Links to the parts & pieces in the video (affiliate links) ------------------------------------ Sno Brum: amzn.to/40i47wD Vevor 6-24' Telescopic Pole - Amazon: amzn.to/3DIS7M8 - Vevor: s.vevor.com/bfRxS5 (5% Off Code: VVPROMO) RYOBI ONE+ Leaf Blower: amzn.to/4a6F1V6 Reongy 100W Solar Panels: amzn.to/4a4yEkP SanTan Solar 250W Panels: bit.ly/3ynS8CJ For more information, please check out my website with links to all the components, materials and products I have used in developing my off-grid solar system: going-off-grid.com Supporting the Channel -------------------------------------------------- There are several ways that you can help support this channel. - Affiliate links help the channel by providing me with a small commission of the sale. It does not change the cost for you at all. - Buy me a Coffee - buymeacoffee.com/goingoffgrv - You can also click on the "Thanks" button under the video to support the channel. - You can become a channel member and receive additional perks: bit.ly/3Wdufqv Thank you for your support!
The last time it snowed in my home town (2004) I didn't have any solar panels. The time before that when it snowed I was away to college. That was 1967. Before that it snowed in 1953 (I think)... I didn't know anything about anything. But I watched your entire video. LOL!
I have been using the same type of end for clearing my panels. Mine is a push pull end. It works great but like you discovered you can get aggressive if you use the short end to break up ice or whatever. I end up bending the pole or breaking it. I still have to get up on the roof tho. Looking for a new pole meow actually!
@@AveRage_Joe yeah I was wondering if you had to get up on the roof with all your arrays. I haven’t had a lot of the wet heavy snow to deal with yet so we’ll see how the pole lasts…
I did ground mount only to make it easy to clean. I have a nylon broom that i use for this, only. Happy new year and thanks for doing what you do for the solar community!
I too live in Michigan. I use a soft bristle 24' wide push broom with teloscoping painters pole. Works great as long as I broom the snow off before it freezes.
@AdamDeLayDIY Just a few inches here & there over the last few days. Sometimes, the wind will keep snow from accumulating on my panels. It is windy where I live, I am surrounded by farm land.
I've been using a pool brush on a pool pole. They extend really far and allow you to get up pretty high as well. Nice and soft, doesn't get stuck on the bolts either but probably not as robust as the snow brum.
A tip for your snow rake on an extended pole. Start using the thicker extensions, the thinner diameter extensions near the top can bend or break, just use as much of the heavier extensions, and be careful when you need to use the full length of the extension pole, go slow to prevent bending the extension pole..
Wisconsinite here, Dedicated push broom, roof rake, and after ice storms window scraper on extension pole (to get the process started). But the best thing for winter are my vertical panels nothing sticks to them at all. I would never climb up on the roof in winter, one slip and you will never in your lifetime make enough power to cover the cost of the accident!
@@AdamDeLayDIY I have 6 panels mounted vertically on the side of my shop, from November through spring they are my best performers. But during peak summer I get shading on 2 of them I lose some power from them. Its interesting to see different orientation changes throughout the year. I have 33 panels all south facing. 12 are seasonally adjusted from 30 degrees to 60 degrees, 8 fixed at 23 degrees (roof mounted), and 7 on a tracker (seasonally tilted by me, timed to follow the sun daily, which i disable during the winter as tracking is so limited this far north).
@@AdamDeLayDIY All of my panels face south. So it's both direct and reflected sunlight. They max out power way earlier in the day than the rest of my arrays, and with the snow not sticking on the panels, produce much faster also when it snows and I am not around to clear them.
@@jiminsav thanks Jim! With the new year, we’re trying to find a time where all our schedules fit. Seems like each day we’ve talked about so far, someone’s busy or working.
My panels are on the roof. Much too high to use extension poles. I live in the Pacific Northwest and if it snows a lot, I have to get out a shovel. If it’s not too bad, I can use the broom like you do, but I’ll look into the blue car snow remover. 🖖
@@snoflite5234 boy I would love an array like that! Very cool! Usually I do adjust my ground mounts but I got a little lazy this year… I was surprised, as you saw in the video, that the coop roof was sliding off on its own. It probably would have cleared itself. The actual roof arrays on the iron ridge system were the ones not clearing themselves…. Must have something to do with the gap between the panels.
