if you live under the equator. The angle of tilt should be the same as your latitude.
You may need to exert more effort to keep your panels and lights clean during winter. The trade off is that your LED lights shine brighter during those cold nights. They are also weather proof, unlike other types of light bulbs. Your solar lights are the only kind that can be used safely and efficiently during winter, allowing you to enjoy the beauty of your garden lighting all winter long.
