Want to install solar panels, worried about roof

[ziggyziggy]

I am very interested in getting a solar panel system up on my roof but worried about holes being drilled on the roof. I know most of you on this board are very happy because you have done your research and probably found reputable installers. I have talked to friends and most of them are not happy about their system, mainly because of roof issues and leaks.

I know reputable installers will mostly do good work but common sense tells me this:

You take a perfectly good roof and drill hundreds of holes into it. As good of a job as they do, you just introduced a few hundred possible points of failure into your roof. I know they will cover their workmanship but what if the water leaks damage ceiling sheetrock, wall sheetrock, and maybe even floor damage to your hardwood or carpet? They will repair damages but up to what point? I can forsee lots of arguments and even lawsuits in getting them to make fixes to a point where you don't even want to deal with them anymore and either make repairs out of pocket or remove the whole system.

Anyone have good or bad stories of their experiences?

[J.P.M.]

Yup, pretty much one of my mantras: Get your roof inspected and serviced as necessary. Cheap insurance. For a lot of reasons. Some of which you articulate.

I'm not sure the problem is as common as you seem to imply, but give it a few years and perhaps array supports affixed to roofs and not done according to old and tested methods like double flashing and attention to detail may start to give problems as they get long in the tooth. Don't know if my cynicism is justified or not. I don't claim to know much about roofing, but my guess is that if I can see caulking compound on a mostly horizontal roof penetration, that penetration will leak sooner than one where I can see only properly applied flashing. and I see a lot of caulking when I look around. Time will tell.

[Logan005]

If your roof already has problems, adding solar panels is not a good idea. get your roof inspected and maintained as necessary, prior to your solar install. If the roof has leaked in previous years, but has been repaired you may still have dry rot and other lingering water damage. This all need to be repaired before you do any solar. I am into Ham radio and have drilled holes in roofs for tripods and radio towers for years. I have never had any kind of leak period. once you have your roof prepared, solar panels should actually reduce your need for roof repairs in the future, by reducing exposure to direct damaging sun light.

[thejq]

Like everything else in life, there's always the right way to do things, and there's the wrong way. If done properly, installing solar shouldn't affect the life of your roof. If your roof have pre-existing problems, yes, by all means, fix them first as others have pointed out. When quoting solar systems, most people asked about panel and inverter brands, but every few were concerned about mounting HW. But IMO, it's just as important (if not the most) as other components. You should pick the most reliable (tried and true) solution out there, and pay a little more if you have to. In my experience, if your original proposal starts with the best HW without your having to request them, it's a good sign that the installer knows the importance of good roofing integrity.

[peakbagger]

Its actually not as many holes as you think but yes improper roof mounts are the devil of many installations. The racking and panels are plug and play, not to easy to screw up but tieing into an existing roof is not, everyone is bit different and many roofs are not level plumb and square. If its a quality brand shingled roof and less than 10 years old, I would not consider installing panels but anything older, I think its time to bite the bullet and replace the roof. Some folks are claiming the roof replacement on the federal tax credit, I wouldn't but as usual talk to your legal advisor.
If its an older roof with two layers of shingles, strip them and replace them.The best way to do a new roof it is to install ice and water shield from top to bottom on the roof and then reshingle. The ice and water shield is tenacious, if you drill a hole in it will grip and seal whatever you put through it. If you are in an area with snow, the ice and water shield keep ice damming from leaking in the house. Solar panels can cause ice damming where it didn't exist before so having ice and water shield just turns it into an annoyance

Where most of the horror stories are folks who buy or far worse lease from national firms. They work on the principle to crank the installs out fast and cheap and then worry about the complaints later. The sales staff churns over quickly so the guy who made all the promises are long gone. Make sure you get detailed info on the actual roof attachment system they propose and read the information. If you have access to the underdeck of the roof from the attic you shouldn't see any new hardware sticking through the roof except the home run conduit. If you see screws close by rafters it means someone didn't locate the rafter centers properly and they will need to come and fix it.

I really like quick mount pv flashing systems for shingle roofs

[solarix]

We've installed thousands of mounts and have no leaks (knock on wood). Do worry about the quality of national firms - I've redone some of their jobs and was disappointed in the quality. I don't like Quick Mount flashings - they require pulling shingle nails which violates the shingle warranty. Think compression seal.
The standard for us on shingle life is if under 10 years - no problem, if more than 15 years - owner has to replace the roof, 10-15 years - owner can sign a waiver.

[jetsurgn]

Solarix - My roof is less than 10 years old and I was thinking of using one of these two: SnapNRac L-Foot Kit or ARS Flushguard FGS-3020 9x12. My roof has a layer of 2 inch foam so I need something with at least 5" screw/lags. Thanks!

[solarix]

Well.... Foam roofs like this are one of the riskiest to install on - in my opinion. If the surface of that foam coating gets damaged, the foam will get soaked with water and big problems ensue. The foam itself isn't strong enough to support the solar mount - what is generally done is to bore a large hole in the foam and put a tall stanchion down to the deck, then either use what is called a "chem curb" to seal the hole or have your foam roof contractor come and seal them.

[jetsurgn]

Solarix, I'm sorry I think I misspoke. My roof is composite shingles, however sandwhiched in the roof struture is 2" foam layer with a layer of plywood, then the shingles. I was orginally asking since I need to use lag bolts that are longer than standard, which composite single mount do you like best. I think right now I'm leaning on ARS Flushguard FGS-3020 9x12 or the SnapNRac L-Foot Kit with some 5 inch SS screws or lag bolts. Thoughts? Thanks so much!

[sunnyguy]

If there is foam between the plywood and rafter it probably can't support the compressive load of the mount so you would still need to attach the mount to the rafter. Better check into it.

[jetsurgn]

Plann on going into rafters, but with the 2 inches of insulating foam and plywood I'm interested in using a composite roof mount with a longer screw/lag. Idea?

[Mike90250]

When you tighten the extra long lag screws down, the thin roofing plywood WILL buckle and kink the shingles AND insulation board. Big problems to fix.

[jetsurgn]

Mike90250, Thanks for that information. Any recomendations?

[sunnyguy]

Sorry, what I meant was attach to the rafter without foam in between. Like this:

what is generally done is to bore a large hole in the foam and put a tall stanchion down to the deck, then either use what is called a "chem curb" to seal the hole or have your foam roof contractor come and seal them.