Solar Panel & Roof Maintenance During Monsoon Season in AZ
Monsoon season is the time of year when the prevailing winds in an area change direction. Monsoons cause massive weather changes and can lead to significant wet or dry seasons in an area. Residents who live in an area with a monsoon season need to know how to stay safe and prepared when that season comes around.
While there are many things you can do to prepare for monsoon season, one of the biggest tasks on your to-do list should be roof maintenance. If you have a solar energy system, then roof maintenance also means solar panel maintenance. How do you best protect your roof and solar energy system during storms? What can you do to prevent damage in the first place? Find out with this guide to solar panel and roof maintenance during monsoon season in Arizona.
Monsoon Season in Arizona
In Arizona, monsoon season occurs when the dry, westerly winds that dominate fall, winter, and spring turn into the moist, southerly winds of summer. Monsoon season runs from June to September and can bring major thunderstorms, lightning, hail, strong winds, flash floods, and dust storms.
These unique weather patterns can bring a lot of trouble for Arizona homeowners. Strong winds can cause damage from debris, while rainfall can lead to serious leaks and other issues. If you have solar panels on your roof, fixing any damage or leaks becomes even more complicated than usual.
Professional solar panel maintenance can make these problems much easier to deal with. However, it’s important to know how to avoid roofing and solar panel issues in the first place. Below are a few ways to take care of your home before monsoon season hits so that you can be better prepared when the first storm of the season arrives.
Tips for Preparing Your Yard
Prevention is the best way to protect your home. You might not be able to climb on your roof and repair damaged shingles or leaks, but there are a few small tasks you can do around your property to reduce your chances of that kind of damage occurring in the first place. When monsoon season rolls around, make sure your home is ready by putting these tasks on your to-do list.
Trim Nearby Trees
Heavy wind and rain cause tree branches to break. If any smaller branches are close to your house, they might snap off and fall or blow into your home. As you prepare for monsoon season, keep an eye out for loose branches that hang too close to your roof—especially near your solar panels. Trim back any plants or trees that might prove hazardous during a storm.
Secure Items Around the Yard
The wind can also pick up items in your backyard. Relatively lightweight furniture and belongings such as plastic chairs and tables, sun umbrellas, and inflatable pools and toys can blow out of your yard during a storm. If the wind is blowing in the right direction, it can throw those items into your house and cause damage. Walk around your yard and secure or remove any items that might get picked up and blown away by heavy winds.
Check Your Roof Early
If you have a leak in your roof, you want to find it before monsoon season brings a lot of rain to your home. The best way to take care of your solar panels and roof during monsoon season in Arizona is to hire a professional to inspect your roof before anything bad happens. A roof inspection will show you where any damage is so that you can fix it before heavy winds and rain can make it worse. Checking and repairing your roof early lets you enter Arizona’s monsoon season with peace of mind.
Remove Solar Panels for Roof Work
If your roofing contractor needs to work under or around your solar energy system, you’ll need to remove the panels so that they can do their job safely and properly. However, if you’re trying to complete roof work before monsoon season arrives, time is of the essence.
Luckily, solar panels don’t have to make roof work complicated. An experienced solar professional like Solar Restore can safely dismantle and uninstall your solar panels. With the panels safely out of the way, your roofing contractor can complete their job without the extra hassle of working around a solar energy system.
When your roof work is complete, we’ll reinstall your panels. You’ll enter monsoon season with both your roof and your solar energy system in pristine condition.
Inspect for Damage After Storms
While prevention is invaluable, damage can still happen during monsoon season. That’s why it’s important to inspect your property after a big storm so that you can catch any early problems before they worsen or before the next storm rolls around.
Walk around your property and look for signs that your home took any serious damage. Keep an eye out for branches or other debris that landed on your roof, broken or missing shingles, or loose gutters. If you see any damage, be sure to call a roofing professional right away to come out and fix the problem.
Hire a Professional Solar Panel Cleaning Service
Rain isn’t the only hazard that comes with monsoon season. Dust storms can also harm your solar panels and lower the overall performance of your energy system. If too much dust settles on your solar panels after a storm, they won’t work as productively to provide energy to your home.
If you notice your system’s performance decreasing, hire a professional solar panel cleaning service. An expert team will know how to thoroughly clean your solar panels from dust—and other debris and grime—without harming the system or ruining your warranty. Cleaning your solar panels, especially after a big storm, is a great way to restore them to their full performance.
Make Inspections a Regular Routine
Solar panel inspections are a good idea all year long, but they’re especially important around monsoon season. Like roof inspections, routine solar inspections allow you to catch and address any problems before they become major issues.
Find Reliable Solar Panel Services in Arizona
When you need reliable services from a solar company in Phoenix, turn to Solar Restore. From inspections and cleaning to solar panel removal and reinstallation, we have the expertise you need to take care of your solar system and your roof throughout monsoon season.
