Tag Archives: Tools

Solar Panel Cleaning Tools and Frequency: A Guide to Optimal Performance Solar panels are a significant investment in clean energy and long-term savings

February 09, 2026   Matt

To protect that investment and ensure they operate at peak efficiency, regular cleaning is essential. Dust, pollen, bird droppings, and other debris can create a layer of grime that significantly reduces a panel’s ability to convert sunlight into electricity. This guide covers the essential tools and recommended frequency for keeping your solar array in top condition.

Why Cleaning Matters:

The Impact of Dirt

Studies show that dirty solar panels can lose between 15% to 25% of their energy output, with losses soaring above 50% in areas with heavy soiling from dust, agriculture, or bird activity. Regular cleaning is not just about aesthetics; it’s a crucial maintenance task for maximizing your return on investment and system performance.

Essential Solar Panel Cleaning Tools

Using the right tools prevents damage to the panels’ delicate anti-reflective coating and ensures a safe, effective clean.

1. Primary Cleaning Tools
* Soft Brush or Squeegee with an Extended Pole: The cornerstone of any cleaning kit. A soft, non-abrasive brush (often microfiber or lamb’s wool) attached to a telescopic pole allows you to reach panels on a roof safely from the ground. A squeegee attachment is excellent for a streak-free rinse.
* Deionized or Purified Water System: The gold standard for cleaning. Using deionized water prevents mineral deposits (hard water spots) from forming on the glass as it dries, which can themselves reduce efficiency. These can range from portable spot-free systems to built-in solutions.
* Garden Hose with a Soft Spray Nozzle: For pre-rinsing and rinsing. Always use low pressure to avoid forcing water past seals. Never use a pressure washer, as its high force can damage panels and void warranties.

2. Cleaning Solutions
* Mild, Biodegradable Soap: If water alone isn’t sufficient, a small amount of mild soap (like dish soap) diluted in water can help break down stubborn grime. Avoid harsh detergents, abrasive cleaners, or chemical solvents.
* Commercial Solar Panel Cleaners: Specifically formulated solutions that clean effectively without leaving residues. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

3. Safety & Auxiliary Gear
* Safety Harness and Roof Anchors: Crucial for roof work. If you must be on the roof, proper fall protection is non-negotiable.
* Soft Cloths or Sponges: For manual cleaning of accessible ground-mounted panels or wiping edges.
* Bucket: For mixing cleaning solutions.
* Leaf Blower: A handy tool for dry climates to regularly remove loose, dry debris like leaves and dust between wet cleanings.

Recommended Cleaning Frequency

There is no one-size-fits-all schedule. The ideal frequency depends on your local environment and several key factors:

* General Guideline: A thorough cleaning 1 to 4 times per year is typical for most residential installations.
* High-Dust or Dry Areas: (e.g., near deserts, farmland, or unpaved roads) may require cleaning every 1-2 months during dry seasons.
* Areas with High Pollen or Bird Activity: Spring pollen surges or locations under bird flight paths may necessitate cleaning after major events.
* Low-Rainfall Regions: Panels in rainy climates benefit from natural rinsing. If you experience frequent rain, you may only need an annual inspection and clean.
* Industrial or Coastal Areas: Pollution, soot, or salt spray can create sticky, hard-to-remove films, requiring more frequent attention (quarterly).

The Best Indicator:

Visual Inspection and Performance Monitoring
The most reliable method is to monitor your system’s output through its inverter app or monitoring platform. A noticeable, persistent drop in production (e.g., 5-10% below expected levels on clear days) often signals it’s time to clean. Combine this with a visual inspection for visible dirt, streaks, or bird droppings.

Best Practices for Safe and Effective Cleaning

  • 1. Time it Right::

    • Clean early in the morning, in the evening, or on an overcast day. Cleaning hot panels can cause water to evaporate quickly, leaving streaks and potentially thermally shocking the glass.

  • 2. Safety First::

    • If your roof is steep, high, or slippery, hire a professional cleaning service. They have the insurance, equipment, and expertise to do the job safely.

