“Can You Come in the Morning When It’s Cooler?”
Why Customers Keep Asking — and Why They’re Missing the Point
By Chris Vergin | Photos by Tamica Cruz

Let me be clear—this doesn’t bother me. But it needs to be addressed.

Every summer, I get the same request. A customer will call and say, “Can you come early in the morning, before it gets hot?” And they say it like they’re doing me a favor. Like they’ve stumbled on some kind of industry hack that I’ve just been too stubborn to consider.

This idea isn’t new. It comes from blog posts floating around since the early 2010s—mostly aimed at homeowners. The theory goes like this: solar panels are made of tempered glass, which heats up in the sun. If you hit them with cold water, it might cause thermal shock and crack the panel.

Sounds scientific, right? But here’s the truth: In over a decade of professional cleaning, I’ve never cracked a panel due to heat. Not once. And I’ve never met another pro who has either.

That’s not to say we’re reckless. We take precautions. We flush our lines before water hits the glass. Sometimes we mist panels lightly before rinsing. I’ve even used thermal cameras on jobs. Yes—panels get hot. But we’re not guessing. We’re trained.

This myth isn’t for us. It’s for DIYers with garden hoses and no clue. Companies like Sonova Energy still parrot this nonsense, telling customers not to clean in the heat of the day—but then pushing their own “optional” cleaning services anyway.

We’re not them. We’re professionals. We don’t treat solar panels like dirty windows. We treat them like live electrical equipment.

We consider system age, location, orientation, panel type, weather patterns, soiling type, and even the degradation rate of anti-reflective coatings. In fact, I’ve started calling it building a System Persona. It’s not just when you clean—it’s how, and why.

The Logistics Side of the Rant

Here’s what customers don’t realize: I’ve got a full route. I can’t hit five rooftops before 9 a.m. without skipping breakfast and breaking local noise ordinances. That’s not scalable—that’s a fantasy.

So when a client insists on a 6 a.m. clean “because that’s what they read online,” we have to pause and educate.

I tell them:

“We appreciate your concern, but we use professional-grade methods designed for safe cleaning—regardless of time of day.”

What the Pros Know

We manage heat. We monitor panel temperature. We test water. We know how to clean safely in real-world conditions, not just in ideal blog-post hypotheticals.

And let’s be honest—this “only clean in the morning” thing was never aimed at professionals. It was meant for homeowners with a garden hose and five free minutes between mowing the lawn and walking the dog.

We’ve got certifications. We’ve got experience. We’ve got data from the field.

We clean through the heat because we know how—not because we found the shadiest patch of roof at 7 a.m.

We don’t panic over temperature. We plan for it. We adapt to it. And we clean right through it.

So the next time a customer quotes a blog from 2011 about broken panels and cold water, just smile and say:

“We’re not guessing. We’re professionals.”

Now if you’ll excuse me—I’ve got another rooftop to hit.

About This Column
Chris’s Rants is a monthly column featured exclusively in PV Maintenance Monthly, the only magazine built by and for professional solar panel cleaners. Written by Chris Vergin—longtime cleaner, gear junkie, and co-founder of SolarTidy San Diego—this column doesn’t sugarcoat the industry. It cuts through the noise and tackles the real frustrations, myths, and misunderstandings we face in the field every day. Whether it’s customers quoting decade-old blog posts or gear failing mid-route, Chris speaks from the roof, not the boardroom.

You’ll find Chris’s Rants in every issue of the magazine alongside technical articles, tool features, inspection forms, industry news, and all the grime that doesn’t make it into corporate marketing. Want more? Subscribe to PV Maintenance Monthly at pvmaintenancemonthly.com and get the field-tested truth delivered straight to your screen—no fluff, no filters, just the grind behind the clean.