Solar panels cleaning

Baldytyke88

I had a quote to clean my 8 solar panels for £100, so I am thinking about buying a 7m water fed brush, around £40 on ebay.

Pigeons perch on my aerial, that is why they need cleaning, they haven't been cleaned for over 2 years, I should really pay someone to move the aerial.

WIAWSNB

If you don't need the aerial, then, yes, taking it down is sensible.

The panels should then clean themselves (tho' I guess it depends on just how extensive the poo is.)

Mine have never been cleaned in 15 years. I took half of them down a year or so ago tracing what I thought was a wiring fault, and there was only the slightest edge of moss around the frames, of no consequence to the panels. Otherwise completely clean.

If your extending brush will reach with safe ease, then I guess it's a simpler solution. But I suspect it'll drive you bonkers every time a pigeon sits, I said sits, on yer antenna.

Boohoo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6667217/solar-panels-cleaning

If you are on about a house roof then 7m brush system won't reach due to the angle of the roof so you would need at least 12m to reach the panels and you would be at least 5m away from the roofline/gutters .

If a bungalow then your be fine but if a house you could use ladders and water fed system but I wouldn't.

Remove the aerial and you could install a attic aerial or use freely or whatever you require.

subjecttocontract

We haven't cleaned our panels since they were installed in 2017. A good downpour usually washes off any deposits.

QrizB

I had a quote to clean my 8 solar panels for £100

That seems a fair price. We sometimes see threads where people have been quoted £thousands.

I am thinking about buying a 7m water fed brush, around £40 on ebay.

As others have stated above, 7m might work for a bungalow but isn't likely to be long enough for a house.

I should really pay someone to move the aerial.

Move it if it's still being used, remove it if it isn't.

twopenny

Does the person offering £100 have insurance?

If you clean them and damage them you have no comeback. If someone with insurance for the job does it they will hopefully have experience so likely to be fine.

Yup pigeon dropping is hard and sticks. I know from trying to clean my bird table and car 😬

subjecttocontract

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81989978#Comment_81989978

Theres a magic liquid that can be used to remove such deposits.

twopenny

Is that a conundrum Subject? I feel there's a hint there but it's not coming 😵‍💫

subjecttocontract

You shouldn't be in a hurry to clean off pigeon droppings. Slow & easy does it best with a unique mixture of soap & water, applied liberally and allowed to soak.

MysteryMe

How did you come across the people offering to do the work for £100. If it was via a leaflet through the door or a cold call then think long and hard. Rogue traders try any trick in the book to get up on a roof and then start claiming all sorts of issues.

Chloe_G

My neighbours had a team of men to clean their solar panels and roof about two years ago. They worked on it for 4 days. They had a normal pressure washer which they physically lugged onto the roof whilst standing on ladders. They walked all over the roof dragging the pressure washer. At one point they decided their ladders weren't long enough and ran up the road and borrowed a longer ladder from some roofers. They showered the neighbouring houses and gardens with copious amounts of moss. They stuck plastic prongs around the solar panels to keep our the pigeons. Most of these fell off the following week. The solar panels look filthy again now.