@@Ojames600 yeah they are so much easier to maintain. I need to build another one out back in the pasture. Unfortunately it’ll take a lot of trenching and wiring to get it all the way to the house…
Did you happen to record the difference in power output between when the panels were snow-covered and when they were clean? That would have been an interesting piece of data.
I knew I forgot to add something! So the arrays are all tied to different systems, but one system shows that I had a combined total of 49W on 3 different strings and after I had things cleared, there's a noticeable jump up to 278W. Every little bit helps!
It's interesting to see what you have to do to keep snow off them but it must be a bit frustrating to spend an hour cleaning them only to have it snow again and cover it all back up. I wonder how practical it would be to have a tough clear plastic sheet that you could wind up and down (one roll at the ridge of the roof, one at the gutter, wind onto the gutter roll then wind it back up) to clear it. No snow here but it does rain a lot at times. Depending on the measurement station in town there's been 100mm to 200mm (3.5 to 7.5 inches) so far this year. December saw around 350mm at all stations.
@@retrozmachine1189 whatever it takes to keep the power flowing…😁 If there was some way to automate the deployment and retraction of the cover, that would be sweet! I know I’ve seen a few threads on the diy solar forum recently about automatic panel clearing. It’ll be interesting to see what they come up with. Lots of rain just seems depressing to me.
Depends on how cold it actually is. I've done that in the past. Filled up my son's squirt gun bottle with water to try and clear off panels on the roof. It works ok if the sun's actually out and can help warm up the panels once they're exposed. If it's too cold, you'll just be adding a layer of ice on your panels.
I was hoping for something new lol. I use the snow rake my snow comes a foot at a time sometimes more this year so it is a challenge especially the roof mounts and I have both same as you. If or maybe when the sun comes out it does slide off if I can get the bottom row clean. I think the only way would be to reverse the voltage flow to warm up the panels but nobody has come up with that yet and I don't experiment too much any more. I do like the extension pole maybe I'll order one or wait for spring I know that works. Cheers
@@offgridwanabe haha, I’m hoping for something new from y’all in the comments! I do know there’s a few threads on the diy solar forum right now about automatic panel clearing. Hopefully they come up with something new and simple!
Adam great content 👍 but there’s always a but 😊 please go outside right now and throw that ladder away !!! Year before last I fell off a ladder had to have my right shoulder rebuilt 9 months of PT and recovery (it was absolutely horrible) . Love the channel keep up the good work and please for your fans throw that ladder in the burn pile.🙏🙏🙏
@@CharlesManess thanks! Sorry to hear about your fall. Hopefully things are all healed up. You know that ladder actually was left at our house when we bought it. If I remember it was actually outside. That thing has been through a lot of projects here. I imagine it’ll end up being retired at some point. Hopefully it never comes to this but I’ve found that videos that include harm or injury tend to do the best…go figure…
Links to the parts & pieces in the video (affiliate links)
------------------------------------
Sno Brum: amzn.to/40i47wD
Vevor 6-24' Telescopic Pole
- Amazon: amzn.to/3DIS7M8
- Vevor: s.vevor.com/bfRxS5 (5% Off Code: VVPROMO)
RYOBI ONE+ Leaf Blower: amzn.to/4a6F1V6
Reongy 100W Solar Panels: amzn.to/4a4yEkP
SanTan Solar 250W Panels: bit.ly/3ynS8CJ
For more information, please check out my website with links to all the components, materials and products I have used in developing my off-grid solar system: going-off-grid.com
Supporting the Channel
--------------------------------------------------
There are several ways that you can help support this channel.
- Affiliate links help the channel by providing me with a small commission of the sale. It does not change the cost for you at all.
- Buy me a Coffee - buymeacoffee.com/goingoffgrv
- You can also click on the "Thanks" button under the video to support the channel.
- You can become a channel member and receive additional perks: bit.ly/3Wdufqv
Thank you for your support!
The snow broom and extension pole looks good!. Thanks for sharing!
@@CountryViewAcres thanks Evan! Do y’all have a lot of snow to deal with where you’re at?
The last time it snowed in my home town (2004) I didn't have any solar panels. The time before that when it snowed I was away to college. That was 1967. Before that it snowed in 1953 (I think)... I didn't know anything about anything. But I watched your entire video. LOL!
