Bird Protection Installation Query

I am soon to be having Bird Protection fitted to my solar panels. Do I need to ensure the Panels are switched-off before work commences? If so, is there a correct way of doing that? Thanks

Shouldn't need to turn them off for that.

TurnerSN13 No you should be ok, mine was fitted a few weeks after the panels and they didn't need to do anything to them

@Cdent @TurnerSN13 @THALL We were offered bird protection around our PV panels during installation at the start of February at what seemed an excessive price: "it would be a good idea while we have the scaffolding up" was the sales pitch. It was the first I had heard of it. Our panels are on a single storey building so the implied benefit had less impact. What should one pay for bird protection fittings? Is it obtrusive?

Dougal It wasn't broken down on my recent installation - I think they messed up as it wasn't delivered at the same time as the panels, inverter & battery but it was written into my quote.

When I had it installed on my previous house in 2021 it was £400 and they just used ladders to get up there. That was for a 15 panel array.

It's not obtrusive, doesn't look great but not really noticeable.

Cdent It's not obtrusive, doesn't look great but not really noticeable.

There's the wire mesh, the one that makes it look like your array is a millipede and also the solid angled panels that I'm sure are more expensive still.

Been no mention of it on my install but if I want the scaffolding left up I can just ask and I could do the mesh myself. Getting to the ridge to do it will be great fun I'm sure. Only a workshop with a 4m apex and It was me that build it and roofed it so I guess it's doable.

Maybe just get a hawk model or something and glue it up there haha.

dbt85 Haha when I first read that I thought "why do you want a red arrow up there?" then realised you meant the bird 😂

It's definitely a DIY job, I just didn't have the tools or want to be two stories up, I'm quite clumsy!

Dougal To be honest I have seen people add their own wire net as shielding to stop them getting in. And some of the new mounting systems keep the panels so tight to the tiles I doubt anything would get in there.

I have had solar panels for 9 years and not bothered with anti bird blah blah. Never had an issue.

im more worried about bird poop... but the rain seems to do a decent job washing it off

I went for the plastic millipede version, but it was more about keeping leaves out from close oak trees, than for birds. I think we paid a few hundred pounds extra, while the scaffolding was still up.

I have been told that the solid version is not great from a panel ventilation perspective, which could affect your peak generation on hot, sunny days.

The recent snow ripped a lot of our plastic bird protetion off anyway. As the snow (heavy and wet here) slipped down the panels, it caught on the top edge of the bird proofing, which then gave way and tore off.

Try a company called British Bird Control, they are coming to do ours in May. £600 for 2 strings

Anyone actually had a bird problem that needed protection? Our panels have been up since 2011 and we have loads of birds in our garden - and I mean loads - it costs us a fortune in bird feed over the winter! Never had a problem with birds and the panels.

Cdent Haha when I first read that I thought "why do you want a red arrow up there?"

Ohh now there's a thought. You can get the little jet engines too. That'll scare the burglars too 😂

cluelesscris we have loads of birds in our garden - and I mean loads - it costs us a fortune in bird feed over the winter!

I can solve both of these issues for you but my fee is £500🤪

British bird control did ours as part of th le install, fitted a decent wire mesh just clipped/cable tied to the panels. We have several resident pigeons on the area which would just love to be under our panels so I specifically wanted bird protection. I would have loved in-roof panels but it was over our budget😩

dbt85 Don't need them solving. We built a house 30 years ago on a cornfield without a single bird in sight. Planted 4000 trees, almost 1000m hedging and we now have a seriously glorious dawn chorus - a wildlife oasis in the middle of intensley farmed and featureless land. Love it. Never felt the need to protect the panels though. Maybe I've been lucky so far....

wilfleek

WE have two strings of 7 panels each, up south west facing and the installer said " you don't need it as they get too hot for birds" - being south facing ?
The orginal quotation was including bird protection, also noticed most of the panels fitted locally don't have it fitted.
would you recomend having it done ?

Jaybee62 I had pigeons move in 2 weeks after fitting. Wish I'd had it done when the scaffolding was still there

Jaybee62 My panels have been up 11 years now (16 on south facing garage roof). Despite having tons of pidgeons around we've never had any problem with them interfering with the panels, or any other bird either.

10 east 10 west. 1 year. no interest from birds. (nor the panels haha)

Had jackdaws nesting under the panels on our last house in Somerset. Made a real mess, had to pay for scaffolding, lifting panels & clearing, fitting mesh. Solved the problem at a cost! When we moved and had panels fitted, I specified mesh as part of the install. Seems silly to take the risk.

I think birds are minimal risk and bird protection is one of those extra things that the installers like to upsell to you.

We've had 16 panels fitted for 7 years, not a single nest underneath them. When we had our new array fitted I got the bird protection taken off the quote and a saved £300.

Again no birds nesting under any of the 28 additional panels.