  • 3. Use Gentle Pressure::

    • Apply minimal pressure with your brush. The goal is to lift dirt, not scrub it.

  • 4. Rinse Thoroughly::

    • Rinse all soap and loosened debris completely to prevent filming.

  • 5. Mind the Angles::

    • For ground-mounted systems, tilt the panels (if adjustable) to allow gravity to assist with rinsing.

    Conclusion

    Establishing a routine for solar panel cleaning with the proper tools is a simple yet powerful way to safeguard your system’s performance and longevity. By assessing your local environment, monitoring energy output, and following safe cleaning techniques, you can ensure your solar investment continues to deliver maximum clean energy and savings for years to come. When in doubt, especially regarding safety, consulting with or hiring your solar installer or a dedicated cleaning professional is always a wise choice.

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    Common Landscaping Tools For Every Landscaper

    March 08, 2024   Matt

    Common Landscaping Tools For Every Landscaper

    For the avid do-it-yourself landscaper, the right tools are important. After all, if one wishes to save money on the expenses associated with having a well cared for yard, it is best to make sure that he or she has all of the tools necessary to create an attractive landscape. By understanding some of the most common tools used for basic landscaping needs, you can ensure that you have everything you need to keep your lawn in the best possible shape, bringing delight and distinction to your grounds, be they large or small.

    Shovels, rakes, trowels, and hand cultivators. These are the most basic of tools when it comes to landscaping. Every home should be supplied with these basic implements. They make just about every landscaping endeavor possible. Shovels to remove sod and turn soil, as well as dig the holes necessary for fixtures like trees and hardscapes, Rakes are essential to smooth out planting beds and prepare ground for things like sod without packing the dirt. Trowels and hand cultivators allow you to perform minute work that requires more attention to detail. All of these tools are necessary to the proper functioning and care of a landscape.

    Pruners and shears. These tools are used to improve the appearance of woody plants and trees. They keep plants from encroaching in other areas, and they also promote the overall health of the plants. They help maintain a neat appearance, and if you have topiary concerns, they are indispensable in maintaining a set shape. There are hand pruners, tools that help with the smaller branches and are easier to use, loppers for getting thicker branches that are to large for pruners, and even pruning saws that can help you with the toughest of branches. Hedge shears provide a way for hedges to be trimmed more conscientiously than with electric or gas-run trimmers (although these are widely available and can make maintaining hedges much easier).

    Lawnmower. This is perhaps one of the most common and most obvious of landscaping tools. It is meant to keep the grass at a reasonable level, and to keep the lawn neat and healthy. Related to lawnmowers in the trimming department are things like weed wackers, which are very useful in keeping edges that can’t be cut by a mower nice and neat. Additionally, the use of some special machinery, designed to eliminate thick brush is useful to have on hand, even it is only in the form of a machine rented once a year.

    Other tools of interest. Of course, there are specialty tools that may be needed depending upon on the features of your landscape. If you have a water fixture, it is important to make sure that you have the proper pumps and filters, and that you have little skimmers that can allow you to remove larger pieces of debris from the water. Automatic sprinklers can make watering the lawn and your other plants much easier, and you should have a garden hose for special watering needs. Regular household tools such as hammer and nails, levels, and drills can be helpful if you have built landscape features like patios, decks, pergolas, and trellises. They can also be useful in building things like containers and creating raised beds.

    Wheelbarrow. A wheelbarrow will always be of infinite use for the avid landscaper and improver. Wheelbarrows are very useful for moving debris as well as bringing needed implements to their proper places. They haul dirt and bring in plants. They make it possible to for one person to carry a load that otherwise she or he would not be able to handle. For the serious landscaper, a wheelbarrow is indeed necessary.

    When you have all of the tools necessary to take care of your landscape, then you are well rewarded for your hard work. Acquiring the more common tools can also save you money in the long run, as they can be used over and over again. Additionally, many of the more common landscape tools are fairly small in size and easy to store in a garage or a shed. As long as they are kept neatly arranged in place, they are easy to get to when needed, and not hard to find. Proper maintenance of you tools is important: keep them from becoming rusty, and make sure your lawnmower and other gas or electric implements are well oiled and always have plenty of gas. Proper care of your tools ensures that you will be able to properly care for your landscape.