I don't miss the snow, we spend most of the winter here under clouds and chilly rainy weather. Thank goodness I can ground mount my panels :)
@@UnkyjoesPlayhouse haha, I would rather have snow than just cold and rain…but that’s just me… 😁
I have been using the same type of end for clearing my panels. Mine is a push pull end. It works great but like you discovered you can get aggressive if you use the short end to break up ice or whatever. I end up bending the pole or breaking it. I still have to get up on the roof tho. Looking for a new pole meow actually!
@@AveRage_Joe yeah I was wondering if you had to get up on the roof with all your arrays. I haven’t had a lot of the wet heavy snow to deal with yet so we’ll see how the pole lasts…
I did ground mount only to make it easy to clean. I have a nylon broom that i use for this, only.
Happy new year and thanks for doing what you do for the solar community!
@@bobcole3852 happy new year to you as well Bob! Thanks!
I too live in Michigan.
I use a soft bristle 24' wide push broom with teloscoping painters pole. Works great as long as I broom the snow off before it freezes.
@@noname-vu5gq nice! Have you gotten a lot of snow recently?
@AdamDeLayDIY
Just a few inches here & there over the last few days.
Sometimes, the wind will keep snow from accumulating on my panels. It is windy where I live, I am surrounded by farm land.
@ yeah I’m sure the wind helps. I’m surrounded by trees so that does limit the wind but it also limits the production potential as well…
Mid Atlantic, not much snow, roof mount, let it melt and clean my pannels, but did like snow broom. Thanks for sharing!
@@leeshively669 thanks! Hopefully this upcoming weather system doesn’t bring you a ton of snow…😁
I've been using a pool brush on a pool pole. They extend really far and allow you to get up pretty high as well. Nice and soft, doesn't get stuck on the bolts either but probably not as robust as the snow brum.
@@joeschmidt9503 that’s actually a great idea as well, especially if you already have it for a pool! Thanks!
A tip for your snow rake on an extended pole. Start using the thicker extensions, the thinner diameter extensions near the top can bend or break, just use as much of the heavier extensions, and be careful when you need to use the full length of the extension pole, go slow to prevent bending the extension pole..
That's a great idea! Thanks for the tip!
I don't miss ANY of that!!!
@@williambryce8527 🤣🤣🤣
Wisconsinite here, Dedicated push broom, roof rake, and after ice storms window scraper on extension pole (to get the process started). But the best thing for winter are my vertical panels nothing sticks to them at all. I would never climb up on the roof in winter, one slip and you will never in your lifetime make enough power to cover the cost of the accident!
@@rccrashed thanks for sharing! How big of a vertical array do you have? Is it worth it?
@@AdamDeLayDIY I have 6 panels mounted vertically on the side of my shop, from November through spring they are my best performers. But during peak summer I get shading on 2 of them I lose some power from them. Its interesting to see different orientation changes throughout the year. I have 33 panels all south facing. 12 are seasonally adjusted from 30 degrees to 60 degrees, 8 fixed at 23 degrees (roof mounted), and 7 on a tracker (seasonally tilted by me, timed to follow the sun daily, which i disable during the winter as tracking is so limited this far north).
@ what direction do your vertical panels face? Do they get direct sunlight or is it ambient/reflective light?
@@AdamDeLayDIY All of my panels face south. So it's both direct and reflected sunlight. They max out power way earlier in the day than the rest of my arrays, and with the snow not sticking on the panels, produce much faster also when it snows and I am not around to clear them.
Have just posted a video on the same topic with my option !
Have also the option to change the heads of my extension pole !
Cheers
@@SoluSolaire very nice! Yeah it gives you a lot of different options when you use those types of extension poles! Merci!
Hello Adam. great video. when are you and the guys going to do another live?
@@jiminsav thanks Jim!
With the new year, we’re trying to find a time where all our schedules fit. Seems like each day we’ve talked about so far, someone’s busy or working.
My panels are on the roof. Much too high to use extension poles.
I live in the Pacific Northwest and if it snows a lot, I have to get out a shovel. If it’s not too bad, I can use the broom like you do, but I’ll look into the blue car snow remover. 🖖
@@simon359 stay safe when you have to get on the roof! Hopefully it’s not too often!
Still no rain this winter in Baghdad.
@@HybridShedIraq what’s the lowest average temp you get over there?
@@AdamDeLayDIY it gets as low as 2c in the night and average 15c in winter morning.
@@HybridShedIraq boy that would be a heat wave for me…. 😁
@AdamDeLayDIY sure, cold and hot weather is battery killer. By the way, I added new MB31 cells to my existing 40kw bank. 😅
@ awesome! Did you just do 1 set of 16? What bms did you go with?
