5.6mm(.22") lead!

Less drastic, but more expensive, https://www.birdspikesonline.co.uk/Bird-Spikes/Defender-Bird-Solar-Panel-Spike

So much yes Cardew - I've got 6 pigeons cohabiting under my panels.

Used a neighbours v. nice air rifle last year to scare them off, but they are persistent! Wasn't allowed to actually aim at the birds, the boss said so.
Bought a dirt cheap bb gun, which was a compromise with the the curent Mrs theboylard, but it's not powerful enough, and if I actually managed to hit a pigeon they just look like they are ready to rumble...



Also they make so much noise these flying rats - but I've read somewhere that it's illegal to shoot pigeons?

Holding off acquiring said pop gun until I know the full position!!

I have looked at the various bird proofing methods but it's not cheap, and again the boss won't let me up a ladder to do it cheaply!

(Maybe if a few of us have similar problems, we club together and get a rifle and just pass it around bewtween us??!!)

Supersoaker (got to be a good one to get the range) couple of times just before and after dusk for about a week and they'll go find somewhere else to live in my experience. even near them and they will take off and circle.

Throw a cat on your roof?.

Paintball marker? Know anyone local who might own one? But dial the pressure down a bit or the effect would be similar to the 5.56 round ....... but more 'flamboyant'.

I already have the necessary .22 but worried that my aim may not be perfect and the last thing I want is a hole in my panels....

I have a very long Karcher extending pole but the angle is all wrong, washes the underside of the panels so will try adding a flexible joint to try get the pesky things without having to climb onto the roof.....

Total cost to date £100.. but at least I can now wash my fascia and sofit without a ladder

I have 17 panels covering almost all of my roof........ this would be VERY expensive

Not seen them for the last two days.. avoided the "lead" solution just disturbed their nest by climbing onto the roof and breaking it down every other day.... hope they live happily ever after elsewhere

Mwhahahaha....

Roofer was doing a neighbours ridge tiles so I went and bothered him!

Pigeon nests gone for a case of beer

Got some very sad looking pigeons, just need to keep them away now!

My Mrs has been nagging at me for last 2 years or so re Pigeons and poop on the back patio. So after using the hose to scare them away, taking down 3 nests only for them to build another nest and put an egg init in under a week, it was time to sort something permanent.

I bought 4x 5.2metre gutter brushes for £36, wrapped these around the panels and thought that was it, done. Only to find 7 pigeons under the panels still within 2 days. Great!!!!! I caught them just walking through a part of the brushes where I'd bent them underneath the roof bars to keep them in place.

I then realised I had bought 100metres of 316L grade stainless wire for my vape coils off ebay. This was 620 micron thick and came out at too little ohms resistance for my liking so was a waste of £5.20 delivered I thought. Why didn't I think of this being sat there in the house a few weeks before spending £36 on brushes that didn't work???

So anyway, the wire is quite flimsy after taking off it's spool, so I ran 2.5metres length and back again to double it up and make it 1.2mm thick, got the Mrs to hold 1 end with some pliers and put the other end into a drill. Span it for a while which twists the wire together making it double thick, double strength and straight instead of flimsy. Then a trip up the ladder with a 'v' shape fishing rod rest inside a pole, bent the wire in half and used the V and the pole to take it over the 1.5 inch bar holding the panels up (ridge side). Remove the pole, make sure the wire covers top and bottom along all 4 roof bars down to me (gutter side) then used pliers to twist it secure and tight. This gives you a 1.5 inch gap with a rust proof twisted wire top and bottom that they can't get across and is almost invisible too from ground level, almost like installing the aluminium roof bars vertical closing the gap they create to hold up my double array. Considering I only used about 10 metres of wire to do both sides, it's cost me about 52p to do and an hour of my time and boy is it effective lol. It doesn't stop them getting under the top panel to the roof bar, or the bottom panel to that bar, but they won't nest as there not really under cover so to speak so my roof has been pigeon free for the last few days. They just land on the roof now and again, try to get in like they were doing, can't so give up and fly off

Hope this helps.

My next thought if this didn't work was to buy some cheap 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch waste pipe or aluminium box section, complete with 90's to run around all the panels to stop them getting under any of them. Again cheap, rot proof and the stainless wire can tie them to the bars to stop the wind messing with them but this hasn't been needed so far.

Carl

Mine have retrurned but do not seem to be nesting as they are not on my roof in the evening and I cannot see any nest. Whenever I do see them I just clap my hands and they fly off in a big circle and come in to land again... If I wait until the are returning and clap again they seem to get the message and go elsewhere.

