How to Get Snow Off Your Solar Panel

With winter just around the corner, you may be starting to get concerned about your solar panels. Or maybe you’re thinking of getting solar panels right before the winter begins, but you’re wondering how on earth that would be possible because you live in an area with heavy snowfall. Luckily, there are ways to get snow off of your solar panels. You should already be cleaning debris off your panels if you have them, so removing snow is just one more thing you’ll need to make sure isn’t covering them. It is recommended to remove snow from your panels, as it does cause a decrease in efficiency, but you should make sure you are prepared. If you do need to get up on your panels to get rid of the snow, you might consider just waiting it out or hiring someone to do it for you.

There are Multiple Ways to Remove Snow From Your Panels

When it comes to getting snow off of your solar panels, there isn’t really a “right” answer, though some solutions are better for certain situations than others. Consider the size of your home, the size of the snowfall, and your own personal safety when taking into consideration each of these different ways to remove the snowfall off of your roof.

Snow Melts Eventually

While this probably isn’t the answer you’re looking for, it’s true: all snow melts eventually. This is definitely the best solution if your panels are tilted at an angle, because you won’t have to worry about any safety risks. The snow will melt and it will slide right off the panels. It will actually come off faster than it would just on your roof because of the heat of the panels, too.

Hose It Down

Using the hose is the main way of removing debris from solar panels, and this can go for snow, as well. However, you’ll want to be very careful. If your hose is shooting cold water onto cold snow, that may result it turning into ice, which will result in an even bigger mess than you were in before. If you can make the water in your hose warm, make sure you do that, so you don’t find yourself in a worse situation. However, do NOT use hot water. This could fracture the panels when the cold and heat react with one another. Just use lukewarm water.

Roof Rakes

Roof rakes are a great way of removing snow from your roof, but this is extremely dangerous, and therefore not recommended. If you have to get onto your roof to reach it with the rake, you should not use this method. However, if you are able to get a squeegee onto your rake and are able to reach the panels with it, this is definitely a way that works well.

Heat it Up

No, you shouldn’t take a blow torch to your roof. While that would work, that’s even more dangerous than going onto your roof without a harness on. What you can do, however, is connect a leaf blower to a plastic air hose or PVC pipe. When you turn the leaf blower on, you’ll be able to blow the snow off or generate hot air to melt the snow off.

Nerf It Up!

It sounds crazy, but some people have used nerf balls to move snow off their panels! While it probably won’t work if there’s a lot of snowfall, it is a fun way of removing small amounts.

What shouldn’t you do?

Just as importantly, here’s what you shouldn’t use if you have snow on your roof: rock salt, car wax, or RainX.

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