Solar Panel Cleaning Training Course To Be Held 11th July 2015

[Trev81]

I've linked up with a local solar panel installation firm who have me wash them after their team have installed a new system for a customer, just to clean away any dirt/dust from the fitting process, also some are been sold with a ongoing maitanence cleans package where I will clean them perhaps once yearly or so. No mention of requiring training to clean them, and they also state it's safe for the homeowner to clean there own panels if they so wish, no danger to them at all. Thats coming from a large firm that have a great reputation in the area and have fitted loads. Think I will stick to what I'm doing which is simply clean them like I would a glass window. Apart from the extra height and change of angle it's a pretty simple process.

 

[SolarPanelCleaning]

Yeah, but it is still open for absolutely ANYONE to buy them, they also get slammed for being immoral.

Only if you got the money and access.

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

You should not engage in activities with a large degree of risk to your or other people's health without training.

I would never dream of it, that's why I clean windows AND Solar Panels.

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

SPC It's not about charging (I think ??) as Glaxo Lily etc etc products are available to everyone that can pay for them, which thanks to our wonderful welfare state is every immigrant (illegal or otherwise) that comes here.

The morality part and dubious business practice is that now Steve has 'trained' (franchised) to a Nottinghamshire operator the training is now NOT available to anyone else in the Nottinghamshire area.

That's not real fair now is it? If I were to wish to attend a 'training' course relating to health and safety issues in my industry I should be able to do so (at a cost to myself) regardless of how many have attended the course before me.

I have argued the issue from the first day I read this post what is being SOLD here is NOT a 'training' course, it is a franchise opportunity with 'training' included.

 

[SolarPanelCleaning]

Hasn't everybody had an oppurtunity?

Perhaps my pharmaceutical analogy was poor. But true.

Although, if you spent enough time studying and researching the ins and outs of photovoltaics, you would be as informed as anyone else cleaning them. The information is all out there for anyone should they wish to labour over Google for an age.

It's not a franchise, it's just sub contract work.

Although I must add that I know nothing about franchises.

 

[SPCleaning]

I have a customer contact me this week, asking me to clean their solar panels next time I'm there.

It would appear that the fitters/installers have told them to have the panels cleaned regularly (?). When they asked who to contact to carry out the clean, they were told that if they have a window cleaner with a pole system, use him. Hence the call to me.

I will admit, if I had had time to attend a course with @Solar Steve I would. The last time there was a course, it clashed with an important stage of an adoption process that we were working on with our foster child.

If companies are prepared to recommend us, then maybe we owe it to ourselves to get some training.

Tin hat now on. Waiting for the 'dislikes' to roll in.

 

[norm]

I have a customer contact me this week, asking me to clean their solar panels next time I'm there.It would appear that the fitters/installers have told them to have the panels cleaned regularly (?). When they asked who to contact to carry out the clean, they were told that if they have a window cleaner with a pole system, use him. Hence the call to me.

I will admit, if I had had time to attend a course with @Solar Steve I would. The last time there was a course, it clashed with an important stage of an adoption process that we were working on with our foster child.

If companies are prepared to recommend us, then maybe we owe it to ourselves to get some training.

Tin hat now on. Waiting for the 'dislikes' to roll in.

sounds like the installers know their business :thumbsup:

 

[norm]

did they not mention about a large degree of risk involved in cleaning them?

 

[MrBump]

Solarpanelcleaning, just because somebody else or another business does it, that doesn't make it moral. Infact glaxo and other pharmo companies are totally immoral on many levels. They can run as many studies as they like and can choose to only release the results on ones they want, so if ten say its bad and 5 say its good, you'll never hear about the bad ten or not for years at best. And they fund the researchers so often they are biased as they want funding next year. Then they ramp up the price on healthcare to make huge profits. None of that is good. Profits are not more important than morals.