Have air rifle. now.

Been adjusting the sights in the garden, pleased with my accuracy at 20+ yds.

Pigeons appeared to have !!!!!!ed orrff without me firing a shot in anger at them?!!

Is this problem more common than it would appear? We only recently had our solar PV system installed and within a few weeks pigeons were nesting under the panels. I arranged for some galvanized meshing to be installed yesterday to fix the problem. The company who did the install said they were doing a couple of jobs most days so it doesn't seem to be an isolated problem.

I have been reading about this problem for many years. One guy spent a fortune trying to keep the pigeons away. spikes lasted the longest but even these started to fall off after time. Once the birds started laying eggs the squirels then moved in pinching the eggs.I guess you just have to keep at it and hope you have more determination than the birds.

Squirrels are a more serious problem as they can and will gnaw cables (so various pest control companies have told me).

You can get your solar panels bird/squirrel proofed and some companies offer 10 year guarantees against any breach of what they install.

Like many of the firms who offer long guarantees on their product, the chances of them being in business in a couple of years time are slim; as are your chances of getting are remedial work.

Even if the same people are still in business, they will probably have wound up the old firm and started another business with a similar name, the same premises and personnel, and have no liability for the old firm's defective work.

I leased my roof to A Shade Greener in 2014. They installed their solar panels. Initially they told me that they will only install the panels while I am in. I came from work and found the panels installed. They just install them in an odd way which makes my house looks odd. After their workmen have gone I noticed that they have caused some damages here and there. I had to call ASG to come back and fix the damage - I did not have a good experience with them at all.

Recently, I noticed that pigeons have nested between my roof and ASG panels. I guess this is a general problem that many people suffer from. However, this is a new experience to me but I would believe that ASG knew about such an issue, as they seem to have installed too many panels across the UK.
I emailed and telephoned ASG to discuss this issue with them. They only came back to me after I told them if they do not reply I will go to court. However, their reply was not satisfactory as they declined liability and responsibility. Rudely, ASG offered to install wire guard around their panels for a charge of £1,500.

My claim is based on the following points:
1- Their solar panels provided a shelter for birds to nest on my roof;
2-ASG is the main investor and they should be liable for any damages (and environmental damages) that may result from their investments; and
3- when installed the solar panles, ASG did not tell me about the possibility of birds and other animals living between roofs and solar panels, and never offered to install wire guard around their panels to stop birds from coming in between my roof and their panels.

Therefore, I see ASG is escaping from their responsibilities and are not conducting their business to a standard that meets UK standards.

The significant number of complaints I read about different aspects of ASG business activities across the UK confirms the default of this company. I am just wondering how long it will take before UK courts pick up on ASG. How much damage to homes and societies ASG would cause before they stopped.

I would not recommend ASG to anyone and would make a call on holding this company accountable for the damage they are causing to people and societies across the UK.

In terms of energy and money saving, you save very little by having other companies installing their panels on your roof, this is because solar panels generate electricity in summer where your electricity usage is at its minimal. However, they make the biggest share of profit. In my case, if ASG does not remove the birds and place a wire mesh guard around their panels I would make significant loss as a consequence of this investment. I would not recommend this type of investment to any one particularly if the company is ASG

My Daughter has just bought a house with solar panels fitted by the company A Shade Greener and there are about 10 pigeons nesting under them. The company leases the roof space and still owns the panels. In the last month 5 eggs have rolled off the roof and smashed on the conservatory roof and made a right mess. I cleaned the gutter which was full to the brim with pigeon droppings and twigs. After only one week the gutter is about 1 inch deep in droppings! There are several nests underneath the panels. Surely the installer should have made provision for this and created a barrier against birds during installation. I have noticed in the contract that the "Landlord" (my daughter) has the right to have the installation removed twice over the 25year lease for up to 3 months at a time for "Reason of renovation or extension of the property". I would imagine that it would be a very costly exercise for the company to remove the installation twice so that we can have access to the roof to remove the detritus, clean the tiles and make good any damage caused by the pigeons! If they are not prepared to install the pigeon barriers free of charge then I will definitely consider this option.

High pressure water, or high velocity lead will solve the problem.

If A Shade Greener will not accept their liability then take them to the Small Claims Court* for the cost of solving the problem - ASG's quote of £1,500 would be a starter.

*Going to the Small Claims Court is very simple, informal and inexpensive and you get your expenses back if you win. ASG cannot claim their expenses even if you lost your case.

In all probability ASG will settle, by fixing the problem, before it gets to court.