If you live in a place like Indiana, you know first-hand just how snowy the state can get. While most cities in the southern part of the state get less than 20 inches of snow per year, the ones in the rest of the state will routinely get over 20, 30, and sometimes even 40 or 50 inches of snow on an annual basis.
This could potentially turn into a problem if you rely on solar panels in the winter. Snow on solar panels can make it difficult for them to do their jobs. It’s why you’ll need to aim to clean snow off solar panels as best you can.
Cleaning solar panels that have snow on them might sound like a tall task. But once you get into the habit of doing it, you’ll be able to stop snow from taking a toll on your home’s solar panels once and for all.
Keep reading to learn more about how to remove snow on solar panels and keep snow off solar panels for good.
Start by Making Sure Solar Panels Are Installed Properly
If you’re going to install roof solar panels in Indiana in the first place, it’ll be very important to have them installed properly. If they aren’t angled right, they’re going to let snow sit on top of them for an extended period of time.
Generally speaking, you’ll want your solar panels to be angled at right around 35 degrees to prevent snow on solar panels. If you make them too flat, that’s going to lead to issues.
Discover more about a great solar panel company that can help you fully embrace solar energy here. They’ll make sure solar panels are installed in the proper way so that snow isn’t able to build up on them over time.
Use a Leaf Blower to Eliminate Snow on Solar Panels
Even if you go through the trouble of installing solar panels properly, some snow is still going to be able to gather on top of them. This will be especially true when your city gets hit with a huge snowstorm.
When this happens, removing any snow on solar panels could be as simple as pulling out a leaf blower and going to town. This will work particularly well when the snow on solar panels is very light and powdery.
You should be able to blow most of the snow on your solar panels right off with a leaf blower. Just be sure to go back and use the leaf blower on them again every few hours to stop more snow from landing on your solar panels and causing complications.
Spray Solar Panels With a Hose to Remove Snow
Pulling out a garden hose in the middle of a snowstorm might seem like a really bad idea. But it could be an effective way to keep your home’s solar panels free from snow.
If you spray just a little bit of water on your solar panels, it’ll make them slippery and cause even heavy snow to slide right off. Just be careful when you’re doing this since you might inadvertently end up making your roof slippery. You might also have some water trickle back down to the ground and turn into ice.
Spraying solar panels with a hose isn’t necessarily the best way to remove snow on solar panels. But it should be effective when you find yourself in a bind.
Pull Out a Roof Rake to Wipe Snow off Solar Panels
If you don’t mind putting some work in to remove snow on solar panels, a roof rake can work wonders for them. You can use a roof rake to get rid of any snow that might be sitting on the surfaces of your solar panels.
While you’re doing this, you might also want to work on using a roof rake on your roof as a whole. It’ll stop heavy snow from piling up on your roof and potentially causing problems for it.
This is no doubt going to be one of the most difficult ways to remove snow from solar panels and your roof. But it’ll also be one of the most effective ways since it’ll get almost all the snow on your roof right off of it.
Climb Up on the Roof to Remove Snow From Solar Panels
If your roof isn’t all that safe to walk around on under normal circumstances, you might not want to take this approach to remove snow on solar panels. Walking around on a snowy roof could put you in harm’s way.
But if your roof is pretty flat for the most part and doesn’t appear to be too slippery, you might want to climb up on it and remove snow from solar panels by hand. You can wipe them all right off within a matter of just minutes and get them working like they’re supposed to again.
You should also take this same approach to solar panel maintenance throughout the course of the year. If you ever spot any debris up on your solar panels, you should walk around on your roof and remove it as best you can. It’ll keep your solar panels in better condition overall.
Throw a Foam Ball at Solar Panels to Knock off Snow
At first, this might sound like a pretty silly suggestion to someone who wants to remove snow on solar panels. But guess what? It’s a surprisingly effective method of knocking snow off the solar panels on your home’s roof.
When you throw a foam ball at a solar panel, it isn’t going to do any damage to it. But it will make the solar panel vibrate ever so slightly, and the vibrations it causes might be enough to make snow slide right off it.
Obviously, this method isn’t going to work well if you have a foot of snow on your solar panels. But if you catch the snow before it builds up on your solar panels, it could help you remove it without having to climb up on your roof.
Let the Sun Melt Snow on Solar Panels
Before you begin trying to put too much effort into cleaning snow off solar panels, check the weather forecast. Is it going to be sunny and on the warmer side within the next day or two?
If it is, you might not have to worry about removing snow from solar panels yourself. You can simply sit back and let the sun do it for you.
Your solar panels will be set up in a place where they’ll get plenty of sunlight. This sunlight can help melt any snow on them and get them working like normal again.
This might not be an option for you if you rely on your roof solar panels to power up your whole home. But if you can wait for the sun to work its magic, you might be pleasantly surprised to see how quickly it’ll be able to get snow off solar panels.
Hire a Company to Remove Snow on Solar Panels
There are some people who won’t be able to physically go outside and remove snow on solar panels. If you fall into this category, you may be under the impression that you’ll have no choice but to wait things out and let the sun do its thing.
There are, however, solar panel companies that would be more than happy to help you get snow off solar panels. They’ll climb up on your roof for you to get rid of snow for a relatively small fee.
This might be well worth it both for those who aren’t able to remove snow on solar panels and those who don’t feel like doing it. You can regain access to your home’s solar panels within a matter of just an hour or two by counting on a solar panel company to clean them off.
Stop Snow From Sitting on Solar Panels for Long
The answer to the question, “Do solar panels work with snow on them?”, is usually “no.” They might work for a little while with just a small amount of snow on them. But eventually, the snow will stop solar panels from getting the sunlight they need.
When you spot snow on solar panels on your roof, you should spring right into action and do something about it. The sooner you’re able to remove snow from your solar panels, the sooner they’ll be able to get back to work.
Use the tips found here to get snow off solar panels and read more about solar panel maintenance in some of our other blog articles.
