There is no single date on the calendar that will do for a Solar Panel Maintenance Schedule in Australia. The rooftop in Brisbane has to contend with the rain, mould and humidity; a Pilbara system is put through its paces by red dust, salt from the coast and the heat. Isadora Fletcher has put this guide together to set out what is involved in servicing, inspecting and cleaning your solar across the country, offering some hard facts on cost and safety.
In a typical home one would be well advised to do a visual check on a quarterly basis, have the panels cleaned once or twice a year as the occasion demands and see a professional for an inspection every two or three years. But then you have coastal air, bushfire smoke, construction dust, severe weather or a solar battery and all of a sudden the frequency changes. Knowing the times to skip panel cleaning can also help. Even if the panels are as flat as a pancake they will pick it all up.
Climate Zone Schedule At A Glance
Two homes can have the same solar system yet the maintenance required will differ according to the climate zone. We have provided a table to get you started but make allowances for the manufacturer’s warranty, roof pitch, how much rainfall there is and any local dust or vegetation.
We have made the schedule practical, not precious. Should the inverter flag a fault or production is down and the panels are in need of a good clean, do not put it off until the season turns.
| Australian Area Or Climate | Main Maintenance Risks | Typical Cleaning Guide | Inspection Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane and humid subtropical areas | Humidity, storm damage, leaf debris, heavy rain and mould | 6–12 months at least, or when dry spells end | Quarterly visual; professional every 2–3 years |
| Sydney, temperate east and coastal NSW | Shading, leaves, bird droppings, pollen and salt spray | Every 6–12 months | Do a visual check quarterly and after any big storms |
| Melbourne and southern Victoria | Wind-blown debris, moss in the shade, winter grime and bird droppings | 12–24 months, roof conditions permitting | Each season visually; a professional should look at it every 2–3 years |
| Perth and south-west WA | Intense summer heat, leaves, coastal salt and dust in the dry season | 6–12 months | Inspect before and after the summer, otherwise a visual check each quarter |
| Pilbara and inland WA | Access is difficult and there is extreme heat, mineral deposits, red dust and storms | If the dust does not abate, every 3–6 months | Monthly where one can safely do so; annual professional inspection |
| Top End and tropical north | Corrosion, humidity, mould, cyclone debris and wet season rain | Once the wet is over, assuming there is residue | Severe weather and pre-cyclone season call for an inspection |
| Red Centre and dry inland | Sudden but sparse storms, heat damage and long dry periods with dust | After a major dust event or every 6–12 months | Wiring and mounting are to be inspected annually; visual check quarterly |
How Often Should You Clean?
The calendar is less of a guide than what actually makes its way onto the panel. Rain might wash away some of the dust but it can leave behind mud, minerals or the odd bird dropping. An open suburban roof is not the same as one near the coast or under trees which will want more of your time.
If there is a patch of dirt on the surface, or monitoring indicates an unexplained loss of efficiency, it is time to consider a clean. A professional will put current output up against historical performance and household use to make a recommendation.
Take Output As Your Cue
One cloudy afternoon is no way to assess performance. Put several weeks of sunny days side by side and see if a tree or new building has altered the shading. There are other things that can account for lower output that will appear the same from the kitchen table: inverter or wiring faults, grid limitations and components on the way out.
It is a mistake to think that more cleaning equates to savings. In some of the rainier parts of the country you are just adding expense for little gain. In the dusty interior a thick layer of dust is reason enough to shorten the interval.
An Australia-Wide Maintenance Checklist
A checklist ought to encompass more than the glass. Cabling, the inverter, isolators, mounting hardware, monitoring and a solar battery if you have one are all part of the system and each has its own service needs and risks.
Make note of electricity production, inverter alerts, any odd noises or visible damage and when you last had an inspection or a clean. A licensed electrician will find the record useful in making a diagnosis and it is there to back up any warranty claims should a component give way.
- For fault codes, an uncharacteristic shutdown or a long term decline in production, the inverter display or monitoring app will tell you what is happening.
- From the ground one can spot cracked glass, dark patches, rust, loose cabling, animal damage, bird droppings, heavy soiling or new shading.
- Make sure roof access and the inverter’s ventilation are not being encroached on by garden waste, leaves or boxes put away at ground level.
- And while you are at it, see if gutters and trees in the vicinity are a source of debris; do not go climbing on the roof to make sure.
- If the panels have been in the path of hail, a cyclone, severe weather, flood or fire, or if there has been building activity in the area, put in for a professional to have a look.
