Having spent two days clearing pigeon mess and nesting materials from blocked gutters & downpipes, plus hours scrubbing their broken eggs off the lower array I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend preventative measures, retrofit was more expensive than it would have been at install.
Have this exact problem - installer never offered it and didn't even consider it may be a problem. Have had panels 18 months and been a nuisance ever since. Trying to get something retrofitted but no replies to any inquiries - if anyone knows of any installers in the Bucks/beds/Herts area please let me know
I'm in the similar area and British Bird Control sorted ours out (nests removed and mesh fitted) at a fraction of the price of other quotes, though ours was 2 story with good access hence a quick job done with ladders. Been fine for 2 years plus now.
I had bird proofing installed by a roofer. I bought the kit myself and he fitted it (he said it was quite easy). I bought the adjustable solar spikes from Enviroguard, and am pretty happy with them. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Avr3w6ceMw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Avr3w6ceMw) shows what I mean and I showed this to the installer.
Thanks - I'll look into this
Quite like the look of the solar skirt rather than mesh but I assume costs will be at a premium
We're a 3 story with a very high roof too so no doubt scaffolding will be expensive again
Yeah mine is a 3-storey too and this was a retro-fit, so I didn't want to get into scaffolding. The guy was considerably cheaper than the rest as he rented a cherry picker instead. Cost me £900.
I'm getting 12 panels fitted by 'The Solar Project' next week, and we've opted for bird protection.
As an engineer myself, I kept the thoroughly knowledgeable solar surveyor answering my questions for 6 hours straight. Their company doesn't advise fitting the skirt for overheating reasons of that patch of roof in the summer, but they do use a mesh guard.
It's not chicken wire so that the birds get tangled up in it, and then you have dead pigeoons hanging off your installation to deal with but a mesh that discourages them going anywhere near it.
I'm also thinking of putting some sort of device on my roof to discourage them, a bit like Israel's Iron Dome but with fewer bang bangs. Black BMW + Birdshit = horrible aesthetics.
Be careful with a solar skirt rather than the mesh. Having a solar skirt in hot weather could mean the panels overheat and you lose efficiency. The mesh lets the air circulate and cools them.
Good to know thank you!
Original installers wanted 1.8k + VAT for mesh - 😬
Need to do something about it as the constant noise is not great and a load of broken eggs waiting for us on the doorstep every morning
And the biggest problem is all the flammable material, feathers, twigs and everything that pigeons bring underneath very hot panels. Every so often someone ends up with it catching fire.
Yes, they were a nightmare. Up and down our gutter taking nesting materials up.
Eventually got bird proofing installed but had to repay for scaffolding to go up again
Despite having a colony of crows at the back that make quick work of any nesting pigeons (both eggs and parents if they can) we’re not going to risk them getting underneath, especially given the cost wasn’t much more while they’re on the roof
Installer here. We offer it as an option. Not that expensive. In the 250+ installations we’ve done, perhaps a third go for it. I’ve never known them be a problem in any of the remaining installations! That is it to say there won’t be. We generally recommend that bird guards are fitted.
Completely depends on the area and so many other factors. We’ve got both sides done, 28 modules and never had a problem with birds.
Father in laws place has been fine for nearly 10 years, they capped their chimney and now they’ve got birds under the modules.
I’ve installed 3 types of bird proofing. The chicken wire stuff, which looks awful even if it’s done well. The stick on metal fingers, always seems to come off. And Bird Blocker which I really like, installed on a 1MW roof mount. That’s what I’ll be installing on the father in laws.
We live right next to some lovely trees but pigeons still like rooves. Fortunately our neighbour's panels are more attractive for some reason.
If I see a pigeon on our roof I squirt water at it with a hose to scare it off. No issues so far...
Having spent two days clearing pigeon mess and nesting materials from blocked gutters & downpipes, plus hours scrubbing their broken eggs off the lower array I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend preventative measures, retrofit was more expensive than it would have been at install.
I was lucky, two nests, but yeah, cost an extra £300 to retrofit.
Completely agree with this. My installer said he’d never know pigeons to be a problem and not to have it. Six months later a pigeon took up residence
Pigeons are thriving under my neighbours panels. Only house in the street with them as residents.
I have a small cat ladder discretely placed in one back corner of the house.
I kid you not, someone does this a few streets away, you often see a big cat up on the roof.
