Roof mounted solar panels

[CADreamin]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Coke has a small amount of citric acid in it.
It will dissolve crud over time, but it's not a alternative to formulated cleansers.
If you are worried about Coke in your stomach, better not drink OJ.

Not to worry ... I don't drink Coke without Rum nor OJ without Vodka. I'm a firm believer that alcohol counters all the citric acid in the other two ;-)

[ADKzookeeper]

Originally Posted by ADKzookeeper

Has anyone had to remove pine pitch from their roof mounted solar panels?

LOL, Has anyone had to remove pine pitch from their roof mounted solar panels?

No one has acknowledged ever getting pine pitch on their panels.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by WestEnder

That said my usual fallback is waterless hand sanitizer.

That makes sense to me, if you want to use alcohol as the solvent, and find the gelled form useful to keep it in place on the stuff to be removed.

Originally Posted by Donna D.

A neighbor gave me some mayonnaise to use. Pitch came right off. Was informed if you don't have mayonnaise, try creamy peanut butter.

Both are sources of vegetable oil. Seems more direct to just use the oil.

Originally Posted by J Mac

Coca Cola removes lots of grime.

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Coke has a small amount of citric acid in it.
It will dissolve crud over time, but it's not a alternative to formulated cleansers.

I agree with Baglo. All the miracle applications of Coke are based on it's acidity, and it's not a good source of acid... even citric acid (which is common is the "orange" cleaners).

Originally Posted by J Mac

That's an interesting thought gbaglo but what would you rather handle for small problems, Coke or formulated cleaners?
My answer is Coke.

My answer is something that doesn't have the sugar (if not diet) and other stuff of a soft drink... so I choose a cleaner formulated for the purpose. I don't normally lick off the cleaner, so it doesn't need to be a safe food product Both are valid approaches, for their own reasons.

[dbailey]

While I agree that coke in general isn't anything special as a cleaner, keep in mind that different acids react differently with different things. Coke contains phosphoric acid as well as citric. Among other things, phosphoric acid is used in rust and corrosion removal, because the resulting phosphorus compound is highly soluble and thus easily removed.

[gbaglo]

I'm waiting for the Coke / Pepsi challenge.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by dbailey

While I agree that coke in general isn't anything special as a cleaner, keep in mind that different acids react differently with different things. Coke contains phosphoric acid as well as citric. Among other things, phosphoric acid is used in rust and corrosion removal, because the resulting phosphorus compound is highly soluble and thus easily removed.

Good point. The ideal cleaner for sap might be a different acidic cleaner, such as CLR, rather than an orange type.

[gbaglo]

I marvel at the ads for CLR that suggest you buy a jug of the stuff and pour it down the toilet to maintain your septic system.
Other ads they run here tell you to pour it into your coffee maker to fight lime build up. We don't have hard water in Vancouver. We have soft water, so we don't have lime and calcium build up.
Sells like hot-cakes. And that's the power of advertising.

I do have most of a dozen cans of Coke that I bought at Xmas and nobody drank. Maybe I should pour that down the toilet, and make more room in the fridge for beer.

[AKCamper]

The best thing for removing tree sap from paint, windshields, and I assume solar panels is ban-ice or any alcohol based product. Ban-ice or gas line anti-freeze is the easiest thing to get your hands on cheap. I was a mechanic for 38 years and I have tried everything. Ban-ice just melts it away. They say be careful around paint, but I have never had an issue with it hurting paint.

[Artlady]

Originally Posted by AKCamper

The best thing for removing tree sap from paint, windshields, and I assume solar panels is ban-ice or any alcohol based product. Ban-ice or gas line anti-freeze is the easiest thing to get your hands on cheap. I was a mechanic for 38 years and I have tried everything. Ban-ice just melts it away. They say be careful around paint, but I have never had an issue with it hurting paint.

Who woulda thunk? My father was a mechanic as well as a machinist in his tool and die shop...he often had unique pearls like this, that weren't well-known.
Great tip!
Just wondering, are there any consolidated lists that address various topics like this around? It would be great to have that, as a "one place" download.
Searching for specific terms or hints are often hit-or-miss. Thanks!

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I marvel at the ads for CLR that suggest you buy a jug of the stuff and pour it down the toilet to maintain your septic system.
Other ads they run here tell you to pour it into your coffee maker to fight lime build up. We don't have hard water in Vancouver. We have soft water, so we don't have lime and calcium build up.
Sells like hot-cakes. And that's the power of advertising.

I do have most of a dozen cans of Coke that I bought at Xmas and nobody drank. Maybe I should pour that down the toilet, and make more room in the fridge for beer.

CLR. makes different products . The one for your septic tank does not go in your coffee pot

[santacruzer]

Cola products as cleaning solutions is one reason I don't drink them.

[Greg A]

Lol, I'm with you on that one cruzer.

[Fox hunt]

we use peanut butter to get sap off horses works pretty well

[D&R_SC]

Originally Posted by ADKzookeeper

Has anyone had to remove pine pitch from their roof mounted solar panels?

I don't think anyone has shaved with them in years, but single-edge razor blades work well to remove hardened pitch from solar panels. The glass covering of the panel is relatively scratch resistant.

I've been using the little plastic scraper that Alf gives out, to promote Escape, to remove hardened pitch from the trailer's roof. The one I have is nearly worn out. I'm not comfortable using a razor blade on the fiberglass.

Is there anything to be done about bluish/clear spot that is left in the gelcoat after the pitch is removed?

[tractors1]

The spot is organic material, so an oxidizing type cleaner should work. Try something like Oxy-Clean detergent mixed with just enough water to make a paste and let it sit for awhile.

[dbailey]

rubbing alcohol is what I use to remove pitch from things (hands, clothes, etc). Can't see it would harm the solar panel.

[santacruzer]

Turpentine. It's made from the resin.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by santacruzer

Turpentine. It's made from the resin.

Good thought, but can you even still buy turpentine?

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

Good thought, but can you even still buy turpentine?

Absolutely. It's the only solvent that works for many applications. Considering all the pine forests in Canada, I would assume they've plenty of resin to make it, and it's readily available at any paint store.

Back when I used to work for a paint company, we sold turpentine by the 5 gallon can - to mix with graphite and linseed oil as a preservative for shake roofs.

[Jim Bennett]

I just remember dad having it around all the time, but I never see it anymore, even at paint stores, but to be fair, I wasn't looking for it either.