SolarCleaningBossPro Blog — Tech App

Photographing Bird Droppings and Nests: What the Solar Cleaning Tech Should Capture

Dust and pollen wash off. Bird droppings are a different problem. They bake onto the glass, they come back after every cleaning if the birds are living under the array, and the customer usually has no idea how bad it is because they never see the roof. The tech is the only person who does. Good photos of droppings and nests are how that problem reaches the customer, and how a cleaning job turns into a bird proofing job.

Building on Before-and-After

The basic photo habits for every job are in Before-and-After Photos: Proof of Clean Panels From the Solar Cleaning Tech's Phone. Bird problems need a few extra shots, because these photos have a second job: they are what the office will use to explain and quote bird proofing or critter guards.

Bird Droppings on the Glass

Droppings tend to collect in the same places: along the top edge where birds perch on the roof ridge, and in patches under favorite perches like a nearby tree or antenna. Photograph:

• A close-up of the heaviest patch before cleaning, so the customer can see what was there.
• A wider shot showing where the droppings are on the array, so the pattern is clear.
• The same spot after cleaning, so the customer sees the result.

Heavy droppings are a good reason to talk about a shorter cleaning plan, too. If the same house is bad every visit, the office may suggest moving it from yearly to twice a year.

Nests Under the Panels

The gap between the panels and the roof is a sheltered spot that pigeons and other birds love. Nests under the array bring droppings, noise, debris and sometimes mites. Customers often hear the birds but have never seen the nest. Photograph:

• The edge of the array where the birds get in. This shows the gap that bird proofing would close.
• The nest itself, if you can see it safely from the roof or ladder. Shine a light under the edge if needed.
• Debris on the roof below the array, like sticks, feathers and droppings collecting in the valleys or gutters.

Do not reach under the panels, pull wiring or disturb an active nest just to get a better picture. Many places have rules about active nests of certain birds. Photograph what you can see from a safe spot, and let the office handle the conversation.

Other Critters

Commercial roofs and carports get birds too, often more of them, because flat roofs and parking structures make easy perches. On a big commercial array, photograph each problem area and say in the note where it is, such as “Row 3 near the HVAC unit.” The property owner will want to know how widespread the problem is before approving a fix.

Birds are not the only tenants. Squirrels chew wiring. Rodents nest in the same gaps birds do. If you see chewed insulation, droppings that are not from birds, or animals running out from under the array, photograph what you can and note it. That is what critter guards are for.

Add a Note With the Photos

Photos show what the tech saw. A short note tells the office what it means:

• “Pigeons nesting under the north array. Heavy droppings on top two rows. No bird proofing on the job.”
• “Gap open along the whole east edge. Customer says she hears birds every morning.”
• “Chewed wire insulation visible at the corner. Possible squirrels.”

The note and photos land on the job in the office together. From there, the office can build an estimate for bird proofing per panel or critter guards from your service list. The full flow from note to quote is in Noting Bird and Critter Problems in the App So the Office Can Quote Bird Proofing.

Why the Photos Sell the Work

A customer told “you have birds under your panels” may shrug. A customer shown a photo of a nest packed with debris under their roof usually does not. The tech does not need to sell anything on site. The photos do the selling when the office sends the estimate, and the customer approves it online. Once approved, the estimate becomes a scheduled job with bird proofing on the card, so the next tech knows exactly what was sold.

After the bird proofing is installed, take photos of the finished edge. Those become the new before-and-after story: birds in, birds out.

The Tech Is the Customer's Eyes

Nobody else in the company sees the top of the roof. Photos of droppings and nests turn what the tech sees into something the customer can see too, and give the office what it needs to quote the fix. For everything else the tech app does, visit the SolarCleaningBossPro solar cleaning app page.