4 Tips to Protect Your Solar Panels From Pigeons
Solar panels have increased in popularity in recent years. However, what solar panel installers don’t tell you is the damage caused by birds and that you will eventually call a professional solar panel proofing team.
Therefore, in this article, we will share our four best tips to keep your solar panels free from pest birds such as pigeons.
- Clean your solar panels
- Fake birds of prey
- Mesh
- Spikes
So, let’s get into the article and share our top four tips.
Clean your solar panels
The most effective method to prevent birds from nesting under your solar panels in the first place is to keep them clean. This will involve you getting a long pole with a sponge attached to the end. If you purchase a cleaning kit specifically made for solar panels, you will receive some soap, a cleaner and a brush to help you on your way.
First, you should wipe the area carefully. Make sure not to be too aggressive with the cleaning as solar panels are fragile. If you manage to clean your panels regularly and remove any build-up of dirt, your panels will work for longer and hopefully keep birds away from the area.
This is a proactive method, and if you already have a pigeon problem, it will not work.
Fake birds of prey
This method of scaring birds away from your solar panels is not very well known. Birds that nest under solar panels, such as pigeons and gulls are scared of birds of prey. Therefore, buying fake birds of prey statues and placing them around the area could help.
Amazon and other places on the internet sell these. However, this is not the most effective method of stopping birds. That’s number three…
Mesh
If you already have a bird problem, then we recommend using mesh around the sides of the solar panels. This will stop birds for good as the area will be blocked off, forcing them to nest elsewhere.
Mesh can protect your investment from any future damage and should be your first choice.
Spikes
Spikes would be our second favourite option. This humane method of stopping birds nesting under solar panels will prevent the birds from accessing the area. Bird spikes should be bought from professional companies and should be of the highest quality.
We recommend only investing in high-quality spikes that do not change colour or rust. This will keep your solar panel investment safe from pest birds.
Conclusion
Overall, the first two tips should be used as proactive methods to stop birds nesting. However, if birds are already present, tip three and four should do the job! Over time, solar panels can become less effective due to the build-up of bird debris and droppings, so make sure to act as soon as you see birds nesting under them.