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    Tools Every Do-It-Yourself Landscaper Needs

    August 26, 2022   Matt

    Tools Every Do-It-Yourself Landscaper Needs

    There is no doubt that choosing to do your own landscaping is the best way to go for many people. Not only do you save a lot of money by not hiring professionals to do the work, you also will get to enjoy a lot of time outside. Landscaping is good exercise and a great way to spend an afternoon.

    Any do-it-yourself landscapers will require a variety of tools, from basic to high tech, in order to get the job done right. Here are some of the tools that are essential for doing your own landscaping.

    Software: Yes, believe it or not, a good landscaping program can be essential when you are designing the layout of your lawn and garden. I use the Master Landscape & Home Design by Punch! Software. I bought this program for my wife back in 2003, and we have used it a lot ever since. The 3D Photoview technology allows us to put in digital pictures of our home and garden and then implement any changes on the screen before we put them into effect in our yard. The PlantFinder allows us to find plants that are the most appropriate to the soil and climate conditions where we live, and it even has a calculator to help us estimate the costs of the plants from different stores. This is about as high tech as I get when it comes to landscaping, though.

    Lawn mower: You might not realize it, but mowing the lawn is an essential part of any landscape. A lawn mower is therefore a critical part of doing your landscaping yourself. Buying a lawn mower can be a tricky business- you can get models with everything included but the kitchen sink. The fact is, a second hand lawn mower that works can be just as good as a brand new model straight from the catalogues. If you have a large area to mow, you will probably want to invest in a riding lawn mower to save time and aching muscles.

    Weed Whacker: There are points on your lawn that your mower just won’t reach, around fences and right beside patios, around any fruit trees or berry canes. For these, you will need a good weed whacker. The best models come with several attachments, appropriate to chopping down a variety of weeds- especially if you have slacked off and allowed some of the hardier varieties to grow up. These can be death for the average string-and-coil whacker, and you will need some good plastic to stand up to them.

    There are several other tools that every landscaper needs, most of them relatively low tech in comparison to those above. A variety of shovels, rakes, and pruning instruments are all essential, as are a good pair of gloves. All of these tools will be dependent on what you have planted in your landscaping, and more complicated designs may even require some basic knowledge of electricity, carpentry, and hydroponics.

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    The Tools Needed For Radio Controlled Hobbyists

    September 20, 2021   Matt

    The Tools Needed For Radio Controlled Hobbyists

    Building a radio controlled project requires a huge amount of time and detail when you are putting the pieces together, or even cutting the pieces out to be assembled. Most people who do it as a hobby will have many different tools that they use throughout the course of assembling a radio controlled project. If you want to build something for the first time, you will need some materials that will come in immensely handy throughout the process. Here I will name some of the main ones, but you will most likely need to find some more specific tools to fit your personal needs.

    Of course, the first thing you need is the raw material that will be used to construct the project. Most radio controlled projects are made out of wood. If your plans don’t call for a specific type, you will have to choose it yourself, which can be tough. Balsa wood is the most popular choice, especially for toy airplanes and helicopters. It is extremely light, while maintaining a good level of solidity. You can build an entire airplane frame out of it, and it will have a minimal amount of flex. IF you are building a larger model of an airplane or other vehicle, then balsa may be too soft, in which case you will want to look for other woods.

    The radio and motor equipment is the 2nd most important part. If you are a really enthusiastic radio controlled hobbyist as well as an engineer of some sort, then you may consider making it all out of the various components. It is possible to buy all of the electric components of the radio and motor systems separately. However, if you do this you will have to deal with all of the electrical concepts and parts including transistors, resistors, and all those other things that make it so daunting. There is no shame in buying transmitters or motors pre-assembled and just gluing them wherever they need to go. It will definitely save you some time.

