Panel attachment to mounting

System
System Posts: 2,511 admin
in General Solar Power Topics #1
Could some of you kind people post pictures of how your panels are attached to your mounting structures?
I am looking into an alternate method of mounting panels to the roof of my future house.
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Panel attachment to mounting

    Kind of hard to see, but they are basically a "pipe" with a flange at the base, to bolt to the roof, and a threaded hole on the top, to bolt a rail to.

    They have "vent jacks" like go over an ordinary vent pipe (my vent separates the 2 banks of panels, so they are not shaded by it) installed, so their lag bolts into the roof, don't leak. I had my solar guys install the mounts, and then had new shingles installed, (and the "vent jacks") and then the rails and panels were installed.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #3
    Re: Panel attachment to mounting

    Nice pictures. But that's what I'm finding. Finished jobs or bare poles. No pictures to show how the panels are attached to the poles. Or the connection between the panel and pole.

    I want to install the roof flanges before the shingles. But I am hoping to use schedual 40 or 80 PVC pipe instead of metal.
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  • autoxsteve
    autoxsteve Solar Expert Posts: 114 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: Panel attachment to mounting

    REC Solar used Unirac mounting rails and bracketry for my install.

    Here is a link showing the brackets (end and middle).

    here is a pdf file of thieir products as well.

    These appear to be specific to each panel (height, etc)...
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #5
    Re: Panel attachment to mounting
    samkent wrote: »
    I want to install the roof flanges before the shingles. But I am hoping to use schedual 40 or 80 PVC pipe instead of metal.

    Why not use galvi pipe ? PVC in weather is not a good long term idea. It's ok for a vent where there is no load, but I could easily see in 10 years of heat & sun exposure, they become brittle enough to let go of the solar array.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

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  • Solar Guppy
    Solar Guppy Solar Expert Posts: 1,989 ✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: Panel attachment to mounting

    PVC is a no go, it will deform under any load, it is not a structural componet.

    Also, if you have to get building permits ( most locations when roof mounting ), they will require roof load calculations and require certification of the mounting componets and structure
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  • newenergy
    newenergy Solar Expert Posts: 291 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #7
    Re: Panel attachment to mounting

    Why would you want to use PVC? Cost? Something else?

    If it's cost, you could probably save money using Unistrut or angle bar. I mounted the solar panel on my truck with Unistrut.
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