And solarsteve, no-one said anything about free, although thats obviously the best case scenario with the life or death stuff. But you are only allowing one from each area on the course. Gas, scuba diving, driving and all the rest anyone can go on a course to be safe at any time. Nothing to do with money.

You said no to my original Q3, but if you can touch live wires with big rubber gloves on, sure as hell you can clean solar panels, especially when the manufacturers have said owners can clean them? Wish you could just give the reasons as to why none of the things I said in Q3 were right and why everyone else, who currently does it just fine, are all wrong.

 

[Solar Steve]

I started talking about this training course 3 years ago on this forum.

Everyone has had ample opportunity to contact me and register their interest since. Some forward thinking people such as @SolarPanelCleaning and @RealKidJoker recognised the opportunity and took it.

The majority of you poo-pooed the idea and now you are calling me immoral because you missed your chance. I made it abundantly clear we would only train one in an area. That's not me being immoral, most of you were just too slow.

 

[MrBump]

Someone will always be quickest and the rest the slowest. That's how the idea of first come first served work, not everyone gets a go. Just because you said the idea 3 years ago, before some of us even were in this trade, that doesn't mean we have all been given equal opportunity to go on the course.

Impossible to ever get accreditied if its restricted as 99% of people doing the job will be unable to get training. There are 124 postcodes in the uk and probably 12,400 windies or potential solar panel cleaners so you do the maths as to whether everyone gets a chance to be safe.

Maybe your not worried about the morality of it as, like green pointed out, no-ones actally been hurt from cleaning them. I'll just call up some installers, who will have to know how to safely clean them, and ask them best practice. All the best.

 

[Duncs]

this is so odd must say

we have gd lads on here been and gone, not had any problems with anyone everyone helping each other out

you ask a question or advice hayho everyone is there sometimes pulling you out the shxt

funny enough some guys never post never here from them

problem comes up and these guys are just there to give there expert opinion.

why be on forum when your not wanting to share your info

read all the prevous posts in past dos,int weigh up

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

OK so here's my passing thought for today, now you have trained up SPC and Kid Joker and given them dibs on all contracts in their areas (even though Kid Joker is scottish and you have no contracts there) what happens when.....

SPC gets a nice job subbing for you on oh let's say a 5mw Solar Farm, days 1, 2 &3 go fine then day four he gets a nasty electric shock (god forbid) and is injured to a degree where he can not work for a few months....

Now this injury was coursed by something that was not covered in your training course so therefor is something you have failed to teach him and he is out confidently trying to clean panels believing he is safe as he has had appropriate training by you..surely one of those ambulance chasers will make the case that YOU are liable for failing to train him properly especially as he has paid for the course.

Case 2, He is injured cleaning panels doing something you have said is OK to do on your course, but somehow it goes wrong, now as you on the course as his instructor have told him it is ok to do that thing then you once again are liable.

I guess you probably already worked all this out and realized that as the actual real risk of serious injury is so minimal then the chance of you being sued in negligible so let's not sweat it.

 

[tiktik]

OK so here's my passing thought for today, now you have trained up SPC and Kid Joker and given them dibs on all contracts in their areas (even though Kid Joker is scottish and you have no contracts there) what happens when.....
SPC gets a nice job subbing for you on oh let's say a 5mw Solar Farm, days 1, 2 &3 go fine then day four he gets a nasty electric shock (god forbid) and is injured to a degree where he can not work for a few months....

Now this injury was coursed by something that was not covered in your training course so therefor is something you have failed to teach him and he is out confidently trying to clean panels believing he is safe as he has had appropriate training by you..surely one of those ambulance chasers will make the case that YOU are liable for failing to train him properly especially as he has paid for the course.

Case 2, He is injured cleaning panels doing something you have said is OK to do on your course, but somehow it goes wrong, now as you on the course as his instructor have told him it is ok to do that thing then you once again are liable.

I guess you probably already worked all this out and realized that as the actual real risk of serious injury is so minimal then the chance of you being sued in negligible so let's not sweat it.