Stop pigeons nesting under solar panels - 2 methods
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.พ. 2023
- This video shows the bird protection I installed to prevent feral pigeons roosting and nesting under our solar panels. I used 2 different types of bird guard due to the differing construction of our solar panels. This is a DIY installation and I share my costs and where I purchased items from. All items were purchased with my own money, no concessions or discounts.
Clips, spikes and wire netting from www.birdcontrol.uk.com
Pigeon audio at start of the video from: www.freesoundslibrary.com/pig...
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The stick was funny , it put a smile on my face. I have ordered the clips and the mesh from the company , thanks for the link . And thanks for the video , it will make my life a lot easier after watching it.
The clips are very easy to fit and secure too. You can get away without using the sealant if you wanted to, however belt and braces I used both.
It is very common for wild life to nest and things under Solar panels. The guard or spike or what ever is used is an absolute must. Shame it was not installed with the panels. As with all early adopters, they learn along the journey, Nice video and good job.
Thanks for watching. Yes there's wins and loses in being early adopters for sure.
thanks for the in-depth video, surprised the professionals could not do the job properly, It must have been a treat to see them fly off to your neighbor's home where they promptly did the same.
Thank you for watching. Agree about the professionals, seems they wanted an easy job. It was rewarding to see them move on elsewhere for sure.
Superb video. Thanks for taking the time to produce this, it’s very helpful
Glad it was helpful
@@johntisburyit really was. Seen some large prices to get this done by a company but really reassuring that it can be a DIY task. Also very helpful that you have the name of where you purchased the materials. Thanks again
I am very impressed you did it yourself. I have had a couple of pigeons for a while under my 2011 fitted panels and shoo them off with my long stick too. However I can see it is getting worse so today I have placed a deposit with British Bird Control who came in with a reasonable quote of £500+.VAT and seem to offer a good product. Unfortunately they can’t come until April 17th so more shooing will be required in the meantime. Just off to check now as it is now 5pm.
That will be good to get that done Bob. The long stick as you know does work, but it's constant vigilance! You end up turning into Victor Meldrew! That is a good price and good piece of mind too.
thanks for mentioning the pricing, at today's rates was worried they were going to say 1K! £500 does not seem to bad but is a tad pricey, how many panels is that for fitting?
@@mrpurpleman9698 they did a good job, 2 chaps with just ladders. I have 18 panels.
@@MrBobitsabc thanks good to hear, has it reduced the pigeons so far?
@@mrpurpleman9698 I had two nesting under the panels and they have now gone, and the nest too. I had the panels installed in 2011 but it is only the last couple of years it’s been a problem. Previously I was able to shoo them away but once they had started nesting a few weeks ago they wouldn’t budge. So it’s been done just in time and hopefully no more pigeon pigeon droppings coming off the house roof to clear up.
Well done very good job
Thanks Edward. Made a difference having a good set of ladders I must say.
Nice work, we had our first lot of panels installed in December 2015, and no bird protection, several years later I fitted it myself, I could have really done with those clips you used but couldn't find any at the time.
Thank you.
I think the clips are a relatively new product line. They do give a nice secure fixing for the spikes especially when it comes to cleaning them when you accidentally drop the head of cleaning brush off the end of the panel!
That looks like a job well done. You're so lucky being able to access your panels like that especially to clean them. That lichen looks nasty on your neighbour's
Thanks Nigel, I'm pleased with the results. Yes lichen is a bugger to remove. Neighbours on either side have their own lichen farm going on!
I suffered the same problem with my 16 panels fitted in 2011. Pigeons roosting under them (about 20!) with the noise and crap everywhere. I used Enviroguard mesh with the clips as my panels are Sanyo 245 watts per panel and had the lip underneath and the system works a treat remembering to have the guard slightly lower than the panel as a neighbour did not and has an accumulation of detritus. I am fitting a 15kW AlphaEss B3 battery to the garage outside wall as even today I was giving back to the grid 1.5kW not good.
