Roof Mounts

I have been shocked to find out the kind of mounting that solar panel installers and racking manufacturers are providing to home owners.

I imagine that most homeowners are relying on the solar panel sales people and installers to use a solution that will give them a long-term reliable system of attaching the panels to their roof. This is not the case, and I urge every potential solar panel owner to not take this for granted, but get very definite answers that you are comfortable with.

Your solar contract with the OPA is for 20 years, and you are looking at your system producing for this time and longer. How your system is mounted to your roof, affects the seucrity of the system and your roof. You do not want leaks or a rotting rafters, attic or ceiling, so take the time to ask these questions and feel confident in the answers you get. Don't accept the standards "This is what everyone uses" or "These are the made by the biggest company in the industry", etc. Just because everyone is getting them, or they have never had any complaints about their system (many have not been installing long enough to encounter time related issue), of the manufacturer is the biggest, doesn't mean its good for you.

Ask these questions before you sign:

1. How is the system attached to the roof? If the company is lag bolting the racking to your rafters, if the point of penetration is not properly sealed, then there is possibility that the bolts will conduct moisture into the rafters with time, causing the area surrounding the bolt to rot and weaken. After 4-8 years, if rot has set in, a good wind could rip the lag bolts out of the rafter.
2. How is the bolt entry point protected from the weather. If the answer is with caulking between the mounting hardware and the roof, then caulked over the exposed bolt head, this can be problematic. With time caulking will loose its adhesion, dry out, crack and break off. This can leave the penetration point exposed. It may take 5 - 10 years for this to happen, or could happen in 2 - 3. Caulking alone is not an effective way to keep the elements out.
3. How easy is it to remove the system to re-roof? Sometime over your 20 year contract, your roof will probably need to be redone. While more roofers will probably be able to do this themselves (to keep current with trends in rooftop changes), you still need to know upfront what the impact to you will be. If you need to have your roof redone, will the company remove the system and reinstall it so you can re-roof? Are any components not reusable? What will it cost to replace any disposable parts?

You are investing a fair bit of money into your rooftop solar system, so don't get pressured into committing to a project until you are completely satisfied with the answers you get. The size of the name in the business doesn't ensure the quality of the job you get. Rain runs down, snow piles up, use your head to think about the answers, and get what you think is the best system, not what someone tells you is.

It's what I do.