Warranty Records
Familiarise yourself with the maintenance stipulations of your panel, inverter and battery warranties. There are some that insist on the electrical work and installation being done by someone with the proper qualifications; a botched DIY job is a safety risk and a headache when it comes to the paperwork.
Should you see something amiss, get some photos from the ground. The inverter readout, any fallen branches or visible harm to the panels. “This dark patch came on after the storm” is a better explanation than “something is a bit crook up there”.
The Climate
Access, heat management, corrosion and cleaning are all subject to the climate. In the wet season you may be rid of dust but intense rain can put grit, mould and leaves on the roof. Then in drier climes fine dust will settle and stay put for months.
Salt spray is a concern for those living on the coast and the salt corrosion around fasteners, mounting rails and exposed electrics demands attention. Humid places like Brisbane call for an eye on shaded areas for organic growth and debris. Out in Perth the summer winds and heat will show you the extent of the dust build-up in a matter of weeks.
North, Coast and Bush
Top End residents should time their activities to the seasons. A visual check before the wet sets in will turn up any loose ends ahead of the cyclones and heavy rain. Once a big storm has passed, let a professional inspect the system once it is safe to do so instead of venturing onto a slick roof.
In the Pilbara and the more out of the way parts of WA, getting to the site is often the problem. Between the extreme heat and the distances a technician has to cover with his equipment, planned servicing is worth it and an emergency call-out is hard on the wallet.
There is also the residue from bushfire ash and smoke. Do not be hosing down equipment with exposed electrics or where the system is damaged. Get an assessment first if the inverter, cabling or roof has been close to a fire.
System Inspections
Do not wait for regular intervals to act on warning signs. Unusual buzzing or clicking from the system, a sharp change in the data, an inverter that keeps tripping or cables in poor order are cause for a professional inspection.
Electrical components are to be left to a licensed electrician or solar professional with the right authorisation. Even with the main switch off the panels will produce electricity as long as there is light on them, so turning it off is no guarantee of safety on the roof.
Inverter and Wiring
Viewed from below the inverter screen may be blank or showing a fault or warning light, or there could be water entry, blocked vents or physical damage. Note the message and put the installer or manufacturer on the phone. Do not put hands on the wiring or try to open the inverter.
Birds, rodents, UV and lack of support can take their toll on wiring. A professional is needed to examine the earthing, isolators, plugs, cable management and any water ingress. Where there is a solar battery, one must also attend to the enclosure, alarms and ventilation as per the manufacturer.
To Clean Or Not
For an array that is low and can be worked on from a balcony or the ground without any climbing, a DIY approach is fine. A soft brush or cloth and some lukewarm water will do. Leave the pressure washer and harsh chemicals alone, they are no good for the seals, surfaces or wiring.
Walking on panels is not to be done, nor is putting a ladder to them or working in the elements. A pro has the equipment for safer access and will pick up on hot spots, cracks and wiring issues that a rinse over would not reveal.
Know When To Stop
There are times to put an end to any DIY cleaning of the roof: when it is steep or high, in poor condition, wet and hard to get to, or if there are overhead electrical hazards. Equally, one should desist at the sight of water near equipment, fire damage, cracked glass, a damaged mount or an exposed cable. These call for an inspector, not a scrub.
I was taken aback on first paying closer attention to the roofs in Perth and Fremantle by how rarely the issue before me was simply dirt. A tree that has overgrown, some bird work or an inverter on the fritz were what lay behind many a “cleaning” matter. For that reason a good visual inspection is to be had prior to booking in a panel wash.
Solar Panel Maintenance Costs
The cost of maintaining solar panels in Australia is a function of the system, the location, how far you have to travel and the nature of the work. You can expect to put down $150–$350 for a residential clean of the more straightforward kind; add an inspection and service to the bill and it will be in the order of $200–$500 upwards. Then again, remote sites, batteries, steep inclines or having to do storm repairs in a hurry will see the price go up.
Do not take these as set tariffs so much as planning numbers. One would do well to enquire of the quote if it covers GST, the trip out, any minor repairs, inverter checks, roof access gear and photographs from the inspection. A full service is not the same as a cheap clean with no safety inspection to speak of.
Make The Comparison
If in doubt as to whether it is worth the while to have the panels cleaned, pit the quote against the production figures you have lost. Factor in the household usage, the temperature and cloud cover and review the monitoring data. With output down and the array running as it should but for heavy soiling and little rain, the economics of cleaning are clearer.