Thanks Roger, good tip on the height for sure.
Battery for the win! Good timing too with more sunshine coming.
These feral pigeons are learning! Had my panels installed recently further along the back from you and I DIY installed mesh just the sides and bottom. They've now learnt to get under from the top but there's no way I'm going on to the ridgeline even with the scaffolding still in place!
Hi Nick, ah yes I'd seen the scaffolding and guessed it was for solar panels. It makes perfect sense to install solar with the price of electricity.
The pigeons are blighters for sure. Our immediate neighbours on your side have seemly adopted them as they roost / nest under their panels after I misplaced them from under mine. They don't seem too bothered by them.
I found it easier to access the ridge line from the front of the house with a ladder and roof ladder to fix mesh along the top. However, you do need a head for heights, but the view across the back is rather spectacular.
@@johntisbury The side meshes were interesting as the side guard scaffolding isn't as secure as you'd think. I'll try the front approach instead.
@@nickbea3443 I tackled my side elevation with ladders, which took a bit longer to do. Shout if you need to borrow ladders as I have a proper roof ladder with ridge hook. Not sure on your roof layout as some houses have very long roof drops so the ladder mayn't be long enough.
@@johntisbury I've chickened out and got a roofer to finish it off plus do some other work with the scaffolding still up. Thanks for offer though :)
Did mine last week with the plastic strip but they have plastic spikes on that you clip to suit ,work a treat they do come back and walking round them lol,bit thick are pigeons
They are not blessed with common sense for sure. Good to hear you are now covered.
Excellent John I do hope they don’t fly to me I don’t like heights 👍👍👍
Thanks Glyn. They do just appear unfortunately. 12 years clear before this flock arrived! Fingers crossed.
Just a thought about the spikes - could the strip of spikes be installed upside down and when fixed, the wire pulled through the plastic so the loop hits the roof tiles and the single spikes above simply be snipped off flush? If that's possible it would save all the faffing about with templates.
I guess that would work, although that would result in more work being done at heights on the roof rather than at ground level.
Depending on the profile of the roof tiles it may not be as snug fitting against the profile of the tiles.
Hi, nice job! Just out of interest, is there a reason you didn't use the spikes all round?
Thank you. Spikes are more expensive and more time consuming to fit.
Hi < great video, I am trying to do my panels as you did , however I dont seem to be able to find those clips that you have used , as my panels dont have a lip underneath , can you please let me know where you got them from , Thanks in advance
Thanks. Here you go; www.birdcontrol.uk.com/shop/product/solar-spike-speed-clip-coming-soon/
@@johntisbury Thankyou for the quick reply
I didn’t opt for the bird mesh last year when we had the panels installed as there haven’t been any pigeons around here for the five years we lived in this area and the cost was not negligible.
I’m having second thoughts now.
Great work John!
How did you clean the panels?
Thanks for watching. I'd suggest not doing anything until you see pigeons under your panels as you may never be bothered by them. The cost of the installation is taken up in a big way by the cost of the scaffolding.
I'm just about to do a video on how I cleaned the panels, so stay tuned for that.
As the panels are usually mounted on horizontal struts which would prevent birds either climbing upwards or downwards from the apex, isn't all that's really needed just pigeon guards at the sides? (Just a thought)
It's a sound suggestion, although the pigeons do not seem to have read the manual. I've seen them duck under our panels long the top and bottom edges. Granted they can't transit vertically due to the struts. But doesn't stop them trying.
As I was up there is was easier to add protection on all sides. I guess if you could reduce costs and just do the sides.
Really annoyed my solar company didn’t suggest them when I had them installed 🤦♀️🤦♀️
That is frustrating for sure. I have seen our neighbours all have them retrofitted by chaps just using ladders to access the roof. This week in fact they did one of our neighbour 16 panel array in 40 mins from time of arrival to time of leaving!
Thats because it hasnt always been a thing. Its something they have just started asking us to do. Before it was an extra done at the request of the homeowner.
