Let’s Talk About the Roof
When you go solar, the roof is the star of the show. We take great care to not only evaluate the roof's integrity and quality, but to accurately analyze its build. What does that mean? Of course there's a visual inspection to look for any obvious swails or potential defects. We also need to verify to the best of our abilities the age of the roof. Here it's worth mentioning that to most homeowners the word "roof" means the shingles covering the roof, and that's fine. But to us, the "roof" is the entire roofing system, consisting of the shingles, underlayment, and structure of the roof, i.e. the rafters and beams or truss system.
So let's talk about the roof. As you've probably noticed, solar panels appear to "float" on the roof. That's because they are actually on a racking system fastened to the roof which allows proper airflow and access to the system. Here’s a thorough explanation, but it's a great question (and frankly one we hear all the time) so it deserves a good, clear answer.
If you know the exact age of your roof, perfect. But most people do not, so a thorough inspection will always be completed by Good Sun Solar. Our customers make all the decisions, but we will not advise you to put a solar system on a roofline that is past mid-life. Other companies may gloss this over and suggest you kick the can down the road - but that is not in your best interests. So now that we've inspected the roof thoroughly, and agree with you that the roof has the proper structure and integrity for solar, here's the answer to your question. If you do need roofing repair, or a full re-roof we are well-equipped to assist you with that.
The racking system is fastened to the rafters in your roofing structure. The racking system consists of an ultra strong steel platform for your panels. Because of the racking system's inherent strength, very few penetrations into the roof's rafters are required. (rafters are anywhere from 2 x 4 to 2 x 10's and are the strongest part of your roof). To actually fasten the racking to the rafters, it is lag-bolted at specific locations directly into the rafter, and then sealed. So now, unlike when shingles are nailed into the roof and literally leave hundreds of tiny holes, we have a fraction of the penetrations, all of which are not only sealed to virtually eliminate any possibility of leakage, but are then covered with your solar panels. I'm not saying its impossible for your roof to leak, but I can attest that in 8 years, none of ours ever have. But of course you want assurances. It's why we freely offer a 10 year workmanship warranty which is double the industry average of 5 years on all roof penetrations. This is separate from the 25 year warranty on your actual solar syste,/ I hope this gives you a clearer idea about the role your roof plays in going solar. Think of solar this way. Solar is a home improvement project that takes place on your roof. Understanding and honestly evaluating the quality of your home's roof is one of the very first and most important steps we complete. Great question, thank you!
Good Sun - A Solar Company
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