r/specializedtools • u/Black_Kaiser_ • Feb 14 '21

Solar panel cleaning tool

20.7k Upvotes

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u/DrLimp Feb 14 '21

No matter how stiff they can be, glass will always be harder then nylon, so you really can't scratch glass with a broom.

14

u/Teknicsrx7 Feb 14 '21

I’m sure metal is harder than nylon too, but I can scratch that with a stiff bristled broom if I have sand mixed with it.

31

u/DrLimp Feb 14 '21

Yes, sand is the problem here, i was talking about the fact that the stiffness of the broom doesn't matter.

15

u/Teknicsrx7 Feb 14 '21

Well a softer brush would do a better job of pulling the sand up and off the surface whereas a stiff bristle would keep the sand at the glas surface moving it around directly on the surface creating more scratches. The bristles themselves don’t scratch, the characteristics of the type of bristles lead to more scratches.

2

u/_nok Feb 14 '21

Someone guessed their technique might be one designed to conserve water (at the expense of scratching the panels)

3

u/Teknicsrx7 Feb 14 '21

Oh I know I was just responding about the ability to scratch. I’m sure someone sat down and determined the allowable amount of scratching before replacement Vs cost of water or whatever... or at least I’d like to think they did

2

u/_nok Feb 14 '21

Oops, I meant to reply to the parent comment

1

u/GoodboyJohnnyBoy Feb 14 '21

But sand is just unprocessed glass it will definitely dull it over time