The historical past of rooftop photo voltaic mounting options is one which displays the relentless pursuit of effectivity, sturdiness, ease of set up and home-owner satisfaction. What’s unbelievable concerning the evolution of photo voltaic mounting is the way it has developed and are available full circle with new merchandise which have been used within the development {industry} for a few years, proving to be a time-tested know-how.
Credit score: SnapNrack
Authentic photo voltaic programs have been mounted to roofs utilizing a mixture of normal constructing supplies corresponding to Unistrut, sealant, butyl pads and off-the-shelf screws. Photo voltaic installers felt the ache of utilizing these merchandise initially designed for different functions and that rapidly led them to develop a brand new product class: photo voltaic racking.
Because the photo voltaic racking {industry} began to develop, totally different firms discovered methods to innovate in numerous areas. Some targeted on set up effectivity and installer ease-of-use, whereas others targeted on roof safety and code compliance. As a result of affect from roofing {industry} teams, the photo voltaic racking {industry} targeted extra on mechanically flashed options secured to a structural member.
As photo voltaic has change into extra mainstream and the {industry} has began to develop with new professionals and new perception, photo voltaic racking producers have moved away from conventional mechanical flashings and rafter mounting. This has led to a current growth in innovation inside photo voltaic mounting round direct-to-deck options and chemically flashed options.
The present challenges in photo voltaic mounting (and the answer)
At the moment direct-to-deck options are a preferred alternative for rooftop photo voltaic installations, however installers and owners have raised their considerations about these attachments. Utilizing 4 to 6 fasteners in conventional installations will increase the variety of fasteners secured to the roof with direct-to-deck mounting, and this generally raises worries about potential roof leaks. Installers are consistently targeted on sustaining the integrity of the roof construction, and the extreme use of screws could cause hesitancy across the general stability and weatherproofing of the set up.
The reality is that missed pilot holes are the primary explanation for roof leaks within the photo voltaic {industry}, and direct-to-deck mounting options remove the necessity for pilot holes. This implies what’s wanted is an answer that’s direct-to-deck mounting however has a decreased variety of fasteners and nonetheless meets structural engineering necessities.
So how does one scale back the variety of required screws? By altering the screw itself. The development {industry} has lengthy required particular screws for particular purposes, whether or not it’s drywall anchors, wooden screws, sheet metallic screws or concrete anchors. Now could be the time for the photo voltaic {industry} to begin utilizing specialised screws to scale back the amount of fasteners and supply a safe mounting resolution whereas sustaining the roof integrity and structural loading necessities.
The SnapNrack DeckAnchor is an instance of one of these product because it offers a novel resolution for mounting to the roof deck utilizing two screws as a substitute of 4 to 6.
Peel and stick sealing know-how utilizing butyl has change into the newest pattern amongst photo voltaic racking firms for roofing attachments. Butyl is a confirmed technique of weatherproofing and sealing that has stood the take a look at of time in lots of industries corresponding to roofing, automotive and aerospace. When utilized correctly, butyl is an extremely robust resolution for waterproofing photo voltaic attachments on roofs.
Most producers use normal 1/8”-thick butyl, which can not fill all of the holes, crevices and irregularities of a textured composition shingle roof. With out enough butyl, these attachments can require utilizing further sealant to correctly bond. This has resulted in making use of further sealant or extra butyl strips to cowl gaps or adjustments in shingle layers.
These limitations on normal butyl have hindered the adoption of the sealing know-how by many photo voltaic installers within the {industry}. This reluctance has led to enhancements in butyl which have resulted in thicker and extra dependable sealing options. A few of these options embrace butyl that’s three-times the thickness of normal butyl strips, in addition to options that embrace a layer of froth for enhanced malleability.
Credit score: SnapNrack
The purpose is to make sure a correct seal all through the lifetime of the photo voltaic system, even with altering roof situations. This enhanced sealing not solely contributes to the general sturdiness of the set up but in addition offers peace of thoughts to each installers and owners. For instance, SnapNrack AnchorFoot has a 0.2”-thick butyl pad that’s three-times the thickness of industry-standard butyl.
With the range in roof sorts and situations throughout the {industry}, it’s essential to grasp the necessity for a number of set up strategies and attachment kinds. There are instances the place a roof has distinctive structural concerns corresponding to structural insulated panels, truss joists, I-joists or metallic purlins, and would require a direct-to-deck mounting resolution.
Moreover, there are conditions the place the roof decking is insufficient to assist direct-to-deck attachments on account of sheathing thickness or different environmental situations and requires a rafter mounting resolution. The important thing takeaway right here is that there’s a want for versatility throughout totally different set up situations.
Set up firms and crews don’t want to hold a number of attachments for composition roofs after they can have a single resolution that gives set up flexibility. That is why an answer with the power to mount on to the deck in addition to to a structural member is good. What’s much more excellent is that if the answer has a number of fastening choices for every scenario and permits for rafter mounting utilizing a single lag screw or two wooden screws in addition to deck mounting utilizing 4 wooden screws or two SnapNrack DeckAnchors.
The historical past of rooftop photo voltaic mounting options is marked by a steady pursuit of innovation to deal with quite a lot of set up challenges to various roof purposes. Latest merchandise have proven that the {industry} is evolving to make photo voltaic installations extra environment friendly, dependable and adaptable to numerous roof situations. As new applied sciences are embraced within the photo voltaic {industry}, rooftop photo voltaic mounting options will proceed to extend each home-owner confidence and installer satisfaction.
