pre-engineered ground racks [RE-wrenches]

Graham Owen graham at solarexpert.com
Thu Sep 9 10:11:22 PDT 2004


 

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Hey Bill,

You asked if I use Pro Solar Products Inc. hardware for installation of
solar panels on rooftops.  My short answer is; YES this equipment makes
my installations quicker, easier, simple, safe, durable and compliant.

My longer answer is; long before PV became popular in the city of Los
Angeles I bought my solar thermal mounting hardware from Pro Solar and I
still use their racks for mounting solar pool-heating panels as well as
PV.  I have been told that only recently building departments have begun
requiring engineering for solar panel mounting hardware, perhaps this is
true in some areas but full documented engineering has been required for
as long as I’ve been doing solar installations in L.A.   Back in the
early eighties pulling a permit for installing solar panels in L.A.
required engineering for the installation to withstand wind loads up to
99 mph.  If I recall correctly 100 mph and higher was considered “an act
of god”.  Here in L.A. the Santa Anna windy season is extremely intense
with hurricane force winds (without the rain) experienced frequently in
the fall and winter.  I have full confidence that Pro Solar mounting
hardware ,when properly and structurally attached to the roof will never
blow off.

Before getting into manufacturing solar panel attachment hardware Pro
Solar’s owner Stan Ulmann used to be an installing solar contractor.  I
worked with Stan back in the mid eighties installing one of the largest
commercial sized solar water heating systems in the San Fernando Valley.
He knows what installers need, less time spent on rooftops, especially
the numerous 100-degree days of summer, without sacrificing equipment
strength or longevity.  I truly believe that Stan spends more time
focusing on quality control and innovation as opposed to devising
marketing schemes.  Unlike the competition who has very recently
outsourced their aluminum extrusions to be made in China to hopefully
increase profit margins, Pro Solar products continue to provide jobs in
California.

Pro Solar “Tile-Trac” is a patented product that has been used since the
1990’s and the only other alternative for existing tile roofs is either
a hangar-bolt (wont get a permit in L.A.) or remove the tiles and
install flashable standoffs.  The competition would like to see building
departments require the removal of tiles which opens the market to their
standoffs.  That said; lets compare the flashable standoffs; Pro Solar’s
“Fast-Jacks” will fit both an Oatey rubber boot flashing as well as
standard all metal flashings.  The new Uni-Rac aluminum standoffs fits
well under an Oatey flashing but will not allow a metal flashing to be
flush with the roof, the sheet metal hangs up on the base plate.  (I
know my roofer friends would not be happy roofing in a non-flush
flashing.) This new standoff also has a ferrous plough bolt that secures
the post to the base plate and the post’s internal threaded cavity goes
from top to bottom, which could allow water to eventually rust the
plough bolt. I wont use them. They look nice, are less expensive to make
because the hollow extrusion can be threaded with anyone with a drill
press and a tap-matic but I much prefer the Fast-Jacks with a solid
core, CNC hobbed threads and stainless steel hardware.  It takes 11
turns with slip-joint pliers to tighten the Uni-Solar post into the base
as opposed to 3 1/2 with a Fast-Jack.  This alone saves considerable
time especially on a large install trying to thread posts through
flashings into the bases. 

Pro Solar was the first manufacturer to introduce top-down module
mounting clips, which is also a patented technology.  I prefer the
original product to the recent knock-off’s.  I much prefer the original
design, where a bolt is threaded downwards, through the module clip, and
tightened into a channel grab nut.  As opposed to the Uni-Rac method of
sliding bolt heads into their extruded channel and a nut tightened above
the module clip.  From servicing a PV array mounted on Uni-Rac one
problem I encountered is trying to remove a module for replacement and
finding that trying to loosen the nut is difficult because the head of
the bolt spins down in the channel.  Resulting in having to hacksaw the
bolts, not fun on a hot roof.  I have also seen on two occasions holes
burned into the modules and even melted the glass, caused by installers
who lost track of a bolt and tightened the module down with the bolt
cutting into the module backing.

Sorry for such a long reply, I could keep going on.  If I were
installing on the east coast I would also prefer the Pro Solar mounts
and rails because they cost less, mostly due to no marketing expenses
and weigh much less, so shipping costs would also be lower.

Graham

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