Tile roof Flashing

solarix wrote: »

Yes, you are doing this Prosolar Tiletrac correctly. We use this ourselves as our preferred method of mounting to most tile roofs as it is the least disruptive to tile. However, the roofing industry is moving toward a best practice standard of requiring only flashing to be the waterproof barrier and not to rely on sealants. Thus, the leasing companies will not allow use of Prosolar's tiletrac. Companies like Quickmount, will use a massive double flashed post mount or tilehook system which require slipping in additional tarpaper to create a waterproof barrier that sheds water without sealants (they still staple through the tarpaper though). Either method requires substantial cutting on the tile. In our dry climate here, I still like the TileTrac method best and I've had roofers actually laugh at us when they've seen us doing the Quickmount post system. I don't know any roofers around here actually conforming to this flashing only standard. With tile roofing, the tile is not the waterproof barrier anyway. It just protects the tarpaper underneath. You don't need to flash the tile, just need to protect the hole in the tarpaper. We can debate all day long about which is better, a tarpaper bib over the mount - or a mount that pressure clamps the sealed hole. I vote for TileTrac.
Another peeve of mine is the fasteners used. Most mounting systems call for one or two 5/16" lag bolts per mount to fasten to the roof's framing. Many times the supplied lag bolts are not even stainless and if you get lag bolts from your typical big box store, the chinese "steel" they give you is absolute break-right-off crap. 5/16" is too big even at that and really tends to split out the poor grade of truss lumber they put into houses these days. Especially when you put two of them in a couple inches apart. I say - use Simpson SDS screws. They are engineered for this application, with published specs far in excess of what solar mounts need, available at the same stores in a 1/4" x 3" size which gives you 2" penetration into the truss without a pilot drill (although good to do just to find the truss), has a specially formed tip that cuts through the wood instead of splitting it - an all around better solution than lag bolts. I've seen mounts supplied with 5" zinc-coated lag bolts (spec'd by official structural engineers), that just plain damage the roof framing.

SolarPowered wrote: »

All I will do is wish you the best of luck. That all thread is some scary stuff. Take some video footage when the gusty winds come in I'm interested to see. Just make the video long enough so I can pop some pop corn, and catch the climax.
J/K call your inspector before some one gets hurt.