Solar Maintenance Scheduler
Give one system a 12-month service plan, with who does each job and a box to tick when it is done.
Solar panels have no moving parts, so it’s easy to forget them for years. A short routine catches the things that cost money: a dirty array, an inverter showing a fault, shade from a tree that grew, a battery that needs water.
This scheduler is for homeowners, maintenance companies and installers. Say what the system is made of, when it went in and where it is. You get a 12-month plan that shows who does each job, with a tick box for each. The plan builds in your browser, and nothing is uploaded.
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A common routine, not a maker schedule. Your equipment manuals and your installer come first. Leave roof, wiring and battery work to a licensed professional. Data as of October 2026.
How this tool works
Where the plan comes from
Every plan starts the same way. Check the monitoring app or the inverter light each month. Look over the panels from the ground a few times a year, and clean them only when dirt has built up. Have a professional look at the system once a year, or every two years if you choose that. The NREL best-practices guide for PV operations and maintenance says cleaning should follow a cost-benefit view of your site and may be seasonal, and that most sites rely on rain. Solar Victoria, a state government program in Australia, says to have a licensed electrician service a home system at least every 2 years, and never to use a pressure washer on the panels.
Your answers add to that. A dusty area gets a monthly panel check and an inverter filter check every three months. Trees and pollen add checks in spring and fall. A coastal site gets a check every other month. In freezing months the plan swaps washing for a look for storm damage. Enter a ZIP code and the tool finds the cold months from 20 years of NASA temperature data. Without one, the Snowy winters box covers December to February. A ground mount gets a vegetation check in the growing season, taken as the months that average above 10 °C (50 °F), or April to October when you leave out the ZIP code.
Batteries add their own jobs. Lithium gets a status check every three months. Flooded lead-acid gets a monthly check of the water level and terminals, and an equalizing charge if your charger doesn’t do it. AGM or gel gets a three-monthly look for swelling and loose cables, with a reminder never to add water or equalize. Those lead-acid notes follow Trojan Battery’s user guide.
If you give the install date, the professional visit lands in the anniversary month. The first one is a first-year check, which NREL calls the second stage of commissioning. Without a date, the visit is set two months before your sunniest month, so a fault is found before the best production season.
Tip: compare each month’s output with the same month last year, not with last month. Sun hours change a lot through the year, and the same-month comparison is the one that shows a real drop.
What it doesn’t do
- It doesn’t send reminders or calendar files. Print the PDF or keep it where you’ll see it.
- It isn’t the maker’s schedule. Your panel, inverter and battery manuals come first, and some warranties need specific service.
- It doesn’t replace a professional. Roof work, anything behind a cover and battery wiring are for a licensed electrician or your installer.
Where the numbers come from
- Best Practices for Operation and Maintenance of Photovoltaic and Energy Storage Systems, 3rd Edition, NREL, Sandia and SunSpec, 2018 (NREL/TP-7A40-73822). Seasonal cleaning from a cost-benefit view, filter cleaning after dusty conditions, yearly roof maintenance under warranty, and a second commissioning stage after a year.
- How to clean and maintain solar panels, Solar Victoria. Professional service at least every 2 years, no pressure washers, and a check of the inverter lights and data.
- How to maintain your flooded lead-acid battery and the Trojan Battery user guide for AES, AGM, gel and flooded batteries. Water level, terminals, equalizing, and no water or equalizing for AGM and gel.
- Warranty coverage, EnergySage. String inverter warranties of about 10 years, which the note for older systems uses.
- NASA POWER, daily data 2006–2025 at the center of each 3-digit ZIP area, data as of October 2026.
Questions
How often should solar panels be cleaned?
There’s no single answer. NREL says cleaning should follow the cost of cleaning against the output you lose, and notes that many sites rely on rain. Clean when dirt has built up, after a dusty or pollen season, or when output drops against the same month last year.
How often should a solar system have a professional service?
Solar Victoria says at least every 2 years. Many installers and some warranties ask for a yearly check, so the tool lets you pick either. Follow what your installer and your manuals say.
Can I clean panels with a pressure washer?
No. Solar Victoria says never to use a pressure hose. Rinse with a garden hose and a soft brush, early or late in the day when the panels are cool, and stay off the roof.
Should I wash the panels in winter?
Not in freezing weather. The plan tells you to look for damage instead, and to wait for snow and ice to melt rather than scraping them.
What is the first-year check?
NREL recommends commissioning in two parts, with the second after a year of operation. For a system under a year old, the plan puts the professional visit at the one-year mark and calls it the first-year check.
Does it cover more than one system?
One system at a time. For several sites in one report, use the Solar Maintenance and Warranty Manager.
Are my entries saved?
Only in your own browser, on this device, so your last plan is there when you return. Nothing goes to our servers. The Clear all entries button wipes them.
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