Solar panels are becoming an attractive and essential investment recently. The investment gives us comfort and the doubt whether the solar panels make noise. Do you hear some unusual noise from your roof? It might be from your solar panel.
Do solar panels make noise? Ideally, they should not be making any noise. Solar panels are designed exclusively to be free from any noise, be it at any time of the day. Solar panels that are equipped with moving parts are also designed in such a way that their movement does not create any noise.
While the solar panels cannot make any noise, what is the sound around the solar panel? Let us discuss why you keep hearing the sound from the solar panels and how to prevent them.
Let us get started.
Why do solar panels make noise?
While the solar panels by themselves cannot make noise, there are certainly other reasons why you may hear the sound from the solar panels. Let us look at each of them in detail.
1. Inverter Humming
The inverter is one of the essential kits you would require for solar panels. The inverters convert the Direct Current (DC) produced by the solar panels and Alternative Current (AC), which is suitable for household appliances.
Not all the inverters create humming noise, and it depends on the quality of the inverter. If you are using the string inverters, you will undoubtedly get the humming noise of the inverter.
The excellent quality inverters create noise as low as 45 decibels, which never disturbs us. The microinverters never make any humming noise. If you think your inverter is the culprit, reach out to your manufacturer soon.
You can probably try placing your inverter in an enclosed area to minimize the noise. But, that will not help you in the long run.
2. Inverter Fans
Inverters should usually be set up in cool and shaded areas. But, if you have put up your inverter in direct sunlight, they might use their fans to cool down.
If your household demands more electricity, it may make the inverters use the fan.
When the inverters use the fans, they may create noise. Well, the noise will be minimal.
3. Dangled Cabling
Solar panels require a lot of cables to be connected between each panel and to place them on the roof.
It is important to make sure that these cables are correctly clipped. If they appear loose, they may start moving and dangle in the wind, and this may cause noise from the solar panels.
If you think the dangled cabling could be the reason for the noise, then clip them up to resolve the noise. Well, always use the services of a professional to check them up.
4. Loose Racking
Solar panels need to be fixed in the roof raft affirm with the crews. If the screws are not appropriately set, the solar panels can be moving around, and you may always listen to a rattling sound. While this may be because of poor installation, sometimes it can happen over time.
If your racks are loose, make sure you call your installer and fix it immediately. The open racks may enable the solar panels to move along the wind and sometimes disconnect.
5. Wind Noise
Solar panels are always noiseless. If none of the reasons mentioned above exists, the wind will probably make you feel the noise.
Especially during nights, when pitching dark and pin-drop silent when the wind passes through the small tunnels of the panel, it may create a whistling sound.
The sound of wind passing through the solar panels is not much of a concern as long as the solar panels are solid and sturdy.
Detecting the Solar Panels noise
If you are getting a noise from the solar panels and not sure where you get the sound from, you should probably test it at night.
During the night, the inverters are merely doing the data gathering process. So, there is no way that the inverters could create the sound. So, the reason should probably be open racking, dangled cabling, or the wind.
But, if you think the noise is not because of any of the reasons discussed, you should probably get your panels checked by professionals.
How to prevent the noise from Solar Panels?
Solar Panels deteriorate over time if they are not maintained or monitored correctly. While most of the time, the noise results from poor quality, in certain instances, it might just happen for no reason.
To keep your solar panels noise-free, you can follow the following strategies:
- There is a small space between the roof and the panels. This gives way for winds and animals to create a hush-and-bush. Fill the area with rubber pads. This makes sure the free space is occupied, and there is no room for any animal or wind to create a noise.
- If you find birds disturbing your solar panels, create or buy a bird scarer and place them near your solar panel.
- Ensure that the tree branches near the solar panels are trimmed off regularly.
- Ensure that the racks and cables are tight and do not dangle over the panel creating noises.
Is the size of the solar panels related to the noise that they make?
Well, the answer is both a Yes and No.
Why Yes?
Solar panels that are colossal need to be installed properly. Poor installation can create a lot of free space and make room for the birth and roof animals.
If the birds and animals find a perfect space for their dwelling, we know what they can do.
Similarly, larger panels require large inverters, and large inverters can create much more noise than smaller ones.
Why No?
Considering all the above factors and adequately installing the solar panels, they cannot make any noise regardless of their size.
So, size is not essential if all the strategies are correctly leveraged. But, there is always a slight risk in large panels.
Different types of noises, the causes, and solution
The solar panels usually make noise due to poor installation. We have discussed the cause of the sound and the solution to prevent it.
- The banging and popping noise could be due to contraction and expansion. If the panels are arranged close to each other, break them apart to enable the thermal changes to occur.
- The creaking noise could be the wind brushing through the loose panels. Make sure you hire a professional and fix the panels firm and sturdy.
- Poorly fixed screws cause the Rattling noise. Make sure you tighten them up to prevent them from rattling.
- If the climate is too windy, you might hear some shaking and blowing noise. Installing the rubber pads between the panel and roof can help prevent the scary noise.
- Some loose cables might dangle during wind and create a hitting noise if you have some loose cables. Make sure you fix the cables tight and do not allow them to dangle.
- If you have a slanted solar panel, you may find some spaces in between the roof and the panels. These spaces provide room for birds and animals to make noises. You may try fixing your solar panels flat against the ceiling. Also, try to avoid setting the tv antennas near the solar panels.
Are the Solar Panels harmful to your roof?
No. The solar panels need to be correctly installed to have comfortable usage, and improper installation can create a lot of hindrances and could harm your roof. So, make sure you hire a professional and ensure that the solar panels are correctly installed.
How long does a solar panel last?
The life of the solar panels depends much on the quality. The solar panels can survive approximately 25 to 30 years or even more if adequately maintained. Make sure you undertake regular maintenance and monitoring to ensure prolonged usage of the solar panels. But, of course, the quality may begin to decline over decades.
Conclusion
Solar panels are one of the best investments in recent days. They are designed so that there is either no or minimum noise. It is not just the way they are designed but also how they are installed. A well-installed solar panel works just fine without any noise.
Now that we have discussed the noises from the solar panel, you should be able to guess the reason for the unusual noise from your solar panel. If you can still figure out a solution for the noise, we would suggest hiring a professional expert to fix them.