servicing solar panels?

Charlie 08

Hello,

Can you advise how often solar panels should be serviced after installation? (I know they should be kept clean but how about the internals)
Is it different for flat panels and tubes.

thanks.

quentingargan

Solar panels usually keep themselves clean. The exception to that is a tube system which relies on reflectors - in my experience, the back of the tube gets a lot of gunge on it, and while this doesn't matter with regular tube systems, if the system relies on reflectors beaming light into the back of the tubes, you're going to have to give them a lick every few years.

In terms of the internals of the system, in theory, the householder should keep an eye on the pressure gauge - if it moves much from its original range, then that is the best indicator of problems.

You might also like to keep an eye on the flow rate if there is a flow meter in your pump station. It should be pumping at least 0.5L/sec for every sq m of solar panel. But if there is a problem here, it will usually show up in the form of a high panel temperature compared to the temperature at the bottom of the cylinder.

The main service requirement is antifreeze. Antifreeze normally should be flushed out and replaced every five years, at which stage insulation and flow rates etc should be checked.

HOWEVER..... Most systems in use (but not all) require a heat dump, and in most cases this is missing. In and such systems that don't have a heat dump, the system will shut down when the cylinder gets to temperature. At this point, the fluid in the panel will heat to well over 160 degrees, and the antifreeze will be degraded by this process. In such circumstances, you may have to change the antifreeze more often - or fit a heat dump.

Sadly, I reckon over 90% of such systems installed have no heat dump.

ccsolar

Hi Charlie 08
I have to agree with Quentin on this 1, it should be a requirement that a heat dump should be fitted but most installers are cutting costs by not fitting them.

Cc

Charlie 08

Many thanks for the replys. The fella who installed the flat panels last yr (relative's property) said that the panels need to be filled with a soapy mixture yearly at a cost of €180.Seems a bit strange to me. I'll find out the exact details and post back.

Hollywood130

Hi Charlie, any further info on that soapy mixture?