Solar install turning out really bad - looking for some help/advice please.

[HX_Guy]

All good points sensij, it absolutely does look like the installer did the absolute minimum to "just get the job done". I'm not sure what my argument could be though as apparently his method, aside from the sloppiness (to which he said "we aren't done yet"), is an approved way to install solar railing.
He never actually specified in the contract what was to be used as standoffs so again not sure what my defense would be. I could say I'll cut my losses and each go our one way, but he could say he has done everything promised and is owed the balance. I have given him $14,500 in barter so far plus $1450 cash to the barter company, I owe him another $14,500 cash.

As for the hanger bolt, the info is still on Unirac's website under the Archive tab. http://www.unirac.com/residential/archive

The information about it being galvanized I saw here: http://www.civicsolar.com/product/un...1pc-w-hardware

[thejq]

In your reply #10 you showed the permit drawing of the standoff, flashing and sealant. If that's what was approved you should at least ask him to remove the hanger bolts and do it properly and watch him like a hawk. If he refuses, fire him or take him to court.

[sensij]

The information about it being galvanized I saw here: http://www.civicsolar.com/product/un...1pc-w-hardware

Bad information in that link. From your pictures, the bolts are clearly plated, not galvanized.

I feel for you man, this is a lousy situation. I can see that you may be forced into allowing him to finish, and then use either the inspection outcome or bring in a qualified 3rd party to check things out and take action from there. As others have suggested, documenting everything, and trying to keep as much of your communication with him written as possible, will help you later. To the extent you have leverage, it might be with the barter business group or with the credit card cancelling payment, or with reviews in other social media. Threatening to leave a bad review on yelp is a last ditch resort and probably won't accomplish much, and clearly, the BBB rating suggests he won't be responsive there either.

[russ]

Bad information in that link. From your pictures, the bolts are clearly plated, not galvanized.

Maybe Civic Solar has no idea - loved the description, "Galvanized bolts with Zinc plating" from their site. At least they don't use peanut butter jelly I guess.

The bolts may have been galvanized or -
The bolts may have been Zinc plated

Definitely they don't start with a galvanized bolt then coat it - galvanizing is the coating.

The terminology is confusing to someone not familiar with the whole thing.

[HX_Guy]

In your reply #10 you showed the permit drawing of the standoff, flashing and sealant. If that's what was approved you should at least ask him to remove the hanger bolts and do it properly and watch him like a hawk. If he refuses, fire him or take him to court.

True but to that he said it's just a default the the design company uses and it can change.
If you think about it I'm betting 90% of people doing solar never even see the permits and probably never even go on the roof during the whole process.

[Alisobob]

I have given him $14,500 in barter so far plus $1450 cash to the barter company, I owe him another $14,500 cash.

For $29,000... you should be getting the BMW of all installs, not the Ford Pinto

[thejq]

True but to that he said it's just a default the the design company uses and it can change.
If you think about it I'm betting 90% of people doing solar never even see the permits and probably never even go on the roof during the whole process.

It's natural for one to defend his choices. But at some point, you need to stop making excuses for your installer (and his bad choices, excuses, laziness and arguments etc) and starting thinking how to salvage your project and saving your brand new roof. When it comes to contract dispute, what's on paper in b&w is what counts. If he starts telling you it's ok to cut corners, it's because he is either lazy or incompetent. If you signed off on it, guess who suffer the consequence? It's ok to say no and make sure he follow the plan and permit to the dot. Of the 90% of people getting solar and don't bother checking the quality closely, only a small fraction get to meet installers like yours. My installer did double flashing without my asking because it's spelled out in the plan and permit. When it comes to protecting your property, it's ok to be firm if people you're dealing with is a PITA.

[silversaver]

I actually just call someone to inspect my solar system and hopefully I can have an answer on flashing for you when the weather gets better.

My installer were well reputable in the area and lets see what happen.

[Bikerscum]

To the OP...

Another thing you might want to check...

Get up into the attic and make sure all of the lags went into rafters. If there were "misses" and the lag is just anchored in plywood, it'll leak for sure and probably pull out. You should see no bolts.... anywhere, or sealed up holes.

[HX_Guy]

To the OP...

Another thing you might want to check...

Get up into the attic and make sure all of the lags went into rafters. If there were "misses" and the lag is just anchored in plywood, it'll leak for sure and probably pull out. You should see no bolts.... anywhere, or sealed up holes.

I did that this morning. Unfortunately it's almost impossible to see because I had radiant barrier installed about a year ago which is stapled to the bottom of the rafters. There were a couple of spots that I could peek through and did not see any bolts coming through.

[subdriver97]

I did that this morning. Unfortunately it's almost impossible to see because I had radiant barrier installed about a year ago which is stapled to the bottom of the rafters. There were a couple of spots that I could peek through and did not see any bolts coming through.

You could also just get up there with a hose and put some water on your roof then check the attic for leaks. Better now when you can control the water flow that when mother nature does it and you can't...

[HX_Guy]

You could also just get up there with a hose and put some water on your roof then check the attic for leaks. Better now when you can control the water flow that when mother nature does it and you can't...

It rained a couple of days after the install and no signs of any leaks. The silicon sealant should work fine now, I'm not really worried about that. I think the concern is in the long term with the no flashing method.

I assume any leaking wouldn't be apparent immediately anyway, I mean it's not like there is a giant crack in the roof.
The hanger bolts are going through into the rafters (hopefully anyway right?), not directly into the attic. Then you have the sealant at the base of the underlayment and at the top of the tile. So any water would first have to make it below the tiles themselves, which shouldn't happen in the first place, at least not in any large amounts. And then there would have to be a leak in the sealant on the underlayment for the water to make it into the hole that the bolt is drilled into.

[silversaver]

sample video of same method of drill through tiles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4C5qWwFTFY

[sdold]

You have to assume that any sealant will eventually fail. Most of the time you can inspect and renew it, but you can't here, so you need flashing.

[sdold]

sample video of same method of drill through tiles


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4C5qWwFTFY

That's not the same method. Those penetrations are at the peak, and the water runs in the trough. You don't have that safety feature with flat tiles. They will leak in 1, 5, 10 or 20 years when the sealants fail.