Pressure washer range/height question

[greyrider]

We've got solar panels with pigeons. Trying to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, we're wondering if a pressure washer could spray as far as the ridge of the roof. 1. It'd be good fun disturbing the flying rats and 2. it'd keep the dust of the panels. A water fed pole would be too heavy for us and while, yes, bird proofing is the answer re: the birds, £600 is not. It's a standard semi, two floors with the usual roof, nothing fancy. If anyone wants to go blast their roofs, any information would be gratefully received - I've tried reading reviews, but they only discuss car washing and patio cleaning, neither of which we need....

[The Natural Philosopher]

F me. You wont get pigeon crap off unless you get up close and personal. I know why I no longer park the car under an ash tree where they roost and shit.

Your best bet is an air rifle. Free meat too.

[Andy Burns]

No chance.

[Paul]

Silhouette of a bird of prey.

Plastic pigeon hanging upside down (Monte Python sketch).

We are some way from a realistic bird of prey.

Paul

[Vir Campestris]

The farmers around here have kites shaped like birds of prey.

They don't work.

Andy

[greyrider]

[greyrider]

[Thomas Prufer]

proofing is the answer re: the birds, £600 is not. It's a standard semi, two floors with the usual roof, nothing fancy. If anyone wants to go blast their roofs, any information would be gratefully received - I've tried reading reviews, but they only discuss car washing and patio cleaning, neither of which we need....

The pressure will be enough -- but I'd expect the jet to break up into droplets well before it comes near reaching the ridge. My Kärcher certainly won't spray more than a few meters...

Thomas Prufer

[alan_m]

You need to get the high flow steam of pressurised water close to the bird shit. The people who clean roofs have the pressure washer nozzles or surface cleaners inches away from the tiles (or slabs when cleaning patios etc.)

Just directing a weak stream of water to the roof will not dislodge bird shit. Try cleaning bird shit from car once its been left to dry and you will find that just directing a weak flow of water from a hose is unlikely to shift it. in fact it is unlikely to shift much road dirt without some form of mechanical scrubbing.

[alan_m]

just ignore it. What seems to work for a while is a real bird of prey actually killing a few.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Nope. They get shagged by the buzzards and fall out of the sky

[Brian Gaff]

The issue is that the friction with the air will fragment the water jet into a spray the further away from the nozzle it gets. I think you may need some kind of other deterrent.

Besides, the water used would cost money. Ideally you need a moor random but close in nozzle that sends pulses of water which might hit them and after a while they will get pissed off and go elsewhere, but as they mate all year round, you may never be able to keep them off completely. Brian

[NY]

Depends partly on the nozzle that is fitted. With a low-pressure nozzle, suited for general cleaning but not sufficient to clean patio stones, my pressure washer manages about 4 feet if aimed almost vertically upwards ("almost" because I don't want to get wet!); with a high-pressure rotating nozzle, designed to "scrub" patio stones, it manages about 18 inches. With no nozzle, the water dribbles out in a fat jet that manages a couple of inches.

I'm sure with a very fine nozzle, the small amount of water that it lets through would manage 10 feet - but there would be so little water that it would had very little cleaning effect at that distance.

[Theo]

I wonder if the 'touchless' snowfoam products used for car cleaning would help? They get a lot of dirt off just with washing alone, no scrubbing. You spray them on using a foam lance, leave to soak for 5 minutes, then jet wash off.

Of course, the next question is how to get the foam up there... I suspect a snow lance on the end of a long pole is going to be the answer.

Theo

[Tim Lamb]

I have forgotten the original issue but we pay our window cleaner to use his wand for cleaning the PVC cladding on our dormers.