    The first tool that should never leave the arsenal of a radio control enthusiast is a good old X-Acto Knife. Even if you are buying a kit that allows for easy assembly, you will still need the X-Acto knife to shave off any bumps or extra pieces of wood / plastic that are getting in the way. If you are building it entirely from scratch, the knife will be perfect for cutting outlines from thinner pieces of wood, cutting notches for the electrical equipment to keep steady, or just getting everything to the exact shape that you want it. You can buy them for just a few dollars at your local hobby store, or home improvement store.

    Depending on the material that you are using to build your project, you will need some type of tack or glue to hold it together. There are many different choices for this area. You can use superglue, wood glue, or epoxy, and each one will hold fairly sturdy. Look up the type of wood or plastic that you are using, and see what type of tack is recommended to fasten it. If you are building a remote control boat or even a submarine, you will have to consider the matter of waterproofing it to avoid ruining the electrical components when you first put it in the water. This is usually accomplished through some sealing putty for cracks and a spray-on sealant to keep the wood from soaking.

    At some point you will have to cut all of the wood into the segments that you require to piece together the final product. While it is possible with a handsaw, it is definitely not the best choice. A table saw works best for larger pieces, but for finer details you would be hard pressed to find a better tool than a Dremel Tool. They look like electric toothbrushes, and have quickly rotating heads that can grind away balsa wood in a matter of seconds. They allow for maximum accuracy, whether you are shaping a piece of wood or making holes for wiring.

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    Automotive Check Tools And Also The Modern Vehicle

    November 03, 2020   Matt

    Automotive Scan Devices And Also The Modern Vehicle

    Many thanks to the enhancing intricacy of modern-day vehicles over the past few years, most expert vehicle stores and also garages currently call for an option of automotive check tools with which to accomplish day to day diagnostic job in order to determine any kind of problems with an engine or engine administration system in order to find what action is required in order to effect a fixing with the minimum of mistake and also maximum efficiency.

    There are a variety of various tools offered to perform diagnostics and scans on different kinds of vehicle as well as to prepare to fix as effectively as possible. Knowing carefully what problems are causing an auto engine to act in a certain way is the key to being able to fix the fault in a prompt and also efficient fashion.

    Perhaps the ideal understood manufacturer of vehicle scan devices is OTC, who make a series of tools made for the finest and ideal rate. A thorough range is offered to allow technicians to be able to take on any job they discover, and the variety of OTC automobile scan devices is identified as one of the top choices for the expert, as well as being economical enough for domestic usage under certain situations.

    Various work call for different devices, and some are a lot more intricate than others. Commonly, any work to fix a modern-day automobile begins with connecting the scanner right into the engine monitoring computer system and also downloading a log of present performance date. This will consist of gas intake, and also time considering that the last service. It will certainly give the mechanic a total introduction of just how the engine is operating, as well as where there may be errors occurring. The check will certainly reveal the auto mechanic checking out the engine whether there are any troubles with the fuel supply, the electronics, the air filters, and also the running temperature, it will certainly likewise give plenty of understanding into whether any kind of problems belong to a concern within the engine itself, or certainly within the means the monitoring system has actually been established up.

    A total diagnostic of a car’s engine management computer system will commonly offer a practically immediate list of the efficiency information for the lorry, and also a good auto check device will certainly shave hours off an or else lengthy repair job, as the auto mechanic will be able to tell virtually instantly what is wrong, and what requires to be performed in order to repair the damage.

    Of course, technology just functions well in the hands of those that comprehend it, as well as have the ability to sift with the data offered via a check as well as analyze it appropriately. Nonetheless, the most recent OTC vehicle scan devices have actually been created to be nearly fool evidence, and also are able to attract on the experience as well as understanding of numerous different developers as well as auto mechanic’s personal records in order to offer a much more accurate overview of the data as well as also present feasible solutions to a number of the most typical problems that a technician might encounter.

