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

[cheapncheerful]

Stop being a frank cnc as this is a serious matter regarding the responsibility of contractors employing subcontractors.

I am subcontracted to a cleaning company and it is my responsibility to know what I am doing as stated in the statement of facts.

also I have to show I am covered by showing my insurance document every year.

if they had solar panels to clean...they may well ask if I know what I am doing as regards cleaning them and do I have a certificate to say I do and have I been on the relevant course.

as there are no relevant courses at present steves idea is an option if I WANT the work...also somebody has to be first to start the ball rolling and steve is just the first to comed along..

I have no doubt others will follow..

it is a free society you can choose what you do with your money and where you go with it..

and people are free to offer something if you want to buy it..

most important I make the point as sp pointed out he is covered for work on solar panels....ARE YOU?

If you break or are accused of breaking a solar panel in one fell swoop your are looking at £500 to replace it....so I post on here not in jest....it is a serious point I make

CHECK YOUR INSURANCE COVERS YOU. as I am sure steve will point out some time during the day.

I could waffle on for england as you know but some of the points on the course do need to be said and will make you think I am sure.

I think you did very well steve against a lot of opposition./emoticons/biggrin.png

me likes the point of the forum being here to help and advice offered for free but also some information you will have to pay for if you cant find it elsewhere .

I havent been asked to clean solar panels yet and have no real intention to seek that work as I can see it all going wrong if you bring that brush down sideways on the end of a wobbley pole in the wind...and do remember where most panels are...not the easiest position to get too..

now what steve should really being offering is franchise..he has the clout as a big established brand name firm and included in that franchise would be the course.

and yes ..an accredited certificate would make sense so go get it accredited steve...

 

[Solar Steve]

Morning everyone. It seems that people think the content of the course is a good idea, but the fact that it is not accredited is now the main issue.

I have spoken to a number of people within the solar industry about how to make this course work. They have said that some courses run for a period of time without accreditation. The way to get it accredited is with a track record.

If I can find a way to get it accredited, I will.

Maybe the course isn't perfect yet. Maybe my pitch wasn't perfect. But I do know that lots of you guys are putting yourself at risk. It's a fact I'm afraid.

Therefore, my intentions are good. I am trying to raise your awareness of the safety aspects while looking for a way to bring a 'standard' to the industry and provide work for people along the way.

Just one more stat. Since January 1st, we have given out prices for the cleaning of 1.2 million solar panels. That's colossal, about 1/3 of all the solar panels in the UK at the moment.

To protect myself, I'd like to know that people carrying out this work for us know what they are doing. I can scrap the certificate bit of everyone prefers.

It's not about money, it's about safety. But equally, why should I give away this info for free?

Also, why train 50 people over the next few years and create 50 competitors for myself? I have to tie in protecting and promoting my brand somewhere along the line.

Put forward sensible suggestions about what you think it needs, accreditation aside, and I will look into it.

Finally, would it appeal more if I went down a franchise route? I'm willing to look into that too.

 

[Solar Steve]

Well according to you they should be cleaned by a man driving a van with your stickers on it wearing your t-shirt with a certificate from you in his back pocket that isn't an actual accreditation!
Did I get that right?

Anyone heard of Smartseal? They run unaccredited training courses all of the time, offering advice about sealing driveways.

Guys all over the country come away and promote the Smartseal brand and get jobs as a result of Smartseal's excellent reputation. I being one of them.

On my property cleaning vans we carry their logo, we are Smartseal Registered Installers, we use their folders and marketing materials when we quote jobs. Their branding is good, their website is good, their ongoing support is good. All of this leads to customer confidence. As a result, we charge more money and get the bulk of our jobs because we have a certificate of training for customers to see. They NEVER ask who it's been accredited by. They are just happy you have spent money to get yourself trained by the leading company in their field.

This non-accredited training course would have the same result, I know it.

 

[Solar Steve]

I am subcontracted to a cleaning company and it is my responsibility to know what I am doing as stated in the statement of facts.also I have to show I am covered by showing my insurance document every year.

if they had solar panels to clean...they may well ask if I know what I am doing as regards cleaning them and do I have a certificate to say I do and have I been on the relevant course.

as there are no relevant courses at present steves idea is an option if I WANT the work...also somebody has to be first to start the ball rolling and steve is just the first to comed along..

I have no doubt others will follow..

it is a free society you can choose what you do with your money and where you go with it..

and people are free to offer something if you want to buy it..

most important I make the point as sp pointed out he is covered for work on solar panels....ARE YOU?

If you break or are accused of breaking a solar panel in one fell swoop your are looking at £500 to replace it....so I post on here not in jest....it is a serious point I make

CHECK YOUR INSURANCE COVERS YOU. as I am sure steve will point out some time during the day.

I could waffle on for england as you know but some of the points on the course do need to be said and will make you think I am sure.

I think you did very well steve against a lot of opposition./emoticons/biggrin.png

me likes the point of the forum being here to help and advice offered for free but also some information you will have to pay for if you cant find it elsewhere .

