Solar panel maintenance through the year in Tricity

A rooftop solar system has no moving parts and needs little attention. What it does need follows Tricity’s seasons: smog and fog in winter, dust storms before summer, then the monsoon. This guide sets out what to do and when, what an owner can do safely, and what should be left to a technician.

The year at a glance

Months	What the weather does	What to do
January and February	Fog, smog and short days lower output	Rinse after smoggy spells. Expect lower output, which is normal
March	Dust starts, and the strongest sun of the year is coming	A thorough clean. Trim trees that have grown towards the panels. Clear bird nests
April and May	Heat and dust storms	Rinse every week or two in dusty spells. Check the frame and panels after each storm
June	Pre-monsoon storms and the first rain	A health check: earthing, connections, cables, frame bolts and the roof drains
July to September	Heavy rain washes the panels	Check after storms. Make sure water drains away from the structure’s footings
October	Silt left by the rain, and the smoke season begins	A post-monsoon clean, and a check for rust and loose bolts
November and December	Smog and dust settle fastest	Clean every two to four weeks

Cleaning

Cleaning is the one job owners do most, and it matters most in the smog and dust months. Use plain water and a soft brush on a long handle, early in the morning or in the evening, never detergents or a pressure washer. Our guide to cleaning solar panels in dust and smog covers it step by step.

Watch the app, not just the panels

The monitoring app is the best maintenance tool you have. Look at it once a week:

Compare like with like. A sunny day in March should produce about as much as a sunny day the previous March.
Look for sudden drops. A fall of a third or more on a clear day usually means a fault, a tripped breaker or new shade, not dirt.
Check it after power cuts and storms. An on-grid inverter restarts on its own when the grid returns. If it does not, call your installer.

Checks before the monsoon

June is the most important check of the year, because the monsoon brings lightning, high winds and water. A technician should look at:

Earthing. The earth connections, and the earth resistance, which should stay low
The lightning arrester and its connection
DC and AC connections for heat marks or looseness, and the protection boxes for water entry
Cables: clipped in place, not rubbing on sharp edges, not lying where water collects
Structure bolts and the anchors in the roof
The roof drains under and around the structure, so water does not pool at the footings

After a storm

From the roof, look for panels that have shifted, cracked glass, cables pulled loose, branches or debris on the panels, and anything that has hit the frame. Do not touch damaged panels or cables. A cracked panel still produces voltage in daylight. Photograph the damage and call your installer. Storm damage is not covered by the manufacturers’ warranties, so it is worth asking your insurer whether the system can be added to your home policy. Our guide to solar warranties explains what is and is not covered.

The inverter

Inverters reduce output when they run hot. Keep the space around the inverter clear, keep its vents free of dust and cobwebs, and do not let anything be stored against it. If it is on an outside wall in full afternoon sun, ask whether a small sunshade can be fitted. Never open the inverter or the protection boxes yourself.

Birds and monkeys

Pigeons nest under raised panels, and their droppings and nesting material collect around the frame and cables. Monkeys, common in parts of Tricity, pull at cables and sit on panels. Bird mesh fitted around the edge of the array keeps pigeons out. Report chewed or pulled cables straight away.

Batteries, for hybrid systems

Lithium batteries need no routine maintenance beyond keeping them cool and ventilated. Tubular batteries need their water level checked and topped up with distilled water every few months, and their terminals kept clean. Our battery comparison covers the differences.

What owners should leave alone

Opening the inverter, the DC box or the AC box
Disconnecting or reconnecting the DC cables or connectors
Climbing onto a raised structure or standing on panels
Tightening anything electrical

The 4-Year Care Shield

Every home system from Maya Green Power includes the 4-Year Care Shield: four visits a year, timed to these seasons. March is a pre-summer clean, June a pre-monsoon health check with a one-page report, October a post-monsoon clean and rust check, and December a smog-season clean. Between visits, we review your generation each month and call you if it falls more than 15% below what we expected.

Common questions

How often should rooftop solar be serviced?

Panels need cleaning every few weeks in Tricity's dusty and smoggy months, which owners can do themselves. A technician should check the system at least once a year, ideally in June before the monsoon, looking at the earthing, connections, cables and structure.

What maintenance does a solar inverter need?

Very little: keep the area around it clear and the vents free of dust, so it does not overheat, and watch the app for error messages or drops in output. Repairs should be left to the installer or the manufacturer.

Do solar panels need cleaning in the monsoon?

Usually not during heavy rain, which washes them. Light rain and drizzle can leave streaks of dried mud, and the end of the monsoon leaves silt, so a clean in late September or October is worthwhile.

How do I stop pigeons nesting under my solar panels?

Bird mesh fitted around the edge of the array keeps pigeons from getting underneath. Remove existing nests and droppings first, because they hold moisture against the frame and cables.