There are a broad variety of factors that can damage your solar panels. Things like hurricanes, high winds, and large hail storms can cause damage to your solar array. Damage can also come from stray balls, or other objects hitting your solar panel. Fortunately, you can repair your solar panels and avoid having to purchase new ones.
Determining the Extent of the Damage
The first thing you want to do is to survey the extent of the damage to your solar system. Check everything, including the wiring, glass components and the mounting frame. Make sure that you inspect every inch so that you do not miss any broken pieces.
Repairing the Mounting Frame
The first repair that you want to do is to repair the mounting frame if it has been damaged. Make sure that the bolts and cables that are holding it in place are not damaged. If there have been strong winds, these can damage the mounting frame. You will want to tighten the solar panels down to ensure that the mounting frame is secure. Make sure you replace any broken cables.
Repairing Broken Glass
Before you even try to repair the broken glass on your solar panels, make sure that the panel still works. Allow the panel to charge for an entire 24 hours to see if it generates energy. Broken panels will not generate that much energy, but as long as they are producing some energy is not broken. If the panels are still generating power despite their condition, you need to repair the broken glass. If the glass breaks are just minor, you will not need to replace this. Just use pieces of stained glass tape to reattach the broken parts together. You will want to make sure that you trim the tape so it will only cover a small part of the glass. If your glass has cracks across the surface, the glass will need to be replaced. Simply remove the glass from the mount and attach a new glass.
Repairing Any Loose Connections
If you found loose connections during your initial inspection, you will want to make sure that you repair these immediately. You will want to make a cut inside the silicone that is embedded on the solar cells. Once you have the cells exposed, you will want to reach into the back of the cells to resolve loose connections. If you cannot reach the connections with the soldering gun, use a silver impregnated glue to reattach the loose wires.
Repairing Any Burnt Terminals
You will need to test the terminals on your solar system to see if they are working. If you find one that is not working, you will need to replace them immediately. This process is simple and will take you just a few minutes to repair.
Repairing your solar panels is quite easy. You will just need to make sure that you do a full inspection to find the extent of the damage and make sure that you get everything fixed. Getting everything fixed in a timely manner will ensure that your solar array works as it should.
