Pigeon netting for solar panels

Stilernin2

I have solar panels that are approx 15yrs old which are being refitted after renewing my roof. The roofers have the rolls of netting but say they cannot find the clips to fit, as the panels are 'so old'. They have revisited with two sizes of clips but need even larger ones which they cannot source.

With out going into 'they are the professionals so surely they should have known this when they surveyed for the quote', does anyone know of a solution please? The advice is 'they are old and should be replaced to be honest'. For clips? I'm not sure that is the route I want to take.
Thanks

silvercar

House near us has pieces of plastic fitted at an angle between the panels and the roof.

Worst case they need to find a company that will produce them, I would have thought with a 3D printer it should be quite easy to design something.

QrizB

Presumably the old clips were brittle and broke when they removed the netting in the first place?

Have they given you a quote for buying new pigeon netting? If it's not expensive, buying a new kit is likely to cost less than hunting around to find the right clips for your old nets.

Stilernin2

The old protection was a heath robinson job of chicken wire attached with cable ties, so no original clips. They have the rolls of black netting that I've seen on line, it's the clips that attach the netting to the panels that are not large enough. I guess that panels have become thinner over time.

I wondered about 3D printing; not sure how that works, do you need a pattern?

If the chicken wire was attached with cable ties, could a stronger wire mesh be attached to form a concave shape floating out to the tiles, rather than a right angle from the panels which could be pushed in or out. The pigeons got under the previous barrier of course, so they are keen to move back in 🤣

QrizB

Solar panels have definitely become thinner over time. I have some 2012 ones here and the aluminium frames are 40mm thick, but the ones I bought this year have 30mm frames.

3D printing is fairly cheap for a one-off but could get expensive if you need dozens of clips. Also the cheaper plastics are not weather-stable; my son made some PLA parts and after a couple of years in the sun they're crumbling.

If the chicken wire was held in place with cable ties, could they use cable ties again to hold the new guards in place?

Stilernin2

QrizB Thanks. I am checking the paperwork from the 2012 installation and have called the company who have asked me to email their support service. Watch this space. I think that the roofers are becoming frustrated now as they should be on to the next job…. c'est la vie for tradesmen I guess.

FreeBear

I wondered about 3D printing; not sure how that works, do you need a pattern?

You need a 3D drawing (usually in an STL format). If you do a search for "3D files", you'll find plenty of sites where you can find files ready to use. Thingiverse is one, plenty of others out there. You may find someone has uploaded a file that you can use.

If you don't have a 3D printer, plenty of people out there are willing to do a print for little more than the cost of materials - I had need for some parts printed last year and toyed with the idea of purchasing a 3D printer (second hand, around £100). Instead, came across someone you could print what I wanted for £20 and post first class. Just not worth my while to set myself up for 3D printing when I can get the parts made for almost cost.

Was converting a Polaroid 900 to shoot 5x4 film. Parts were quite large - Polaroid Conversion.

eddddy

What size of clip do they need - i.e. what it the thickness of the solar panels?

It looks like 30mm, 35mm and 40mm clips are available.

For example: https://flyscreen.com/speed-clips-probird-solar-proofing-100-150-pack/

(But I can't vouch for the quality of the clips, or for the company.)

casper_gutman

If they end up using cable ties, make sure they use decent outdoor ones that will stay UV-stable for a long period. Cheap cable ties, like cheap material for 3D printers, will become brittle and fail within a few years.

returnofghandi

Or just get adjustable clips:

https://www.hdmsolar.co.uk/product/enviroguard-premium-adjustable-bird-proofing-solar-panel-mesh-clip-solarguardclip--MBR1046

Stilernin2

Digging further down in the paperwork I have come across this. The roofer is still having no luck as these panels are no longer made.