But within a month of the installation birds sitting on the TV aerial had poo'd on the panel underneath. £20 of plastic spikes stuck on the aerial solved that problem

Just to add my experience. We had panels fitted on south facing roof in 2011. We had no issues with birds til 2019 when a pigeon decided to nest under a panel. 5 months later we had 20+ birds under the panels. The noise and mess was dreadful. We ended up getting a one man band roofer who was happy to go up and add bird guards without scaffolding. Best £500 I have spent.

We also have neighbours who have had panels for years and had no problems with birds

From my experience

• south facing roof is definitely not too hot for pigeons to nest under
• type of roof tiles and framing system seems to make a difference, gap has to be big enough for birds to get under
• down to luck or in my case bad luck
• if you get pigeons you have to sort it, it doesn’t go away, just gets worse. Short of shooting them, nothing shifts them permanently, they might fly off but then come straight back

I would consider bird protection as an insurance policy. Based on my experience I would always buy it!

geoffreycoan £20 of plastic spikes stuck on the aerial solved that problem

I have used cable ties pointing up which do work for about a year till they start snapping off. what did you use? metal would affect the signal though with digital i wonder if it would matter, analogue was affected with ghosting and DB loss.

We have a ridiculous amount of pigeons so it was never even a consideration. Nearby neighbours had panels (south facing) for about twenty years with no problem but then the pigeons moved in and they had to get mesh put up.

Or you can get one of these
Sparrow hawk outside my house!

Glad I mended our broken pigeon-proofing, as earlier this year about 15 feral pigeons took up residence on our roof, local Sparrowhawk not withstanbing.

positor1 I bought two packs of these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401268646961 and used mastic to stick them to the TV aerial. Working fine

geoffreycoan
Ahh yes. I tried those, they did affect the forward gain of the aerial so i put them on a fence but soon after they fell apart .
Realy needs to be non metallic on an aerial but if your actual picture quality is fine then all is good.

positor1 Agree that metal on the aerial is going to affect the signal, These ones aren't metal, they're a clear (acrylic?) plastic. I used window frame mastic to secure them down and cable ties to hold them in position whilst the mastic dried. I'd read that most cable ties degrade in uv so that's why I bought proper uv resistant plastic spikes and didn't just use upright cable ties

Recently had 10 panels fitted to our SSW facing bungalow roof. Installers wanted £330 (discounted from £500) to fit bird netting. I bought a roll of mesh and clips from Ebay and fitted my own with the help of our daughter in the two days before the scaffolders took the scaffold down. Neat job very pleased for about £100.

Digger Excellent. I'm not brave enough / confident in my ability to go clambering around the edge of the roof though! But yes, I fully endorse your attitude of doing it yourself if you can.

Digger I wish I had done the same, the scaffolding was left up for a while but had to fork out £900 for a local chap to go up on a ladder once it had been taken down and the pigeons moved in. I had another quote of £2000 because they wanted scaffolding front and rear of house.

Had mine done on installation. Think it was around £300 at the time. Works well as it allows the air to flow under and stops the birds sitting on the edges.

TimHutchings Interesting, it looks like big spikes around the edges of the panels. If I do get bird problems then I’ll look at this. The installers were charging me £300 for mine (which I declined) but it was more like a ramp that went round the edge of the panels, but they were only doing the new panels, so it’d look very odd around where the new panels were fitted inamongst the existing 16 FIT panels.

simont
good advice..
Thr initial price quote was including bird protection.
I think i will keep on at them to fit it, PLUS the other unfinished work - over a week to commision the system.... and counting..
plus all the work seems to be done by 3rd party contractors !, they didn't use scafolding, jsst a long ladder.
And i won't go there for lack on communication ...

Prevention is better ( and easier ) than cure ?

wilfleek

Think i will ask what type of bird protection, as others and yourself have mentioned,plastic or metal , BUT i will get it done, even though the panels are panels two story's and all done with two guys with a ladder !.
LOTS of miss communications between the 3rd party fitters & the company who i got the quotation from..,
Maybe get it sorted before christmas - not holding my breath !! ( 12+ months since the original quotation.. ! )

Its now November, AND the work is STILL not finished, i won;t get into the electrical work issues.....
Having interestingly conversations with citizen's advice..

Well to cut a long story short, the original "fitters" screwed me over, and then the company has basically offered me money to walk away & get the job fixed - I had little choice but to accept...

It is finally all done, by a company who are MCS certified, lots of reviews , pictures on Google & checkatrade etc.
ALL the panels & fittings, battery etc had to come off & underneath after approx a year was a dead pigeon !!, SO I now have metal bird protection fitted, along with a system that runs correctly.
I had to take the original company to a "no win, no fee" agency, ( court costs were too much )and they are getting the money / compensation that I was promised, they said they were broke !!.
There's a LOT of cowboys solar installers out there - be warned...