Gerard Roofing Systems [RE-wrenches]

[Bruce Gardiner]

Tom,
I am doing a PV system on one of these "steel shake" roofs right now. It is
actually stone coated steel, made to look like shake. I used Pro Solar Roof
Jacks with Oatey Flashings and the roofer integrated these into his
roofing,just as he would with comp shingles. First they lay out rows of 2x2s
about 12" apart across the roof, and the bottom edge of the steel sheets are
attached to these. Contact me off line if you want more info.
Bruce
Acme Electric Solar Systems


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Lane, Energy Conservation Services" <solar8 at ehostingbiz.com>
To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2003 6:57 AM
Subject: Re: Gerard Roofing Systems [RE-wrenches]


> Does anyone have a solar electric system installed on a Gerard
> (www.Gerardusa.com) roofing system?? I have a homeowner in the panhandle
of
> Florida who is ordering one from the manufacturer. I understand this metal
> roofing system is popular in Southern California. The Gerard roofing
system
> looks like tiles or shingles etc. but is a ceramic coated metal roof. Does
> anyone have a picture of one on a Gerard roof? Any details about
> installation would be accepted.
>
> Gator Tom
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Allan Sindelar" <allan at positiveenergysolar.com>
> To: "New wrenches posting" <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
> Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2003 7:50 AM
> Subject: Installing Systems Bought Elsewhere [RE-wrenches]
>
>
> > Tom Lane and Fellow Wrenches,
> >
> > Tom, you posted the excerpt below back on 2/25/01. I saved it because it
> had
> > good advice, and recently came across it. The last paragraph, about
> > installing equipment bought elsewhere, led me to some questions. This
also
> > seems like a relevant topic for all of us, so I'm asking it here.
> >
> > We generally offer a year's general warranty on our design and
> installation
> > work. We cover labor (and travel on jobs not too far away) on warranted
> > product failures during this initial year as well. This is satisfactory
in
> > general to our customers, and in most cases there are no warranty trips
> > necessary.
> >
> > We also have a general policy that we won't install equipment bought
> > elsewhere. Partly, this is to encourage customers to buy their hardware
> from
> > us, as good business policy. We bend this policy on a case-by-case
basis,
> > generally with a disclaimer that reads, in its most formal
> contract/proposal
> > wording, as: "We honor all manufacturers' warranties and will repair or
> > replace defective components according to each manufacturer's stated
> > warranty terms. Our installation work is generally guaranteed for one
year
> > against failures due to our error. During this year, we will also cover
> > labor [we sometimes add (but not travel)] on warranted product failures.
> > However, we will only assume product warranty service liability for
those
> > products that we have both supplied and installed. This applies both to
> > manufacturers' product warranties and to our standard one-year warranty
on
> > installation work performed. Positive Energy is not liable for any
> warranty
> > coverage for equipment not provided by us, whether or not we install
that
> > equipment."
> >
> > But we all know that the last person who works on a system gets blamed
for
> > anything that goes wrong.
> >
> > 1. How do you deal with followup and warranty support when you install
> > equipment you didn't sell?
> > 2. How do you protect yourself when something breaks that you installed
> but
> > didn't sell? What if it damages something else that you supplied?
> > 3. What if the client claims that faulty installation caused the
problem?
> > 4. What happens when it's apparent that the equipment set is poorly
> matched,
> > or you suspect that the finished system isn't a good match for the
> > customer's application? Human nature and ego are at work here, both
yours
> > and the customer's. What do you advise? Do you add missing pieces? Do
you
> > just install hardware supplied, even if you know it won't work well in
the
> > system? If not, and you sell part of a system (the part that makes it
work
> > well) when and how do you warrant overall performance? (For example, we
> once
> > had to analyze and rebuild a system with a DR2424, an LED voltmeter and
> > forty golf cart batteries that had crashed three months after
> installation.)
> >
> > Looking for discussion here to help us all...
> > Thanks,
> > Allan at Positive Energy
> > Tom Lane on How to Charge for Design and Installation
> >
> > I am in total disagreement that contractors and wrenches who work for a
> > living for their families should give away their time and knowledge to
the
> > "uneducated public". No other profession gives away their time and
> knowledge
> > for free. Solar hot water and solar pool heating systems are simple
> systems
> > with basic rules of thumb that enable you to give a consumer rough cost
> > estimates and free job surveys and quotes. Not so with solar electric
> > systems. Read Bob-O's & Richard Perez's article in Home Power #81 on
what
> to
> > expect from a professional solar electric contractor.
> >
> > Our Fees
> >
> > ECS charges $500 to $2000 to custom design and specify all the equipment
> > with price breakdowns that include labor. If some pilgrim wants to take
> our
> > list and shop the internet or call a discounter advertising in Home
Power
> > that's fine. I've been paid for providing an education and a shopping
> list.
> >
> > If you don't value your time, no one else will. We typically refund half
> of
> > our design time charge, if the customer buys the system as specified. If
> > they bring a shopping list and want a quote that's different. Some of
you
> > new contractors don't know how many professional engineering firms will
> take
> > advantage of you to quote or do their design work for them - that
they're
> > getting paid for!
> >
> > We provide basic educational brochures and information for free to
people
> to
> > gain a basic understanding. We teach courses each semester at our local
> > community college for the beginning pilgrim. We all do missionary work
at
> > trade shows, etc.
> >
> > When someone buys the equipment and wants us to install it for them,
we're
> > glad to charge them by the hour for our labor. It's pure profit when you
> > charge by the hour for a crew. They pay for all the time it takes,
holding
> > us up driving or taking a boat or plane back to the mainland to get
parts
> or
> > dealing with defective equipment. All the normal glitches a professional
> > runs into costs the client money instead of our loss of profit when we
run
> > into Murphy's Law.
> >
> > Tom Lane
> >
> > - - - -
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> >
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> >
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> >
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> >
> > Moderator: michael.welch at homepower.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> - - - -
> To send a message: RE-wrenches at topica.com
>
> Archive of previous messages: http://www.topica.com/lists/RE-wrenches/
>
> List rules & etiquette: http://www.mrsharkey.com/wrenches/etiquete.htm
>
> Check out participant bios: www.mrsharkey.com/wrenches/index.html
>
> Hosted by Home Power magazine
>
> Moderator: michael.welch at homepower.com
>
>
>

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