You should try 300+ feet of array, 2 panels high. Only good part is my mounts are adjustable to 55 degree pitch so most falls off easy.
@@snoflite5234 boy I would love an array like that! Very cool! Usually I do adjust my ground mounts but I got a little lazy this year…
I was surprised, as you saw in the video, that the coop roof was sliding off on its own. It probably would have cleared itself. The actual roof arrays on the iron ridge system were the ones not clearing themselves…. Must have something to do with the gap between the panels.
Off Grid Garage music...
I also noticed the same. I like it!
@@armandvermeulen2947 hehe. Actually both songs are regularly used by YT channels. Do you know who the other one is from?
I use the same thing for the last 3 years
@@timlochner9147 must be working well for you! Thanks!
Yup easily way I found
This is why all my panels are ground mounted. So easier to build and maintained.
@@Ojames600 yeah they are so much easier to maintain. I need to build another one out back in the pasture. Unfortunately it’ll take a lot of trenching and wiring to get it all the way to the house…
Did you happen to record the difference in power output between when the panels were snow-covered and when they were clean? That would have been an interesting piece of data.
I knew I forgot to add something! So the arrays are all tied to different systems, but one system shows that I had a combined total of 49W on 3 different strings and after I had things cleared, there's a noticeable jump up to 278W. Every little bit helps!
It's interesting to see what you have to do to keep snow off them but it must be a bit frustrating to spend an hour cleaning them only to have it snow again and cover it all back up. I wonder how practical it would be to have a tough clear plastic sheet that you could wind up and down (one roll at the ridge of the roof, one at the gutter, wind onto the gutter roll then wind it back up) to clear it. No snow here but it does rain a lot at times. Depending on the measurement station in town there's been 100mm to 200mm (3.5 to 7.5 inches) so far this year. December saw around 350mm at all stations.
@@retrozmachine1189 whatever it takes to keep the power flowing…😁
If there was some way to automate the deployment and retraction of the cover, that would be sweet! I know I’ve seen a few threads on the diy solar forum recently about automatic panel clearing. It’ll be interesting to see what they come up with.
Lots of rain just seems depressing to me.
what about some water sprayed on them?
Depends on how cold it actually is. I've done that in the past. Filled up my son's squirt gun bottle with water to try and clear off panels on the roof. It works ok if the sun's actually out and can help warm up the panels once they're exposed. If it's too cold, you'll just be adding a layer of ice on your panels.
Please record a complete video of removing snow piled up on the car...please thanks :)
It's no different from removing snow off the panels. Use the Sno Brum to push/pull the snow off...
@@AdamDeLayDIY lol...i know..but i like to watch snow removal off the cars/trucks... thanks :)
I was hoping for something new lol. I use the snow rake my snow comes a foot at a time sometimes more this year so it is a challenge especially the roof mounts and I have both same as you. If or maybe when the sun comes out it does slide off if I can get the bottom row clean. I think the only way would be to reverse the voltage flow to warm up the panels but nobody has come up with that yet and I don't experiment too much any more. I do like the extension pole maybe I'll order one or wait for spring I know that works. Cheers
@@offgridwanabe haha, I’m hoping for something new from y’all in the comments!
I do know there’s a few threads on the diy solar forum right now about automatic panel clearing. Hopefully they come up with something new and simple!
I have trackers never once have I cleaned snow off
@@royamberg9177 the eco flow tracker? What’s your max output on it and what do you think overall?
DHsolar tracker there was 16 60 cell panels on it but wind raised hell with them so I went to 12 panels no more problems @@AdamDeLayDIY
@ nice! Thanks!
Adam great content 👍 but there’s always a but 😊 please go outside right now and throw that ladder away !!! Year before last I fell off a ladder had to have my right shoulder rebuilt 9 months of PT and recovery (it was absolutely horrible) . Love the channel keep up the good work and please for your fans throw that ladder in the burn pile.🙏🙏🙏
@@CharlesManess thanks!
Sorry to hear about your fall. Hopefully things are all healed up.
You know that ladder actually was left at our house when we bought it. If I remember it was actually outside. That thing has been through a lot of projects here. I imagine it’ll end up being retired at some point.
Hopefully it never comes to this but I’ve found that videos that include harm or injury tend to do the best…go figure…