Solar Panel Bird Proofing, 30 m roll

Because the gap is sheltered, dry, warm and out of reach. It is the best nesting spot on most roofs.

The wiring. Nesting material packs against the cable runs, pigeons strip insulation, and blocked airflow keeps the panels hotter than they should be.

Blocked airflow makes panels run hotter, and hotter panels are less efficient. Droppings on the glass matter too.

A rigid welded mesh clipped to the frame stays where it is put. A soft net sags into the gap and gives the bird somewhere to sit.

Stainless steel clips onto the panel frame. Seventy of them are included.

No. It clips to the frame, so nothing goes through the waterproofing.

Most installers treat clip on frame mesh as fine, but check yours before you fit it. It is a quick question and an expensive assumption.

Measure the PERIMETER of the array rather than its area. A 30 m roll covers a typical domestic array with room over.

Half an inch by half an inch, which keeps birds and rodents out without catching leaf litter.

Less than a finer mesh would. That opening size is chosen for exactly that balance.

Galvanised welded steel with a black PVC coating.

It is galvanised and PVC coated. Any cut end is the part to watch, so cut cleanly and check it after the first winter.

Black mesh against a dark panel frame is not obvious from street level.

The fitting is simple. The situation is not: it is work at height on a slippery surface around live DC wiring. If that is not for you, an installer will fit this exact kit.

Cutters for the mesh, gloves and a way of working safely at height. No specialist tools.

Yes. The mesh bends and the clips let you work tight edges.

Deal with that first, and if it is a protected native bird wait until the nest is finished with. The Wildlife Act 1953 covers the nest as well as the bird.

Wet the material down rather than sweeping it dry, wear a mask and gloves, and bag it.

A half inch mesh will keep rodents out of the gap. It does nothing about a rat problem elsewhere.

It closes the gap. A possum on the roof is a separate problem, and the branch it came in on is usually the answer.

Check the clips annually, particularly after the first winter. Everything on a roof loosens once.

Yes. Clips come off and go back on, which is one reason clip fixing beats anything permanent.

It clips to a standard framed panel. Frameless or building integrated panels need a different approach.

The same idea applies if there is a sheltered gap under it, and access is a great deal easier.

No. Never fix anything to the glass. Mesh the gap and leave the panel surface alone.

On the surrounding roof edges, yes. On the array itself, mesh and nothing else.

Not for the mesh itself, which is a mechanical job. If you are going anywhere near the DC cabling or the isolator, that is an electrician's work and not yours.

Free, because this is over the $75 threshold. Express Delivery is $25 if you want it faster.

You have 14 days from delivery to change your mind on an unused roll. That is our own policy rather than a New Zealand statutory right, and your Consumer Guarantees Act rights are unaffected.

Email theteam@birdspikes.co.nz with the array size and a photo of the gap if you can.