Stay off the roof
Before the list: none of these checks needs you on the roof. Roof falls are how homeowners get seriously hurt doing their own maintenance, and a dusty tile roof at a Valley summer temperature is worse than it looks from below. Binoculars and a phone camera zoomed in from the driveway tell you almost everything on this page.
Second reason. Do not stand on modules or handle damaged glass and wiring. Manufacturer instructions and safe access matter even when the task appears to be a simple clean.
Quarterly, from the ground
Five minutes, four times a year.
- Look at the glass in raking light. Early morning or late afternoon shows film and spotting that midday sun hides.
- Look for uneven soiling: note droppings, leaf piles and bands at the edges without estimating the loss from their appearance.
- Check for anything newly shading the array: a grown tree, a new structure, a neighbor's addition.
- Look along the panel edges for nest material, feathers or droppings on the roof below.
- Listen early in the morning in spring and summer for cooing, scratching or flapping above the ceiling.
- Check the ground and gutters below the array for material that has come off the roof.
In your monitoring app
Your own data beats anybody's sales pitch.
- Compare clear days in the same season rather than comparing months. Season and weather swamp soiling effects.
- Record gradual changes through dry weather or after rain as clues, not proof of the cause.
- Record sudden changes, alerts and missing data. Ask the system provider to investigate unexplained losses.
- Note whether one string or section is behind the others, if your monitoring shows that level of detail.
- Screenshot anything odd before you call anyone. Dated evidence makes every following conversation easier.
- Keep a note of when the array was last cleaned so you can work out your own real interval.
Seasonal timing in the Valley
Scroll sideways to see all columns.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Late winter / early spring | Check for winter storm debris and nest-building starting. Bird proofing is easiest before the birds settle. |
| Spring | Pollen season. Check the glass after the heaviest weeks; time the main clean before the summer peak. |
| Summer | Peak production, so soiling costs most now. Watch production across dry spells. No roof work in extreme heat. |
| Fall | Leaf fall. Clear gutters before the winter rain arrives. This is the one that causes water damage. |
| After any storm or high wind | Check from the ground for displaced debris, lifted flashing or new shading. |
When to call someone, and who
Call CA Solar Wash for soiling, hard-water spotting, bird droppings, nesting, blocked gutters and general exterior grime. Call sooner rather than later for nesting: the longer it is established, the more cleanup is involved and the more likely something under the array has been damaged.
Call a licensed solar contractor for anything electrical: a production drop that cleaning does not explain, error codes on the inverter, visible burning or discoloration at a connection, damaged conduit, or a module with cracked glass or visible delamination. Not sure which you have? A visual check may document a condition, but cannot settle an electrical diagnosis.
Keep a simple maintenance record
Record the date, visible condition, relevant monitoring alert and any recent rain, cleaning or work near the array. Add the invoice and photographs after a visit so the next contractor knows what was actually done.
Note which sections could not be reached and which findings were referred elsewhere. A record of cleaning is useful, but is not proof that concealed wiring, mounting or the roof passed an inspection. Keep manufacturer and installer instructions with the record.