@@jeremyhildebrandt6023 I’ve had it done now and sooo happy was well worth it
Where did you get them clear clips from as I need them to do same as you and not having any luck sourcing them
From here; check the thickness of your panels before ordering. www.birdcontrol.uk.com/shop/product/solar-spike-speed-clip-coming-soon/
@@johntisbury thanks
I have this problem and it's getting out of hand.....
I feel your pain. It will only get worse I’m sorry to say.
🐝See the bee wagging his little butt at 14:25!
He’s rather cute
interesting, which country are you in?
I'm in the UK.
How did you clean the Moss under the panels?
I didn’t. I could not see any large build up under the panels. It was only evident at the end of the panels where the water rubs off and onto the roof tiles
@@johntisbury ah gotcha. Thanks for the response. Was just wondering would you know how to clean under the panels? For lichen build up in particular? Thinking about installing panels but just a bit concerned about under them and the hassle of cleaning that
@@mas0ny149 I've suggest a roof clean and algaecide application before installation. Afterwards the roof won't get hardly any sunlight which will inhibit regrowth.
I had my panels inset , so no bird problems. Chap over the road has at least 15-20 birds gathering every night 🤦🏾♂️
Great job . will it be a new side hustle for you??
Inserting panels certainly overcomes the bird issues.
I don't think I'll be putting it on my resume tbf. 😂
Do you speak to your neighbour at all? those panels look like they might not be effective anymore, are they just not too bothered?
They are not bothered. They inherited the panels when they moved in a few years ago so I guess they have no financial investment in them, even though they will get the original FiT payment.
@@johntisbury Thought as much. Funny as Im sure they could reduce their usage abit in these troubled times with a quick clean if nothing else ha.
Yup, some folks aren’t bothered.
I have just been quoted £500 by one company and £1500 by another company., I have 9 panels. I can’t do it myself so have to pay someone. Is it definitely worth it ??? I’m single mum and don’t know much about it don’t want to waste money. It’s the wore mesh type stainless still with black upvc coating 10 year guarantee on it and for guarantee on birds not getting back in.
One company says they need scaffold and the other says they don’t which is the cheaper company
Is it worth it really depends on where you live. If you are in a town/village/city then absolutely at some point in the future you will get pigeons nesting under your panels. If you live in the middle of nowhere then you are unlikely to see town pigeons. The big fat Wood Pigeons are too big and don't like to roost with things above their heads, unlike the feral pigeons.
We have had our panels up since Sept 2011 and the pigeons only just found them in 2023. We have 5 houses in a row all with solar panels. Once I meshed ours they all moved to our next door neighbours panels. A couple of weeks ago in early March they got their panels meshed as they had 30+ pigeons nesting under there and they were breeding and multiplying at an alarming rate. The noise of them cooing in the morning / evening must have been defeating in their house. Once they had theirs done, the pigeons moved next door-but-one the other side. This week they had their panels meshed, the 40 minute job. Most of the pigeons have now moved on. There's only 1 house out of the 5 with no meshing. Guess where some of the pigeons are now? I"m sure they too will soon mesh their panels.
TBF I'd pay the lower quote so long as it's stainless steel mesh. It does not need to be wire coated, plain metal is fine.
@@johntisbury I have family of albino pigeons that have found mine 2 years running now . I thought they were Doves at first 😂
@@johntisbury Thankyou so much they are so annoying all their debris falls on to the conservatory and into the guttering. And the cooong in the morning is driving me nuts. Not to mention they are probably pooing everywhere. There aren’t loads of them but I don’t want it getting worse. It’s mainly wood pigeons around here but the all white hybrid type ones deffo fit under there
@@helenalovelock1030 the 'feral' pigeons can bred all year so their numbers soon escalate. As you say the mess they make is abundant and constant. I was having to clean our path down the side of the house every week as the poo would get walked into the house otherwise.
@@johntisbury you’ve convinced me I just accepted quote Thankyou 👍🏻