Damn roof leaking under my panels.

solar_dave
solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
Me thinks this is going to get expensive!

Thunder and lighting woke me up, glad I had a bucket handy.

Comments

  • solarix
    solarix Solar Expert Posts: 713 ✭✭
    Re: Damn roof leaking under my panels.

    what kind of roof mounts did your solar installer use?
  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Damn roof leaking under my panels.
    solarix wrote: »
    what kind of roof mounts did your solar installer use?

    Obviously crappy ones.
  • solarix
    solarix Solar Expert Posts: 713 ✭✭
    Re: Damn roof leaking under my panels.

    As an installer, roof leaks are my number one concern. The roofers I know have their methods (old fashioned). But the roofing industry is going towards a standard of requiring flashing on all penetrations so as to not rely upon sealants. Solar mounting companies like QuickMount are going this way and have a lot of hard to retrofit products that you have to mess with the existing roof in order to get the new flashing under it. I have my own ideas and so far have never had a leak. (but I'm always trying to improve - so am interested in hearing about what you find on this problem).
  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Damn roof leaking under my panels.
    solarix wrote: »
    As an installer, roof leaks are my number one concern. The roofers I know have their methods (old fashioned). But the roofing industry is going towards a standard of requiring flashing on all penetrations so as to not rely upon sealants. Solar mounting companies like QuickMount are going this way and have a lot of hard to retrofit products that you have to mess with the existing roof in order to get the new flashing under it. I have my own ideas and so far have never had a leak. (but I'm always trying to improve - so am interested in hearing about what you find on this problem).

    I suspect they just used a sealant on studs and drilled the tile. Not sure if I should hit the insurance company on this one, probably with a 17 year old tile roof they are going to prorate me out of a claim.
  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,002 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: Damn roof leaking under my panels.

    Get a quality roofer to look at the install, it might be something simple. I hope so... it would be worth a couple hundred dollars to find out, be sure to get one that deals with tile roofs!
    Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
    - Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Damn roof leaking under my panels.
    Photowhit wrote: »
    Get a quality roofer to look at the install, it might be something simple. I hope so... it would be worth a couple hundred dollars to find out, be sure to get one that deals with tile roofs!

    Already call my General Contractor, a great guy, The roof on the new building no issues, he is sending the same guys.
  • gww1
    gww1 Solar Expert Posts: 963 ✭✭
    Re: Damn roof leaking under my panels.

    Thunder and lightning took out one of my inverters two weeks ago. I wanted to call the power company to fix it but couldn't figure out how to make my own phone ring. It can suck when you own things. Good luck I hope it is just a fluke in one area.
    gww
  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Damn roof leaking under my panels.
    gww1 wrote: »
    Thunder and lightning took out one of my inverters two weeks ago. I wanted to call the power company to fix it but couldn't figure out how to make my own phone ring. It can suck when you own things. Good luck I hope it is just a fluke in one area.
    gww


    Well considering We had a 100 year storm and the roof is 17 years old with lots of penetrations for the solar I am not really to surprised. The GC said the same thing, it might just be something small like a flashing being wrong. Hell it could be just a wind blown leak as well, we have had several hard rains this year with no leak.
  • SolarPowered
    SolarPowered Solar Expert Posts: 626 ✭✭✭
    Re: Damn roof leaking under my panels.

    Flashing is useless, its just another preventative measure to be applied to code because contracted laborers deviate entire means and methods of doing it right the first time.

    I'm old fashioned.
    1- Pre drill hole
    2-fill hole with henry's 208R caulking bottle
    3- Apply butyl tape to base of mount
    4-Apply lag bolt and tighten to 32ft-lb's of torque
    5- Watch the tar ooz out and bond with butyl
    Good for 25 plus years of water tightness.
  • solarix
    solarix Solar Expert Posts: 713 ✭✭
    Re: Damn roof leaking under my panels.

    I agree with your 5 steps for mountings. I trust flashings as well, but find that we risk damaging the shingles in order to retrofit them. QuickMount has a "respect the roof" slogan but has you rip out nails one course up in order to get the flashing well past the first course!
    We make our own L-feet so as to get a bigger 3"x3" sealing surface. No damage to the roof and way faster. Never a leak so far. I find that the commonly found "lag" bolts are crap metal and don't trust them. Used to order S.S. ones from a machinist supplier but now use an engineered structural screw made by SPAX and available at Home Depot. Strong, skinny, shank that can be installed without predrill and without splitting the framing. I like the butyl technique... We use a product called "M1 adhesive sealant" by Chemlink. Twice the cost of Henry's but doesn't age and a lot less messy. Also like a sealer called "Through the Roof".
  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Damn roof leaking under my panels.

    Thanks guys, the roofer will be here this AM and we shall see what he finds.
  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Damn roof leaking under my panels.

    Well the leak isn't under the panels, it's at a roof vent that was improperly installed. I suspect the repair costs to be pretty minimal, still waiting on a quote but just to fix the underlayment and reflash the vent should only cost a few bucks in materials and about 1 hour labor.
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: Damn roof leaking under my panels.

    Great to hear!

    I had an 80 year old flashing on my window that was over a garage that was never flashed right--Even my good roofer missed. We don't get a lot of rain--But finally ticked me off enough to strip the dormer window and figure out the shingle roof was just over the top of the flashing and dumping water into the garage below (that nobody cared about over the decades). Now fixed and dry.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • solarix
    solarix Solar Expert Posts: 713 ✭✭
    Re: Damn roof leaking under my panels.

    We did a flat roof job once and 2 weeks later got a weekend call that the customer's living room was flooded with rain! To make a long and freaked out story short, the whole neighborhood had been built by cheapo contractors and they installed the roof drains without cementing the ABS together or without supporting them with any strapping.
    I contend that the solar industry has and is subjected to much higher standards than the older trades.
  • gww1
    gww1 Solar Expert Posts: 963 ✭✭
    Re: Damn roof leaking under my panels.

    Good deal. Glad to hear.
    gww
  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Damn roof leaking under my panels.

    Now the rush is on to get it fixed, another hurricane is coming up the Baja Coast and will pump more tropical moisture into the desert southwest on Tuesday night through Thursday. The roofer promised for Monday or Tuesday latest, tarps at the ready might be in order.