The roof you would rather not climb
Two people, one ladder, pure water, and nobody standing on glass.
How do you wash a pitched roof?
With two people: one on the roof, harnessed when the pitch calls for it, and one on the ground feeding the pole and footing the ladder. The brush reaches the panels from the shingles beside them, never from the glass.
What makes home roofs tricky?
Pitch and height
Steep or two-story roofs need a harness anchor first, which adds time and $25 to $50.
Bottom-edge strip
Rain carries dirt down to the lower frame, where it dries in a band over the bottom cells.
The gap underneath
Skedaddle Wildlife Control names pigeons the most frequent solar wildlife issue around Denver.
Trees and chimneys
Overhanging limbs drop sap and seeds; flue soot settles on the rows downwind.
How does the crew get up?
A ladder goes up at a gutter corner away from the array and is tied off at the top. On walkable pitches the roof person works from the shingles beside the rows; on steeper roofs they clip into an anchor first. Water-fed poles reach the far panels, so nobody leans, kneels or steps on a module.
What fits a home roof?
Solar panel cleaning
The four-pass wash itself: read, look, rinse, prove, on a cool morning.
Two-season plan
Two washes timed after cottonwood season and after the late-summer dust.
Pigeons nesting under solar panels
What to do when birds move into the space under the array.
Storm check
A panel-by-panel look with photos after a real hailstorm.
What does a year look like?
Note your baseline
Jot down clear-day output before pollen arrives; later washes are measured against it.
Spring wash
Once cottonwood fluff stops falling, a pure-water wash and a glass-level check.
Late-summer wash
After the dry, dusty months, a second rinse while the autumn sun is still strong.
What owners ask about home roofs
Will you walk on my roof?
Yes, on the shingles, never on the panels. On a walkable pitch our roof person stands beside the rows; on anything steeper they work in a harness tied to an anchor. If a roof cannot be worked safely, such as brittle tile or very steep slate, we tell you before booking.
Does a two-story home cost more?
Sometimes. Two-story roofs and steep pitches can add $25 to $50 to the indicative price, because setup takes longer and the harness has to be anchored. A single wash starts from $149 for up to 20 panels. We confirm the figure from a photo or satellite view before you book.
Can you clear snow off my roof panels?
No. We do not remove snow from rooftop arrays, because raking scratches glass and puts people on icy shingles. On the Front Range, sun on the dark glass usually slides snow off within a few days of a storm. If snow is loading gutters or building ice dams, call a roofer.
Will the wash affect my shingles?
It should not. We use about 1 to 2 gallons of pure water per panel, no soap and no pressure, so shingles and flashing are left alone. If we see lifted shingles or loose flashing near the array, we photograph it and suggest a roofer, since roof repair is not our work.
Want us to look at yours?
Send the address and a photo. We confirm access and price before anyone climbs.