Highest Quality Solar Roof Attachments

May 17, 2018

By John Matheny. When it comes to solar roof attachments, a question prospective solar customers often ask is: “Will my roof leak because of the holes drilled in my roof?” Solar Works has over 30 years experience and expertise, and we take great care to ensure high quality installations from start to finish. Plus, improvements in solar panel mounting systems have made leaks even less likely to occur. See below for information on the best practices Solar Works uses to install panels on various types of roofing materials.

Composition Shingle Roof

The way roof penetrations are made and sealed has greatly improved over time. Companies such as Iron Ridge and Quickmount are solar industry innovators, making leaks a thing of the past. The old way of attaching solar panels to a roof consisted of drilling through composition shingles into a rafter, putting a small amount of sealant onto a lag bolt, and driving the lag through an angle bracket into the rafter. Occasionally, a lag bolt would back out over time due to thermal expansion, or the sealant would fail, resulting in a roof leak.

Manufacturers addressed this issue by creating the modern solar roof flashing. This improved method still uses a lag bolt with sealant, but a metal flashing over it prevents water from getting anywhere near the roof penetration. The sealant is a backup, so the flashing seals the penetration for decades. Use this link for more information:
https://www.ironridge.com/pitched-roof-mounting/introducing-flashfoot2/

Metal Roof

For standing seam metal roofs, a product manufactured by S-5! clamps onto the vertical seams, eliminating the need for drilling holes. For corrugated roofs, S-5! makes a bracket that attaches to the rafter below with screws. A butyl membrane between the bracket and roof, makes a strong seal that prevents leaks. Use this link for more information: https://www.s-5.com/

Tile Roof

The solution to mounting panels on a tile roof is Quickmount’s Tile Replacement. We remove one tile, mount to the plywood below, then add a metal piece shaped like the original tile on top, preventing water from getting to the roof penetration. An added benefit is a supply of extra tiles to replace any that may be broken during or after the installation. Use this link for more information: http://www.quickmountpv.com/products/tile-replacement-mount.html?cur=1