Solar-System Maintenance: What Your Service Technician Should Do, and What You Can Do Yourself

As with any heating and cooling system, a little care goes a long way. If you have a solar system installed in your home, you can expect to invest a little time into maintaining it. Solar-system maintenance is a twofold process that allows the homeowner and solar technician to work together for best performance. There are some preemptive measures you can take to significantly reduce the amount of solar-system maintenance required. But beyond that, involving a qualified technician to repair or replace your system is the best measure to make sure you are getting the most from your system.

Here are some things you can do to inspect your system to make sure it stays in good working condition:

• Check the collectors of your system annually to make sure they are not being blocked by vegetation or new construction. Even partial shading of your system can decrease its performance.
• Clean your collectors when you notice they are dirty. A build up of dust on the collectors affects the performance just like shade.
• Check around the system for leaks, cracks or other compromised areas of your unit. Seal leaks and cracks immediately.
• Keep the sealant around your roof penetrations in good condition.
• Regularly check the nuts and bolts on the support structure of your system, if it is not roof mounted.
• If your unit has a liquid heating collector, regularly check to make sure the pressure release valve isn’t stuck open or closed. This is also a great time to check that the dampers aren’t sticking.

For a qualified technician to perform solar-system maintenance, Contact us at Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical for the number one customer service experience in the Carolinas. We’re always happy to answer questions or offer expert advice.