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Tony dunmall

Solar panel cleaning
« on: February 23, 2017, 02:52:40 pm »
Just some advice please form those that do

Currently I do few each year but how do you go about targeting in specifics solar panel cleaning and what training is needed if any

There are a lot solar farms poping up near me now just small private owned ones

It's seems that some installation companies are providing a yearly service just lost out to one recently they charge £500 a year for two cleans and maintenance on the router and wires( no idea what they do)

But it's a good income we were £285 once a year so two cleans at  £500 good money

Just would like to try and focus or target this type work as add one not just random calls from website

Any help would be useful thanks

Tony

Splash & dash

  • Posts: 4364
Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #1 on: February 23, 2017, 11:11:57 pm »
We used to do a lot but a certain person who used to come on hear does have a lot of contacts and gets a lot of work he only pays 18 pence a panel so it's not financial viable, also its mind numbing to do several weeks on one large site , on some of the ones we did access was difficult with a van as the roads were very rutted , generally we only do smaller jobs now and domestic as I didn't feel it was worth the hassle on some roof mounts on farms they can be really filthy and take a lot longer to clean , I don't think it will be to long before all these big sites are cleaned using tractors with cleaning machines mounted on them we have dozens of large solar farms where I am and I've started seeing them used more instead of poling them by hand , best way to do it as far as Ime concerned , personally I would suggest forget this type of work and build up a decent window round , regular cleans , easy work , good money solar panel cleaning as it's done now is a dying business, although ss wouldn't agree as he's trying to sell it as a franchise and make a quick buck with it

Smurf

  • Posts: 8538
Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2017, 09:30:53 am »
We used to do a lot but a certain person who used to come on hear does have a lot of contacts and gets a lot of work he only pays 18 pence a panel so it's not financial viable, also its mind numbing to do several weeks on one large site , on some of the ones we did access was difficult with a van as the roads were very rutted , generally we only do smaller jobs now and domestic as I didn't feel it was worth the hassle on some roof mounts on farms they can be really filthy and take a lot longer to clean , I don't think it will be to long before all these big sites are cleaned using tractors with cleaning machines mounted on them we have dozens of large solar farms where I am and I've started seeing them used more instead of poling them by hand , best way to do it as far as Ime concerned , personally I would suggest forget this type of work and build up a decent window round , regular cleans , easy work , good money solar panel cleaning as it's done now is a dying business, although ss wouldn't agree as he's trying to sell it as a franchise and make a quick buck with it

That's shocking...Talk about slave labour. lol
 Did you have to pay to go on his so say training course too?

Splash & dash

  • Posts: 4364
Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2017, 09:14:11 pm »
Yes I did , i did learn a few minor things , to be fair to him he does know his stuff his business model is obviously set up for him to make money , as we all want todo , I believe he is going down the franchise route now , i only did a couple of jobs for him - very disorganised it was left tome to contact the customer and sort everything out as well as doing the job , I still get emails from him Evan though I am no longer a contractor the last one stated that you had to supply photos of before and after cleaning the panels , photos of your tds get paper work sighned each day !!!!!!!! And so it went on big mistake I would never do anything like it again compleat wast of time , I now would rather spend the time canvassing my own work if I needed more which at the moment I don't

Smurf

  • Posts: 8538
Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #4 on: February 26, 2017, 09:00:38 am »
Can I ask how many panels where you expected to clean in a hour regardless how dirty they were.

Tosh

  • Posts: 2964
Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #5 on: February 26, 2017, 09:52:08 am »
473
*A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE - THE SHORT STORY* 'Hydrogen is a light, odorless gas, which, given enough time, turns into people.'

Smurf

  • Posts: 8538
Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #6 on: February 26, 2017, 12:41:55 pm »
473

Yeah right...don't you mean a day? lol

bobplum

  • Posts: 5602
Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #7 on: February 26, 2017, 02:08:54 pm »
Yes I did , i did learn a few minor things , to be fair to him he does know his stuff his business model is obviously set up for him to make money , as we all want todo , I believe he is going down the franchise route now , i only did a couple of jobs for him - very disorganised it was left tome to contact the customer and sort everything out as well as doing the job , I still get emails from him Evan though I am no longer a contractor the last one stated that you had to supply photos of before and after cleaning the panels , photos of your tds get paper work sighned each day !!!!!!!! And so it went on big mistake I would never do anything like it again compleat wast of time , I now would rather spend the time canvassing my own work if I needed more which at the moment I don't
.......Agree, same happened to me, good luck to him but not a viable business as a subby

Jamie Thomas

  • Posts: 180
Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #8 on: February 26, 2017, 02:14:44 pm »
I wonder how many people have read this and thought I told you so.