I havent been asked to clean solar panels yet and have no real intention to seek that work as I can see it all going wrong if you bring that brush down sideways on the end of a wobbley pole in the wind...and do remember where most panels are...not the easiest position to get too..

now what steve should really being offering is franchise..he has the clout as a big established brand name firm and included in that franchise would be the course.

and yes ..an accredited certificate would make sense so go get it accredited steve...

Who are you mate? Do I know you? If you are near Telford sometime, ring me and I will buy you dinner and a pint!

 

[cheapncheerful]

yeh but you would sell me your course as well.../emoticons/biggrin.png

:cheers: good luck though as I can see you know what you are doing...

I know a pub in sheffield that does a full roast beef yorkshires mash and peas for £2,50

now thats cheapie summed up

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

I think there are three key points you are missing here Steve.

1 = Accreditation. - If you are such a big nob in the Solar Panel game in the UK why have you not approached the manufactures and learned their requirements as individual manufactures for cleaning their product and promised to make sure that you teach that their panels only be cleaned in that fashion? Then surely after having learned that specific manufactures requirements and demonstrated competence I would be 'approved / accredited' to clean panels made by them.

2 = Branding. If I don't wear your t-shirt or have your stickers on my van and use your marketing materials I can't say I have been trained by you? That's a bit 'taking your toys out of the sand box' as the Americans would say.

3 = Subcontractor. If I am subbing for you I do not expect to have to go out and get customers, I expect you to call me up and say 'here's this job, here's that job'

What it boils down to Steve is you have come at this with an attitude that says 'give me your money, do as i say, if you can't then f**k you'

There is the saying 'Carrot & Stick' (Or salary Vs my size 11 boots as I tell my crew) your pitch seems plenty of stick with very little carrot mate.

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

Now at £2.50 per pop I can make that wort the drive up from Notts! New Staff x-mas bash location!! /emoticons/tongue.png

 

[cheapncheerful]

funny enough green...it was fully booked...we could hardly get a seat at 12am...

steve if you want to get round smurfy just say youll go halves and he can run the gutter and driveway cleaning course.../emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[Andy]

If im not mistaken im sure iv seen guys working for you in your promo vids dont seem to be wearing rubber gloves or naff all protective. Is it the £238 and the word of god that protects them from certain death or is it that cleaning solar pannels is not such a certain deathly experiance as one would make out.

 

[Diwrnach]

This is a franchise, not a course.

If it was a course you wouldn't have to hand back the certificate should I decide not to do all my work on solar panels under your name.

As a course I think it would be fine, go and maybe learn something? but its all the other bull that goes along with it, then do as I say when I say, wear what I say, sign print your vehicle as I say and if you don't you lose your certificate and can piss off?

Why not just sell this as a franchise?

 

[Diwrnach]

If im not mistaken im sure iv seen guys working for you in your promo vids dont seem to be wearing rubber gloves or naff all protective. Is it the £238 and the word of god that protects them from certain death or is it that cleaning solar pannels is not such a certain deathly experiance as one would make out.

My guess is safety goes something like this....

"Look at it, is it broken yes/no?"

"Can the array but turned off yes/no?"

"Have you turn the array off, yes/no?"

I could drag that out for about 20 questions, or really just two......

 

[Dave B]

Even if it was a franchise if you have paid to be trained you then own your qualifications

A company i worked for payed for me to get my adr licence and when i left i was still qualified

Is that why it's not accredited as then it isn't real so can be taken away

You can't take an nvq off someone

 

[Diwrnach]

Also has @Smurf pointed out above, just wear some rubber gloves if you are worried, and no not bloody marigolds as Steve suggested? but real anti ark insulated 1000V gloves, they cost around £100.

 

[Andy]

Iv cleaned a few solar pannels,not enough to teach others but iv found the easiest way to test if there faulty or not is to squirt pure water from a carbon pole on them and as you guessed iv not found any faulty ones yet.

 

[Diwrnach]

Use a fibre glass pole instead of a carbon one would also work, unless you have water running down the entire length of the pole and onto your hands.

 

[Neil]

Why try and scare people off doing solar panel cleaning saying it's dangerous lol

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[Diwrnach]

Why try and scare people off doing solar panel cleaning saying it's dangerous lol

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Think the answer to that is pretty obvious /emoticons/tongue.png

 

[Dave B]

Use a fibreglass ladder and pole and you'll be fine

239 pounds please

 

[cheapncheerful]

joking aside....please remember ...this forum needs advertisers to keep going...and if somebody pays to advertise on here...ya shouldnt shoot them down.../emoticons/biggrin.png

its all up to the individual to choose whether they want or need to do that course

I choose not to turn up on monday morning for that job in middlewich..come on someone out there must be desperate for work..hey ..it was cash...well...if your prepared to wait whilst grandad stares at you..

 

[Smurf]

Because it is @Neil and ppl just don't think about the risks whilst cleaning them. You are dealing with a live dc electrical system that could kill not just a bit of glass. The main difference is if a window goes defective you are not exposed to the same risks as cleaning a defective solar panel string that can't be turned off.

Why try and scare people off doing solar panel cleaning saying it's dangerous lol

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[james44]

Simple buy a pair of these gloves covers you up to 500v £28

http://www.reecesafety.co.uk/Electrical%20Safety%20Gloves.htm