What the visual check covers
The check records the areas that can be viewed safely, plus any limits on access. Hidden components and electrical tests are outside this service.
- Soiling and its pattern: even dust, mineral spotting, droppings or an obstructed section.
- Cracked, chipped or delaminated glass and discolored cells.
- Loose, corroded or missing clamps and visibly lifted flashing around the mounting feet.
- Sagging, chewed or unsupported cable where it can be seen without opening anything.
- Nesting, droppings and packed debris in the cavity under the modules.
- Blocked drainage paths, standing debris and new shading that was not there at install.
This is not electrical work
A visual check is a visual check. It is not a string test, an insulation resistance test, a thermal scan or an inverter diagnostic. Those belong with a licensed solar electrical contractor, and CA Solar Wash does not pretend otherwise. If what the team photographs points that way, you get told plainly and you get the images to hand over.
The value is in the record. A vague feeling that something is off with the system becomes a set of dated photographs someone can act on. Your installer can see the cracked module. Your buyer can see the condition of the array. The photos can support a discussion about dirt, shade or nesting, but cannot establish the cause of a production drop.
What you get, and when it matters
Scroll sideways to see all columns.
| Situation | What the check shows | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Production has dropped | Visible soiling, shade, nesting or damage that may merit follow-up. | Cleaning, exclusion or a referral to a licensed solar electrician. |
| Birds or scratching above the ceiling | The extent of the nesting and what it has done to the roof and wiring. | Removal, cleanup and mesh exclusion quoted from the photos. |
| Buying or selling a home with solar | Documented condition of the array on a specific date. | A report you keep and forward. |
| Storm, high wind or nearby tree work | Debris, shifted hardware or cracked glass before the next bill. | Cleaning or a referral, with the photos attached. |
| System installed years ago, never looked at | A baseline for everything above. | A cleaning plan with an interval that fits your site. |
The cleaning plan
Some arrays need cleaning more often than others, and some need no paid clean at the time of inspection. Next to an orchard, an open field or an unpaved road, the dust never stops. In a paved neighborhood with no birds, the interval stretches. Sprinkler overspray adds hard water. Pigeons add droppings. CA Solar Wash looks at what is actually on your glass and sets an interval from that, not from a sales calendar.
The plan names the interval, the best months to clean, and what to watch in your own monitoring app between visits. A change after rain can suggest soiling, but weather, temperature, shading and system faults also affect production. A sudden or unexplained drop needs the system provider to investigate; rain alone cannot separate dirt from a fault.
What you receive afterward
You get the photographs, organized by area, with a short written note against each item saying what it is and how urgent it looks. Where the fix is CA Solar Wash's to do, the quote comes alongside the report so you decide in one go. Where it is not, the note says who it belongs with.
The report is yours to keep and forward. Dated photographs of a cracked module open a warranty conversation with your installer that a phone call never will. The report is not padded to sell services. If the array is in good order, the report says so and the plan says when to look again.