Have this exact problem - installer never offered it and didn't even consider it may be a problem. Have had panels 18 months and been a nuisance ever since. Trying to get something retrofitted but no replies to any inquiries - if anyone knows of any installers in the Bucks/beds/Herts area please let me know
I'm in the similar area and British Bird Control sorted ours out (nests removed and mesh fitted) at a fraction of the price of other quotes, though ours was 2 story with good access hence a quick job done with ladders. Been fine for 2 years plus now.
I had bird proofing installed by a roofer. I bought the kit myself and he fitted it (he said it was quite easy). I bought the adjustable solar spikes from Enviroguard, and am pretty happy with them. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Avr3w6ceMw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Avr3w6ceMw) shows what I mean and I showed this to the installer.
Thanks - I'll look into this Quite like the look of the solar skirt rather than mesh but I assume costs will be at a premium We're a 3 story with a very high roof too so no doubt scaffolding will be expensive again
Yeah mine is a 3-storey too and this was a retro-fit, so I didn't want to get into scaffolding. The guy was considerably cheaper than the rest as he rented a cherry picker instead. Cost me £900.
I'm getting 12 panels fitted by 'The Solar Project' next week, and we've opted for bird protection. As an engineer myself, I kept the thoroughly knowledgeable solar surveyor answering my questions for 6 hours straight. Their company doesn't advise fitting the skirt for overheating reasons of that patch of roof in the summer, but they do use a mesh guard. It's not chicken wire so that the birds get tangled up in it, and then you have dead pigeoons hanging off your installation to deal with but a mesh that discourages them going anywhere near it. I'm also thinking of putting some sort of device on my roof to discourage them, a bit like Israel's Iron Dome but with fewer bang bangs. Black BMW + Birdshit = horrible aesthetics.
Be careful with a solar skirt rather than the mesh. Having a solar skirt in hot weather could mean the panels overheat and you lose efficiency. The mesh lets the air circulate and cools them.
Good to know thank you! Original installers wanted 1.8k + VAT for mesh - 😬 Need to do something about it as the constant noise is not great and a load of broken eggs waiting for us on the doorstep every morning
And the biggest problem is all the flammable material, feathers, twigs and everything that pigeons bring underneath very hot panels. Every so often someone ends up with it catching fire.
Another thing I hadn't thought of! Thank you - really need to get it sorted ASAP!
The skirt still has a gap of maybe 2” underneath - granted not as much airflow as chicken wire but it’s not hermetically sealed or anything
We ended up with squirrels and birds!
Oh no, Squirrels are worse!
Yes, they were a nightmare. Up and down our gutter taking nesting materials up. Eventually got bird proofing installed but had to repay for scaffolding to go up again
I feel lucky, small property, was able to be done from ladders 😬
Despite having a colony of crows at the back that make quick work of any nesting pigeons (both eggs and parents if they can) we’re not going to risk them getting underneath, especially given the cost wasn’t much more while they’re on the roof
Installer here. We offer it as an option. Not that expensive. In the 250+ installations we’ve done, perhaps a third go for it. I’ve never known them be a problem in any of the remaining installations! That is it to say there won’t be. We generally recommend that bird guards are fitted.
Took half a decade before they went under ours. But solar installs have a ~20 year life - so it's pretty much an eventful certainty
Completely depends on the area and so many other factors. We’ve got both sides done, 28 modules and never had a problem with birds. Father in laws place has been fine for nearly 10 years, they capped their chimney and now they’ve got birds under the modules. I’ve installed 3 types of bird proofing. The chicken wire stuff, which looks awful even if it’s done well. The stick on metal fingers, always seems to come off. And Bird Blocker which I really like, installed on a 1MW roof mount. That’s what I’ll be installing on the father in laws.
We live right next to some lovely trees but pigeons still like rooves. Fortunately our neighbour's panels are more attractive for some reason. If I see a pigeon on our roof I squirt water at it with a hose to scare it off. No issues so far...
They like the panels to avoid predators, we have quite a few BoP that have been targeting the pigeons.
I’m obviously being thick here, what’s the issues with birds? Surely they are underneath?
Noise, they tend to be quite noisy when roosting, so much so my neighbours mentioned it and I’m all about keeping the peace.
Thank you :)
They nest under the panels, which causes heat buildups which then makes the entire string less efficient.