Any do-it-yourself roofers out there? How bad is it to reshingle with solar panels?

[tradergordo]

My solar system is going to be installed probably end of December. My roof is 11 years old, asphalt shingles, warranty on the roof is supposedly 25 years although 2 homes in a development of about 75 homes have already re-shingled (presumably because of problems/leaks, but I'm not sure).

I wish my house had "lifetime" shingles, but that wasn't an option at the time.

I could put on "lifetime" shingles right now, before my solar panels are installed, but of course that means shelling out a lot of money that I might not have otherwise needed to spend for 10 to 15 years.

I could wait the 10 to 15 years that are supposedly left on my existing shingles, at which point I'd have to remove the panels, re-shingle, then reinstall the panels. My installer said they charge $1500/day (2-day minimum) for the service of moving the panels temporarily to the other side of the roof while your roofer re-shingles, then moving them back after the re-shingling. Total cost of $3,000 just to have the solar panels moved.

But the thing is, I'm a real do-it-yourselfer. I've done roofing before, and I would most likely want to re-shingle my roof myself. So the question is - how hard would it be to do the solar panel move and reinstall myself? Is it worth $3,000 for a pro to do this? If you were doing this yourself, would you try to use the same exact lag bolt holes that were used originally? If so, how? (you won't be able to see them after the new shingles are in place). If not, would you need a specialized stud finder to find those trusses? I have a feeling my cheapie stud finder is not good enough to ensure I hit the center of those trusses and if I miss, its a major mistake requiring a new shingle.

[Mike90250]

I'm a coward

I was years into a 20 year roof, and had the solar dudes talk to the roofer dudes, and the roofers mounted the fixtures and used regular pipe flashing around them, and then the solar dudes mounted the rails and panels.... And it's done right, and I don't even have to think of it for 30 years.

Mike

[peakbagger]

IMHO (since you asked), spend the money now to install permanent supports for the panel racks that are flashed in. Any system that is bolted to the existing roofing and gunked in with some sort of sealant isnt a long term installation. Roofs expand and contact with temperature and as they get older they get brittle, with lag bolts through the roofing, the roof cant expand or contract and eventually you will get a leak. With a flashed in system there is some flexibility. With permanent flashed in mounting points, its a lot easier to remove and replace the panels. Very few roofers will give any gaurantee with bolt in mounts that arent flashed in.

The other thing to consider is that fasterners can and will seize when they sit in one position. Make sure all of the fasteners are stainless and consider using antiseize compound on all the threads, having to cut them off is a PITA.

[silverhorsefarm]

roofing

My solar installer offered to remove/reinstall for free in the event of a new roof, but it was moot in my case. I would reshingle now with architectural grade shingles. Then the roof will at least outlive the warranty on the panels and you have peace of mind. Reinstalling on the other wide seems ridiculous since the whole roof job will likely take only a day or two and why would you want all those penetrations for the sake of two days' harvest?

[tradergordo]

IMHO (since you asked), spend the money now to install permanent supports for the panel racks that are flashed in. Any system that is bolted to the existing roofing and gunked in with some sort of sealant isnt a long term installation. Roofs expand and contact with temperature and as they get older they get brittle, with lag bolts through the roofing, the roof cant expand or contract and eventually you will get a leak. With a flashed in system there is some flexibility. With permanent flashed in mounting points, its a lot easier to remove and replace the panels. Very few roofers will give any gaurantee with bolt in mounts that arent flashed in.

I didn't know about the permanent flashed in supports - I have sent an email to my installer asking if this is an option. Is it safe to assume I could simply re-shingle right around these supports without removing them? That sounds VERY desirable to me. I have a feeling my installer has not used these though because it isn't what they described to me. I'm hoping they are willing to look into it and use this instead of the alternative. Do you happen to know of any name brands or websites that show the flashed in permanent supports?

Also the roof over my garage, has no access from inside the house, wouldn't that be a problem with the permanent support? I assume it has a bolt with a nut that has to be put on from the underside of the roof, right? That would be no problem at all inside my attic (the main house roof) but I don't know how it could be done over my garage (maybe have to create a hole in the drywall ceiling of the garage that could be used to climb up to the underside of the roof?).

[russ]

You have the idea trader! Most contractors prefer to do things the same way as always. Engineers tend to be the same as it reduces the risk involved.

Many contractors can be convinced to do something different if you do the leg work to show a different way that has been successful elsewhere.

Maybe a J hook could be installed from the underside of the roof to attach to the rafter? A pilot hole could be drilled upward to pinpoint the location for the J bolt?

Never done it and am not a roofer by the way but sounds good to me this minute!

[peakbagger]

I dont have a PV system on my roof but I do have a solar hot water system. My panel mounts on the roof consist of a U shaped bracket with the bottom of the bracket bolted through the roof sheathing and into the rafter. Prior to installing the system I stripped the roof and installed EPDM (WR Grace weathershield) under new 25 year no tab architectural shingles. When I installed the bracket, I removed a couple of shingles and bolted the bracket down on top of the existing EPDM, then laid a new piece of EPDM with two slits in it over the bracket so that the two vertical parts of the U bracket were sticking up. I then reinstalled the shingles with two slits for the bracket. My solar hot water panels mounts then pivot off the bracket via a bolt that slides through holes in the brackets. EPDM is great stuff as it seals to almost anything and is absolutely waterproof, unfortunately, UV degrades it so you need something on top of it to soak up the sun.

If you scroll down on the attached link you will see the triangular brackets u brackets

http://www.altestore.com/store/Solar-Water-Heaters/Climate-freezes-Closed-Loop-Systems/Closed-Loop-Systems-for-1-4-People/Closed-Loop-PV-Powered-w-Tank/Indirect-w-80-Gal-Tank-40-SqFt-Collectors/p8119/

I used standard oatey roof boots for my piping penetrations. I expect they would work well with the standoffs for solar rack panel feet. its a good thing to get the panels up off the roof to allow air circulation so having rack feet the height of a roof boot is probably a good idea.

Realistically a typical contractor needs to get in an out fast and spending the time to do the roof penetrations correctly is time they could be spending on other installations. Unless they have spare shingles, its almost a guarantee that they will damage a few and have a tough time finding matching replacements. Much as they want to think they are in the solar business for the long term, most will be on to something else in a few years and any roof issues will be in your lap. If you get lucky and find some long term professionals that have been doing it a long time (20 plus years) they know what works, but their price will be higher.

Sorry I dont have any links for off the shelf rack mounts.

[marionz]

Ask for proof of insurance and contractor's license. Even if you use a prescreening service give yourself that extra piece of mind by double checking their credentials.

[Naptown]

Well you are fairly early into a 25 year roof.
Most likely the replacements were due to installation errors rather than defective shingles.
You will be essentially covering the sunny portion of your roof. What degrades asphalt shingles is UV light. There will be much less of this once the array is installed. I personally would hold on to my money now. It is not difficult to remove and reinstall an array if the roof is walkable. The only suggestion is to take pictures (a lot of them) when you are removing the array to show where everything went. Cutting back the shingles on the gable ends to be able to mark and measure where the existing holes are when the roof is replaced is also a good idea.