rain-x or wax on panels?

blw2 · Apr 22, 2019

Getting ready to install my new small system....so solar has been on my mind. Watching a video online, a guy was reviewing his set-up and talking about the need to clean the panels.
So I started thinking that I might apply rain-x to my panels to help with that chore a bit....
but wondering...
would it block a bit of the uv?
how about wax, etc...?

solarman · Apr 22, 2019

little benefit for the effort.

a few minutes with a squeegee and some soapy water is more than enough.

blw2 · Apr 22, 2019

solarman said:
little benefit for the effort.

a few minutes with a squeegee and some soapy water is more than enough.

well, true enough....a little elbow grease will get it...but that rain-x stuff does really help to make cleaning a whole lot easier.

Regardless, my question really is one more about curiosity than likely actual practice....wondering in theory or in practice if products like that might reduce the electrical output....

Frank B · Jun 4, 2019

Yeah, I am late answering this one as well, and I really don't know the answer to your question.

However, many Mount the panels on a slight angle so the water runs off naturally. To some extent, this will carry the dust with it as well. I didn't go out of my way to mount panels on an angle, but the curvature of the roof itself seems to do the job for me. my panels are mounted longitudinally on our unit, so that one side is a couple of degrees lower than the other. I still have to clean them every so often, but more for my own satisfaction than for any real performance advantage.

FWIW, I only clean mine a couple of times a year. With the previous factory installation of a single 110 watt solar panel, I never cleaned it. I just didn't know any better at the time, and a panel always worked.

rain-x or wax on panels?

blw2

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solarman

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blw2

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Frank B

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