Solar panels have no moving parts, and most home systems need very little care. The useful work is watching the monitoring app, looking at the array from the ground a couple of times a year, cleaning when rain doesn’t, and calling a technician after hail or when production drops. This checklist covers each task and what you can skip.
The most useful habit: check the app
Once a month, open your monitoring app and compare production with the same month in past years. Comparing with last month says little, because production follows the seasons: a winter month can produce half as much as a summer one, or less.
What to look for:
- The whole system at zero on a sunny day. Usually the inverter, a tripped breaker or a grid outage.
- One panel far below its neighbors. Usually shade, dirt, a cracked panel or a failed microinverter or optimizer. Most recent systems show each panel: in public installation records for 2023–2025 (Tracking the Sun), 48% of home systems used Enphase microinverters and 27% used SolarEdge optimizers, and both report production panel by panel.
- No new data at all. If the app stopped updating but the inverter display shows it is producing, the problem is the internet connection, not the system.
Our troubleshooting guide walks through each case.
Cleaning: when it’s worth it
Rain washes most dust off tilted panels. In climates with regular rain, the production lost to dirt is usually small, and paying for cleaning rarely makes sense. Losses are larger in dry, dusty places, near farms, construction or busy roads, under heavy pollen, and where birds roost on the roof. Bird droppings matter more than dust, because they block whole cells.
To find out whether your panels need it, compare a few sunny days before and after the first good rain following a dry spell. If production barely changes, cleaning won’t pay either.
If you do clean:
- Stay on the ground. Use a hose and a soft brush on an extension pole. Don’t walk on panels: stepping on them can crack the cells even when the glass looks fine.
- Use soft water if you can. Hard tap water can leave mineral spots; deionized or distilled water doesn’t.
- Clean early or late in the day, when the glass is cool and water doesn’t dry into streaks.
- Skip harsh cleaners. No pressure washers, abrasive pads or solvents. A little mild dish soap is enough for droppings.
- Check the manual. Some panel warranties exclude damage from improper cleaning.
For panels you can’t reach from the ground, hire a solar cleaning company with roof insurance rather than climbing up yourself.
A look from the ground, twice a year
Spring and fall are good times. Binoculars help.
- Panels: cracked glass, brown or discolored patches, or panels sitting out of line with the rest.
- Under the array: leaves, nests or debris collecting between the panels and the roof.
- Wiring: loose cables hanging below the array, or signs that squirrels or birds have been chewing. Mesh critter guards around the edges keep animals out.
- Inverter: a normal status light and no error code on the display.
- Inside the house: water stains on ceilings below the array, which can mean a leak at a roof mount.
By season
- Spring: pollen can leave a yellow film that rain doesn’t fully remove.
- Summer: heat lowers panel output a little; that is normal and not a fault.
- Fall: leaves on even part of a panel cut its production. Clear what you can reach safely from the ground.
- Winter: snow usually slides off tilted panels within a few days of sun. If you use a roof rake, choose one with a soft head made for panels, and never use a metal shovel.
When to call a professional
- Error codes or a sudden drop that the weather doesn’t explain.
- After hail or a major storm, to check for damage you can’t see from the ground.
- A breaker that trips again after you reset it once.
- Anything on the roof: cleaning high panels, removing nests, installing critter guards.
- Buying or selling a home with solar, to document the system’s condition.
Don’t open the inverter, junction boxes or wiring yourself. Panels produce dangerous DC voltage whenever the sun is up, even with the breaker off.
If the company that installed your system has closed
This is more common than most homeowners expect. In the public installation records compiled by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Tracking the Sun), more than 420,000 home solar systems were installed by companies that have since closed or filed for bankruptcy, SunPower, Titan Solar, Freedom Forever and Sunnova among them.
- Panel and inverter warranties still apply: they come from the manufacturer. Find the brand on the inverter label or in the monitoring app and contact the manufacturer directly.
- The installer’s workmanship warranty is probably gone. If a bankruptcy case is still open, you can file a claim in it.
- Leased systems and PPAs are the responsibility of the company you pay each month, even if the installer is gone.
- Make sure you can log in to the monitoring app yourself. Some systems are registered under the installer’s account.
Our solar repair pages by city list the installers that closed in each city and the companies still active there.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I clean my solar panels?
Only when rain isn't doing it. In climates with regular rain, most home systems never need cleaning. In dry, dusty areas, near farms or highways, or where birds roost, a cleaning once or twice a year can recover lost production. A simple test: compare production before and after the first good rain following a dry spell. If it barely changes, cleaning won't pay.
Can I use soap to clean my solar panels?
Water and a soft brush are usually enough. If you need something for bird droppings, use a small amount of mild dish soap and rinse well, and check your panel manufacturer's cleaning instructions first. Avoid abrasive cleaners, solvents and pressure washers, which can damage the glass coating and void the warranty.
Do solar panels need a yearly professional inspection?
Not usually. Watching the monitoring app and looking at the array from the ground catches most problems. A professional inspection makes sense every few years on an older system, after hail or a major storm, or when you buy or sell the home.