What's your experience with fire code setbacks?

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HX_Guy
HX_Guy Solar Expert Posts: 296 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
What has your guys' experience been with how strict the inspectors are about fire code setbacks?

Here where I live, the rule is 36" setback from the ridge (on both sides of the ridge, so a 72" walkway) and 18" from any hips and valleys, unless there are no PV panels on the adjacent roof plane, then you can go to to the edge with no setback needed.

I've had some installers tell me that the fire dept is very strict and other say that they don't even get up on the roof, they do a visual walk around from the ground and if there aren't any blatant violations you are ok.
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  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
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    Re: What's your experience with fire code setbacks?
    HX_Guy wrote: »
    What has your guys' experience been with how strict the inspectors are about fire code setbacks?

    Here where I live, the rule is 36" setback from the ridge (on both sides of the ridge, so a 72" walkway) and 18" from any hips and valleys, unless there are no PV panels on the adjacent roof plane, then you can go to to the edge with no setback needed.

    I've had some installers tell me that the fire dept is very strict and other say that they don't even get up on the roof, they do a visual walk around from the ground and if there aren't any blatant violations you are ok.

    I suspect it is like everything else, if they like you, you get away with more. Or perhaps the Christmas Bottle of Scotch might have a good influence.

    Mine was put in before the setback requirement was put in but I hear Glendale is very strict on it.
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  • HX_Guy
    HX_Guy Solar Expert Posts: 296 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #3
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    Re: What's your experience with fire code setbacks?

    Yeah I've heard the same about Peoria unfortunately. I'm just wondering exactly how strict, I mean if you encroach into the 36" setback by say 4", would they really make you move the panels? Do they get up there with a tape measure?
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  • inetdog
    inetdog Solar Expert Posts: 3,123 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
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    Re: What's your experience with fire code setbacks?
    HX_Guy wrote: »
    Yeah I've heard the same about Peoria unfortunately. I'm just wondering exactly how strict, I mean if you encroach into the 36" setback by say 4", would they really make you move the panels? Do they get up there with a tape measure?
    I guess they would let you just extend the roof by 4" instead. :)
    SMA SB 3000, old BP panels.
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  • sogorman
    sogorman Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭
    #5
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    Re: What's your experience with fire code setbacks?

    HX_Guy, if you don't mind me asking where did you land on the Phoenix fire code and your array layout? I'm looking to install somewhere between 30-35 panels on my roof (with micro inverters) and am running into some issues with placement as well. From what I can tell in Phoenix your panels can extend from the roof edge all the way to the peak as long as there are no panels on the adjacent edge. Is this your understand as well?

    Here is what I am looking to do (image not to scale) but need to know if I can go from the roof edge to the top of the peak (denoted in red) without having to leave any room for fire clearance.

    Thanks all!

    Sean

    Attachment not found.
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  • HX_Guy
    HX_Guy Solar Expert Posts: 296 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #6
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    Re: What's your experience with fire code setbacks?

    Sean, I'm actually in Peoria so the rules here may be a little different but possibly not.

    The peak (ridge is actually the term) has to have a 3' setback no matter if there are panels on the other side or not. The ridge however is the top part of the roof parallel to the eve, so in your diagram, the lines running at an angle are actually hips, not ridges. With a hip, you can go all the way to the edge (zero setback) if there are no panels on the adjacent roof area.

    Looking at your layout, the 4 panels on the SW corner near the ridge cannot be there, they are too close to the top. On the NE side, it looks ok except for 3 panels that are too close to the ridge.

    It looks like you have quite a bit of space on the east side of your roof, could you move the panels to that area?

    Also on a side note, I would not recommend micro-inverters here in Phoenix. Look into SolarEdge optimizers instead.
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  • sogorman
    sogorman Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭
    #7
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    Re: What's your experience with fire code setbacks?

    Thanks for the great explanation! There are quite a bit of vents and such on the roof so it's actually quit tough laying out 30 panels. I'm going to jump on the roof with a tape mesure tonight and am going to re-layout everything now that I have my hip and ridges all squared away :)

    If you don't mind me asking, are you telling me to shy away from the micro inverters due to heat concerns?
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  • HX_Guy
    HX_Guy Solar Expert Posts: 296 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #8
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    Re: What's your experience with fire code setbacks?
    sogorman wrote: »
    Thanks for the great explanation! There are quite a bit of vents and such on the roof so it's actually quit tough laying out 30 panels. I'm going to jump on the roof with a tape mesure tonight and am going to re-layout everything now that I have my hip and ridges all squared away :)

    If you don't mind me asking, are you telling me to shy away from the micro inverters due to heat concerns?

    Yes, from everything I've read, the micro-inverters don't do very well with the roof top temperatures here in Phoenix. I believe I read they are rated to 140º, and that roof will get hotter than that. SolarEdge on the other hand are rated to 185º and is actually a cheaper setup I think.

    I read you're doing your own install? What size system? Looks to be fairly big with that many panels.
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  • sogorman
    sogorman Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭
    #9
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    Re: What's your experience with fire code setbacks?

    I am looking to do a 7.5Kwh install with 30 Enphase 250w micro inverters, and 30 300W panels. (I'm oversizing the panels because they are east and west facing and I"m going to loose some of the efficiency there.)

    I like the micro inverters because they have a 25 year warranty (need to find out what exactly that warranties), and it makes upgrading / growing the system easy down the road since you are straight 240v after the micro inverter.

    Looks like the Enphase micro stuff is rated to 150º, need to see what ambient shade temp in the summer is on the roof, may also drop Enphase an email.

    Sean
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