Keeping your solar panels in good condition requires knowing what not to do. Here are solar maintenance errors for homeowners and how to avoid them.
In 2023 alone, experts are projecting the solar power industry in the United States will grow by about 20.5%. These days, people and businesses around the country are spending more than $21 billion each year on this industry. It now takes more than 6,400 people to help us keep up with all of the demand for solar power.
As solar panels become a more popular choice for homeowners, solar maintenance errors for homeowners are also becoming more common. This can keep a lot of homeowners from getting the results out of their solar panels that they are expecting.
The good news is that learning a little bit more about how to take care of your solar power system will make sure that it runs at maximum efficiency. On top of that, taking care of your solar panels is often easier than you might think.
With only a small investment of time and effort, you can watch your solar panels produce more and more power for your home. So what kind of mistakes do people tend to make with solar panels?
Read on to learn all about the top solar maintenance errors for homeowners and how you can avoid them!
1. Ignoring Residential Solar System Maintenance
When many people first get solar panels, they are excited to hear that they require very little maintenance. Although this is true, there is often a huge difference between a little maintenance and no maintenance at all. Some people decide that there must not be much need for them to provide any maintenance to their solar panel system at all.
However, this can lead to efficiency problems within a few weeks or months of getting your solar panel system installed. In the long run, it can also lead to expensive repair problems. It can even decrease the lifespan of your solar power system by years.
2. Not Creating a Solar Maintenance Routine
Although solar panels don’t require much maintenance, that can actually make it easier to forget to maintain them. Some people start out by providing their solar panels with more care than they need when they first get them. Then, as the novelty of having a solar panel system wears off, homeowners stop remembering to provide maintenance at all.
You can save time in the short term and take better care of your solar panels in the long term if you create a solar maintenance routine. As long as you check your solar panels every few months or so, you can make sure that they are working the way they should.
3. Repairing Solar Panels Too Late
If you discover a problem with your solar panels, you will want to take care of it as soon as possible. Some people delay scheduling repairs because they want to cut down on solar maintenance costs.
However, your solar maintenance costs will actually be much higher if you wait before getting help. The problems your solar panels will develop will tend to start small. Resolving or repairing these issues is often fast and easy for the right solar contractor.
On the other hand, if you wait weeks or months before calling up repair services, your solar panel problems may become worse and worse. If you are unlucky, you might even need to replace your solar panels.
4. Failing to Keep the Solar Panel Installation Clear
Some homeowners see their solar panel systems starting to produce less and less energy as time goes by. They often attribute this to problems with the systems themselves.
However, in most cases, lower efficiency is the result of your solar panel system not getting the sunlight it needs. It is important to check your solar panels every few months or so to make sure that nothing is keeping sunlight from reaching them.
You should remove branches, debris, and dust from your solar panels to help them work with maximum efficiency.
However, you will also want to look for any trees that might be casting shade on your solar panels without you realizing it. Removing a few key branches can sometimes help your solar panels access sunlight when it would otherwise be unavailable to them.
5. Never Scheduling Professional Inspections
Even if nothing seems wrong with your solar panels, it is a good idea to schedule regular maintenance every year or so. With regular inspections, there is a good chance that you will discover burgeoning solar panel issues when they are still small.
By resolving these problems while they are still so small that you have not even noticed them yet, you will keep your repair and maintenance costs as low as possible.
6. Ignoring the Instruction Manual
If you have never had a solar panel system before, it is worth spending the time to learn more about yours. Your system will come with an instruction manual that will tell you everything you need to know about how to take care of it.
You might not want to read this whole manual in one sitting. However, spending a little time reading it here and there can eventually provide you with all the information you need to make sure that your solar panels are working properly.
Avoid Common Solar Maintenance Errors for Homeowners
The more you know about the most common solar maintenance errors for homeowners, the easier it will be for you to avoid them. Considering how much value your solar system can provide, it is worth learning about how to get the most out of it. Investing in proper maintenance is one of the most effective ways to make sure that you get your money’s worth.
To learn more about the latest information in solar power, business, and more, take a look at our other articles!
