Roof Mount and Open Beam Ceilings

[albert436]

Golly I post this pics and no one has made nary a comment to say,

"What lovely ceilings those be", or words to that effect.

[albert436]

Sorry my bad, I mis-spoke, meant to say no rafters above or below the ceiling.

No joists, this is "2 inch" TG.

Edit: I'll be out there tomorrow morning, I'll try to remember to take some pics and post them to show you what it is.

[SunEagle]

Sorry my bad, I mis-spoke, meant to say no rafters above or below the ceiling.

I do think the wood work is very nice for a ceiling as compared to just painted dry wall.

As for what is between those ceilings and the roof? Based on the last picture with the TV and "skylight" there might not be much more than a layer of insulation and some type of vapor barrier to keep out the rain.

[albert436]

Yes SunEagle you are right. I think ther is sheathing on top of the 2"boards, then OK I'm not an expert in roofing but the usual stuff and as I mentioned two new roofs ago which must have been about OMG 35 years back, my folks had that styrofoam/tin foil insulation board put in, then the shingles on top of that. Back then, wood shake shingles were allowed but no more in these parts due to the fire hazard.

Wondering if there will be any special challenges for mounting and wiring. I asked in another thread about SolaDeck enclosures but apparently with that system the wires are intended to run beneath the roof in an attic space, as far as I can figure. In this case it seems the wires would lay on top of the roof which I presume is acceptable -- perhaps they can be bundled and run to the edge and then along under the eaves?

Funny until I saw it discussed in another thread, the aesthetics of wiring and components never even occurred to me. Of course though it reflects good workmanship, just like in any other job, doesn't it ?

So yeah I guess that was my original question, are there any special considerations as to the mounting of the panels and not screwing up the roof ! ? !

SunEagle thanks for your reply to this thread !

[tatumjonj]

I think you're wrong about there not being much in between the inner and outer. I don't think you can mount a window that size in the roof/ceiling, which is what a skylight is, without it being fully framed out.

[posplayr]

I think you're wrong about there not being much in between the inner and outer. I don't think you can mount a window that size in the roof/ceiling, which is what a skylight is, without it being fully framed out.

I just can't imagine anyone would build a roof out of basically 2x8's laying side by side to support the roof load. Makes no sense from a cost of structural stand point.

[albert436]

I was there as a young lad in my twenties when the skylights went in, and was up there again when a new roof went up a few years ago.

Pretty sure of what I am talking about.

[J.P.M.]

I was there as a young lad in my twenties when the skylights went in, and was up there again when a new roof went up a few years ago.

Pretty sure of what I am talking about.

If the roof is as you say (and I have no reason to doubt what you say, but it does seem unusual), you may have some special considerations for array induced dead and dynamic loads mostly for wind but also seismic if that's where an array is being contemplated.

[albert436]

No idea what that means but will ask the GF about it, she's a structural engineer.

Thanks for bringing it to my attention, do you think a reputable and well-recommended solar company would necessarily know about something like that ? Or does that get checked when submitting plans for permitting ?

Just want to make sure it doesn't go by unnoticed.

Something else to add to the list.

[SunEagle]

Yes SunEagle you are right. I think ther is sheathing on top of the 2"boards, then OK I'm not an expert in roofing but the usual stuff and as I mentioned two new roofs ago which must have been about OMG 35 years back, my folks had that styrofoam/tin foil insulation board put in, then the shingles on top of that. Back then, wood shake shingles were allowed but no more in these parts due to the fire hazard.

Wondering if there will be any special challenges for mounting and wiring. I asked in another thread about SolaDeck enclosures but apparently with that system the wires are intended to run beneath the roof in an attic space, as far as I can figure. In this case it seems the wires would lay on top of the roof which I presume is acceptable -- perhaps they can be bundled and run to the edge and then along under the eaves?

Funny until I saw it discussed in another thread, the aesthetics of wiring and components never even occurred to me. Of course though it reflects good workmanship, just like in any other job, doesn't it ?

So yeah I guess that was my original question, are there any special considerations as to the mounting of the panels and not screwing up the roof ! ? !

SunEagle thanks for your reply to this thread !

My guess is that there is some thin wood spacers above the 2" boards that would allow you to use nails for the shingles because Styrofoam will not hold a nail. But I don't think there is any real roof support material to attach a pv panel rack. You might have to install some type of exoskeleton that attaches to a wall support structure on both sides of the house. Hard to tell just by looking at the ceilings inside.

As for wiring, I don't believe any wire runs above the ceilings. Just look at those hanging fixtures. The wires do not come down but along the chain up to the main support then down to the light.

Any pv wiring would have to run along the roof surface under the panels but in some type of conduit or raceway outside of the panels.

Do you have enough real estate for a ground mount pv system?

[albert436]

Exactly, no wires above the 2" TG, which is why all the center lights are on swags (except my fancy indirect light boxes in the master bedroom, thank you!).

I'm wondering though, there are center beams, could anchors be place there and through the roof/ceiling into the the large beams in that cross the center of the rooms, then if needed also anchor to the wall framing ?

You can see the beams midway crossing the center of the rooms, right ? It would indeed require penetration of the ceiling. Could that be done with a minimum of disruption to the integrity of the roof, and be sealed back up adequately ?

Yeah, it is on 2/3 acre but lots of trees unfortunately.

Examples of beam crossing center of room


Eh, this one also shows my fancy lightbox, woohoo ! We fed the electric along the beam and then drilled through for the fan, pretty sneaky ain't it? (Hope the beam doesn't crack in two!)