Advice re Cheese Wire/Piano Wire required to Remove Solar Panel

[Emmit]

Greetings All,

I will not go into reams but, after fitting three Solar Panels I now have to remove one!!!

It's situation means that I can get at the Puraflex 40 I used to stick it down and this is where your advice is required.

If any of you have used piano/cheese wire can any of you recommend any particular type, ie braided, single strand etc.

Oh! and by the way. Save yourself some money should you want to tackle sticking a solar panel on the roof.
There is NO WAY any of the three solar panels are going to come off without a big fight using Puraflex
and I am so glad that on this occasion there is a 2-3mm bead between the roof and the feet of the panels.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

I would use a thin a wire as possible so you don't damage the roof and bias the cut towards the plastic brackets.
Best of luck.

 

[tacr2man]

Go to a windscreen replacement outfit , and buy some screen removal wire , its specially designed to cut PU .
Make up a couple of handles and use a short sawing motion .

 

[Ernesto]

Never tried it but if I had to, I think I'd try fishing line first ?

 

[Phill D]

Never tried it but if I had to, I think I'd try fishing line first ?

fishing Braid line might do the trick, it does not stretch and is quite abrasive ( retaliative to wire ? normal fishing line )

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[tonyidle]

Never tried it but if I had to, I think I'd try fishing line first ?

Tried that. It gets hot and stretches.

 

[Googlebot]

Tried a wire saw that surgeons use to cut legs off.

Broke it on the first bracket, left the other three on......

 

[tonyidle]

Windscreen wire sounds good. I've always used a sharpened wallpaper scraper and lubricated it with detergent & water. It's hard work though. Once off use a very sharp wood chisel with the corners rounded to clean the roof.

 

[jollyrodger]

I've found the best method for me over the years is a careful use of a very thin flexible knife as in bread knife ,cuts through swiftly .

 

[rod_vw]

Try something like this...

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338547443&icep_item=182739854992

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Emmit]

Tried that. It gets hot and stretches.

That was my thought as well. I recall when sea fishing that they used a braided Dacron line.

 

[Diabalo]

Guitar string will do the job

 

[AndyPK]

Top ‘e’ only!

 

[Hettie's Crew]

G string, I used the smallest braided guitar string wrapped around two pieces of wood like a cheese cutter.
Gently as you go, not trying to do it too quickly or it will snap.

 

[AndyPK]

G string, I used the smallest braided guitar string wrapped around two pieces of wood like a cheese cutter.
Gently as you go, not trying to do it too quickly or it will snap.

Ohhhhh.....Matron!!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Itsmcb]

How about one of these?

 

[Gaston aires]

Ours is a flexible solar panel stuck on with Sickaflex. If I had to replace it, I would just stick another one on top of the original. Can’t imagine ever getting the original one off.
Phil meboots

 

[Minxy]

I will not go into reams but, after fitting three Solar Panels I now have to remove one!!!

Now you've got loads of info on hoe to get it off it's only fair to tell us WHY you're having to remove it!

 

[Phill D]

Ours is a flexible solar panel stuck on with Sickaflex. If I had to replace it, I would just stick another one on top of the original. Can’t imagine ever getting the original one off.
Phil meboots

it took me 3 days and a lot of expletives to get our flexible panel off...

 

[Gaston aires]

it took me 3 days and a lot of expletives to get our flexible panel off...

The flexible is only about 5 mm thick and must be almost welded down by now. A new one on top would work a treat. Even one on feet could have a flexible stuck on top.
Phil

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Phill D]

The flexible is only about 5 mm thick and must be almost welded down by now. A new one on top would work a treat. Even one on feet could have a flexible stuck on top.
Phil

yep probably less than 5mm was an absolute B**ch to get off. was not one of my better decisions... that is to stick it down so well in the first place. i released one narow edge and slowly using an extremely thin sharp blade ( several over the time it took to get it done ) rolling it up like opening an old sardine tin...

 

[WASPES]

I bought some cheese wires of e-bay with eyelets in them, and used 6 inch nails as handles. The best thing I found was an old flexible carving knife.

Peter.

 

[TheBig1]

a serrated knife or a 60cm hacksaw blade with a cloth wrapped round one end for satellite dish mounting plates

 

[Emmit]

Now you've got loads of info on hoe to get it off it's only fair to tell us WHY you're having to remove it!

Because I'm not taking a hacksaw and tin opener to the inside of the ceiling inside the 'van to look under the solar panel.

When I've discovered what the solution is, then I might? say what the problem was. (But that's a 'Might')

 

[Emmit]

it took me 3 days and a lot of expletives to get our flexible panel off...

You are not saying the right words. But there again, if it was easy, the M6 would be strewn with them. I note your word 'flexible' Fortunately I'm only dealing with 100mm x 25mm and there's four of them.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[TheBig1]

can you not unscrew the brackets from the solar panel? or is this to fit a bigger panel in the same space?

 

[MyrtleGuru]

Never tried it but if I had to, I think I'd try fishing line first ?

I have used fishing line for that kind of thing in the past. Can't remember the poundage, but it was sea angling line, so strong. Fairly cheap, so worth a try.

 

[Emmit]

Mrs Emmit has just had one of her knives commandeered, (with her very reluctant agreement)

It's a breadknife with the inscription "The Worlds sharpest Knife" TM thereon.
It's that thin I measured it with a micrometer. 0.82mm. It's also so sharp I'll never be able to order four pints with one hand again.

 

[Emmit]

can you not unscrew the brackets from the solar panel? or is this to fit a bigger panel in the same space?

Not screwed by the numpties that fitted it. The word 'Numpty' or 'Numpties' has been used by me in previous threads re this panel.
Therein lies a clue.

 

[Landy Andy]

As part of my job I’m often removing things that have been glued, or sealed in place. I use an extending blade craft knife, with a wide (25mm) blade as they are stronger. As I go through the sealer/glue I then place a scraper in the cut behind, or a steel rule, and another key point is to lubricate the blade as you do this. Choice of lub is dependant on if you are gluing something back in the same place, if so water or glass cleaner as they dry, but if you are not going again, or can get a good clean fairy liquid, or wd40.

This type of knife, although mine is a more substantial version.

Magnusson Retractable 25mm Snap-Off Knife - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. As a new blade is required simply use the end of the tool remove the tip. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

www.screwfix.com

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}