Clearing snow from the solar thermal system. What are your solutions?

Hi dear Forianer!

I have a solar thermal system (normal collectors, no tubes) on my gable roof that provides me with heat for water heating. Of course, if thick snow lies on the collectors in winter, it doesn't work. Since I live in an area with heavy snow, this is a real problem. What solutions are there for this, can I simply use a soft broom?

Contact your collector manufacturer to find out whether the system is equipped with a de-icing function or can be equipped with one. The de-icing works by pumping warm buffer water into the collectors. Experience shows that about 5 minutes are sufficient to melt the snow; the water temperature in the buffer tank then drops by about 1°C.

There are now mechanical devices that remove snow from solar systems; these work like automatic snow pushers. Such systems can be retrofitted. A soft broom probably works as well, but your safety should come before the yield of the solar system. After all, you would be climbing around on a snowy roof.

Thank you for the tip about the "automatic snow plow". In my case, it is much cheaper than the de-icing that the manufacturer tried to sell me.

This topic is becoming relevant again. There are different opinions regarding snow removal. Now I have read that with a thick layer of snow and icing on the solar system, the operators take care of it. However, I do not know how they do that.

That depends on how thick the snow cover is and how long it has been there. So a light snowfall is not a problem. Some roofers do that here and the operating company does not need to be called. But it depends on the price. It can become a big and expensive problem.

That is quite a sensitive topic if not done properly. I would also hire the company that installed these solar panels for me. They know their solar panels best.