Solar Bird Guards in Surprise, AZ

Solar Bird Guards close the open gap between your roof and the underside of the panels. Around Surprise, that gap is one of the most popular nesting spots for pigeons: it is shaded on a hot roof, sheltered from wind and predators. Once a pair moves in, others follow, and the noise, droppings and nest debris start to add up.

Why pigeons choose solar arrays

Rock pigeons naturally nest on cliff ledges, and buildings make a close copy. The underside of an array on a tile roof is a covered ledge with shade, which matters a lot when roof surfaces bake in summer. Pigeons can also breed at any time of year, not only in spring, so a colony under the panels can keep growing through all four seasons.

What they do to the system

• Chewed or loosened wiring. Birds pick at cable insulation and pull wire management loose, which can lead to ground faults and inverter shutdowns.
• Droppings and debris. Acidic droppings stain tile and glass, and nest material traps moisture and leaves against the roof.
• Blocked drainage. Sticks and feathers pile up in valleys and at the lower edge of the array, slowing water during monsoon storms.
• Lost output. Droppings on the glass can shade cells, and panels with bypass diodes then route around those cells, which cuts output.
• Noise and mess. Cooing at dawn, feathers on the patio and droppings on cars and walkways.

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How we close the gap

First, everything comes out from under the array: nests, sticks, feathers and droppings. We work wet to keep dust down and bag the waste. Then we look at the wiring and connectors that were buried, because damage is easy to miss until the nest is gone. Finally, we install a galvanized or coated wire mesh around the outside edge of the array. It clips to the panel frames with fasteners made for solar, so we do not drill into the panels or the roof. The mesh follows the roof line and tile profile closely so there are no gaps for birds to squeeze through.

When there are eggs or chicks

If birds are actively nesting, the timing of the cleanout matters. We look before we quote and will tell you what we find. In some cases we schedule the mesh work for a short time later so the space can be cleared properly.

Pairing it with other work

Bird guards fit naturally with a cleaning, since the glass is usually streaked with droppings, and with a removal and reinstall, since the array edge is easiest to seal while it is being put back. If the inverter has been throwing ground fault errors, chewed wiring may be the reason, and we test it while we are on the roof.

Associations and looks

The mesh is a dark finish that sits behind the panel edge and is hard to see from the street. If your association in Sun City Grand, Sun City West or another community has an exterior change form, it may want a quick description. Arizona law does not let associations block solar, but checking first is easy.