And it is easier to make a case for the expense of servicing when there is an actual mounting and electrical inspection involved. It is not something an honest technician will put his name to, but regular work will find the odd problem before it results in a bad inverter or unsafe cabling.
When Not To Clean
It is prudent to forgo cleaning if the risk outweighs the energy you stand to gain, or if the next rainfall will wash away the dust. Do not be on the roof in the event of a heatwave, high winds, a cyclone warning, frost or anything that makes the surface treacherous. Nor when the panels are hardly dusty and production is unaffected. In the wake of hail, bushfire ash or any electrical suspicion, let a professional have a look at the array first. There is no value in a shiny panel if it means a fall or an emergency room visit.
Roof Safety And The Weather
In the north of Australia one does not plan roof work in the face of a cyclone alert or the less stable times of the wet season. Further south, give windy days and icy mornings a miss. If you are in an area prone to bushfires, check for local closures and warnings before making arrangements in summer.
For guidance on solar PV and batteries the Australian Government has official advice on solar PV and batteries which can be compared with local severe-weather and rainfall reports. But your own equipment is subject to the manufacturer and the local electrical rules above all else.
Have A Plan For The Year
A yearly maintenance routine will spare you the scramble for a “solar system maintenance near me” once the inverter has given up. Set calendar reminders that suit the weather in your part of the country, not some arbitrary date. Should you have but a day, use it for a ground level inspection and to check for new shading or debris from a storm, and to look at the data. An unsafe roof is no place to be. The quarterly check is what most households should put at the top of their list; it is a way to spot trouble in its infancy without the bother of superfluous cleaning.
- When the quarter turns, have a look at the production figures and inverter readouts, and from the ground make note of any shading or dirt and damage that is apparent.
- Then there is the matter of trees, mounting, ventilation and access: put in for repairs before the summer heat or cyclone and wet seasons set in.
- As for cleaning, do not get out the soft cloth and lukewarm water unless there is a good deal of residue and it is safe to do so, or put it in the hands of a pro.
- Every couple of years, or once a year if one is in a remote or coastal area with much dust, a professional inspection is in order.
- And after a storm or hail, or if you have had a solar battery installed or been exposed to fire or construction in the vicinity, the plan should be reviewed.
Who Needs Extra Checks?
It is sensible for those whose electricity bills are in flux or who are dependent on a solar battery. The same goes for properties under trees, near an ocean or construction site, on a farm where the dust is in the air, or in very hot and out of the way places.
For the uninitiated, leave the roof and any electrical testing or fault work alone. There is value in keeping records and making observations from the ground, but one does not earn an achievement badge by getting up on a roof with a hose.
Frequently Asked Questions
One will come across these in the course of a search for solar panel maintenance Australia. The brief answers below are to put maintenance in its proper place and not conflate it with the rules on connection, export and batteries which are a matter of system design and locale.
What Is The 33% Rule?
Do not mistake this for a cleaning instruction. In Australia there is no such thing as a 33% rule for solar maintenance. It is likely a network or inverter limit of some kind in a given product or jurisdiction. Put it down to a question of system design and get your installer or electricity distributor to tell you the exact rule.
What Is The 20% Rule?
In the same vein, do not assume this is an Australia-wide dictate for servicing your panels. It could be a retailer arrangement or a local network condition. Before you go by it, ask the person who put forward the 20% rule to explain the base and equipment he is talking about.
Can Batteries Charge Overnight?
Provided the control settings and your retailer plan allow for it, a battery can draw from the grid. But that is an energy-management choice, nothing to do with the panels. See what the manufacturer has to say and review your plan before you put in a schedule for grid charging.
What Maintenance Do Panels Need?
An occasional clean if output is being affected by dirt, some monitoring and visual checks from the ground, and now and again a professional to have a look. The inverter, wiring, isolators and so forth are separate matters. Leave the repair of electrical gear to others.
Is Rain Enough To Clean Panels?
Rain will take care of loose dust perhaps, but you cannot count on it for salt deposits, mould, bird droppings or anything more tenacious. Should you see a drop in production on a sunny day and the panels are dirty, have them seen to. What is right for you will be dictated by the roof and the climate zone.
Keep The Schedule Sensible
A flexible approach is what makes for a good maintenance schedule in Australia. Inspect and clean when there is cause to, and let the professionals handle the electrical side. One has to time things differently in the Top End or the Pilbara than in Perth, Melbourne or Brisbane given the weather and the like.
Make a record of it and alter the plan if the weather has been severe. Some timely attention will preserve the efficiency and life of the panels and mean you are not left to find a fault with the kettle on.