    While some manufacturers release their very own range of tools, that are intended at major dealerships, a commercial technician might take care of various models as well as producers in their daily duty, and also this is why it is often a concept to acquire OTC automobile check devices, as they will be suitable with a series of different lorries from different international manufacturers, and therefore use better versatility without needing to jeopardize on high quality or pay consistently for scanners for each single automobile that gets on the market.

    While commercial degree automobile check devices are expensive to install and themselves call for regular system updates that carry the most up to date setups for each brand-new car released, they spend for themselves virtually quickly many thanks to the time that they have the ability to save, and also the fact that without them, even the most skilled technician would certainly battle to discover the internal operations of the most up to date automobile engines, which have actually been created to be efficient, as well as durable, however are significantly too complicated for anyone yet the experts to take into consideration executing any type of deal with.

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    Golf Course Tools Fundamentals: Winter Storage

    November 01, 2019   Matt

    Golf Links Tools Fundamentals: Winter Months Storage

    Small engine automobiles, like golf carts, mower and also trucksters, require the exact same care and upkeep as an automobile or vehicle. Proprietors have a tendency to fail to remember that putting a golf cart or mower away for the winter months needs the exact same treatment as if you were preparing to keep a car for an extensive quantity of time. Too typically carts are saved away in some edge of the garage without much thought provided to how well they will certainly launch when the weather condition improves. Golf cart owners figure that concealing them away in a shed or garage, clear from the winter elements suffices. Not rather. Even if your golf cart or mower is new, they still call for some maintainance. Actually, obtaining them to launch trouble-free from period to period requires you follow a couple of factors of due-diligence.

    First, take the tools you will need to properly place your golf cart in storage space for the winter season. This equipment consists of a wrench, a couple of bottles of distilled water, some cleaning dustcloths, gloves for you, safety glasses for your eyes, a hydrometer (it measures the gravity of the electrolyte solution) and also a voltmeter (to gauge voltage). You may desire to toss in some sodium bicarbonate and also vaseline as well.

    The adhering to are measures you can take to guarantee your golf cart or course mower launches once more as spring occurs.

    1. Check out the supplier’s upkeep guide
    Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. Don’t attempt to play with the little engine if you’ve never dealt with one before. If you discover anything uncommon, take your golf cart or mower to the closest dealership for an examination. Don’t wait until springtime to have your little engine examined.

    2. Get rid of the battery
    Before saving your golf mower or cart for the winter months, remove the battery as well as disconnect it from the booster cable. Shop your battery in a refuge, far from heated elements, gas or heating system. Wipe it tidy and brush off the battery terminal with a metal brush. Examine for any type of cracks or borken components. If the supplier recommends special cleaning services for your battery, offer it an excellent cleaning prior to placing it away. If there are no spcial instructions, pure water ought to suffice. Prevent utilizing harsh cleaning chemicals. The majority of golf cart or lawn mower troubles are because of poorly preserved batteries.

    3. Store in a safe, covered location
    Shop your golf cart or lawn mower away from heating systems, heaters and gas containers. Additionally make sure that it is not place near any type of open home windows where water damage may happen.

    4. Place it away tidy
    Tidy your cart or lawn mower before keeping it. Laundry off any type of leaves, turf, recurring dirt, dried or wet mud, as well as moisture pockets from both the major exterior and also beneath. Rub out grass as well as dust from around the blade utilizing a long-handled brush – Do not use your bare hands! When you tidy your lawn mower, disconnect the ignition system lead cord, wind it up gently and tape it together.

    5. Get rid of remaining fuel
    You ought to end up off any kind of gas that is staying in your storage tank (if it makes use of fuel) or add a fuel preserver prior to storage space. Review the guidelines for the gas preserver meticulously before using. After including it plug your lawn mower or cart and also let the engine run for a couple of minutes. This should offer the gas preserver sufficient time to undergo the carburetor. One good thing concerning gas preservers (also called stabilizers) is that they keep the fuel fresh in the engine for as long as half a year. You can now shut off the engine.

    Follow these easy actions for storage space and also your golf cart or lawn mower will certainly launch in a breeze.

    ~ Ben Anton, 2008

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