Smurf

  • Posts: 8538
Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #9 on: February 26, 2017, 02:24:55 pm »
I'm glad people are starting to speak up as just goes to show solar panel cleaning sub contractor work is not all what it's cracked up to be. Loads of hassle and bloody hard work for very little reward springs to mind.

Wondering now how many still sub for him as he must find it difficult to keep them once they realise they are being taken for a mug surely? 

Also betting you two are so glad you never bought into his franchise idea too. lol




Smurf

  • Posts: 8538
Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #10 on: February 26, 2017, 02:45:16 pm »
I wonder how many people have read this and thought I told you so.

I  could see it from the get go not being a viable option somehow. Also would have been peed of after forking out 100 squid for his so say training course then only to find out you only get 18p per panel. He also made you sign a gaging order too I take it and I'm not surprised he did. lol
 

Shrek

  • Posts: 3931
Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #11 on: February 26, 2017, 02:58:41 pm »
I doubt he'll actually find out who's said what on here unless people have actually got their real name as their profile name

Jamie Thomas

  • Posts: 180
Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #12 on: February 26, 2017, 03:53:17 pm »
You won't hear from many people. It takes a brave man to admit they have made a mistake. The good thing is other people who think it might be a good thing in the future will no better and able to make a more informed decision. For that we should thank the people that come forward.

Smurf

  • Posts: 8538
Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #13 on: February 26, 2017, 04:06:05 pm »
You won't hear from many people. It takes a brave man to admit they have made a mistake.

Wish more would share there experiences as we can all learn from our own and others mistakes.

I for one did not like the idea of having to clean thousands of panels in a field no matter so say how well paid it was. I'm sure the likes of Susan mentioned one job had to throw more manpower at it as was taking a lot longer than expected to complete.

Tony dunmall

Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #14 on: February 26, 2017, 06:53:09 pm »
Appreciated everyone's comments and honesty

Glad I never booked up to go will just pick up odd few that comes in


cleaning4usussex

  • Posts: 243
Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #15 on: February 26, 2017, 07:43:49 pm »
Hi,
I've got to price a customers solar panels tomorrow is there anything I shouldn't do when cleaning them?
Jamie

Bungle

  • Posts: 2549
Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #16 on: February 26, 2017, 08:50:32 pm »
Hi,
I've got to price a customers solar panels tomorrow is there anything I shouldn't do when cleaning them?
Jamie

Break them
We look at them, they look through them.

Splash & dash

  • Posts: 4364
Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #17 on: February 26, 2017, 10:36:25 pm »
The most panels I have personally cleaned in a day is 1200 most employees do 800 to 1000 that's some going I'll leave you to work out the money at between 16 to 18 pence a panel , but remember you may have to travel for 2 + hours each way to the job as well so money is not good in my books some may be happy with it but after water costs, fuel, time travelling , getting paper work sighned, photos before and after clean photos of tds readings etc it's not worth it I wouldn't recommend it , if you are short on work you would be better of canvassing windows as repeat easy much better paying work , I don't Evan do these solar farms for my self now as prices most company's that own the panels will pay is so poor , it's only a matter of time before most with be cleaned machanicaly by tractor type vehicles so I think it's a dying job on the whole , there will always be the exception to the rule though , it's not for me and I gave it a good try

Og

Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #18 on: February 27, 2017, 06:06:20 pm »
I cleaned 200 today. Took six hours.

What will SS do if nobody subs for him?

andyM

  • Posts: 6100
Re: Solar panel cleaning
« Reply #19 on: February 27, 2017, 06:31:23 pm »

What will SS do if nobody subs for him?

Send his Office girls out to do them?
One of the Plebs