Standing Seam S5s vs. Penetrations [RE-wrenches]

[Jeff Clearwater]

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Hi Kelly,

Thank you- this is exactly the kind of info I was looking to confirm. 
I really appreciate it!

The preliminary results from my engineer agree with what you say 
below.  The Mini-clamp though is a revelation!

Do you know the S5! designation for the Mini-clamp?  I don't see it 
on their web site under that name though I see that reference by 
other suppliers.  Is it the S-5! E?  I have a call into Rob - 
hopefully he's around these days.

And what was the gauge of the roofing you were working with?

Thanks again,

Jeff C.
Village Power Design


>Hi Jeff,
>We designed a 21.3 KW PV system with S-5! clamps that was recently installed
>(another company won the install bid) on a remodeled barn-turned research
>center (State project). The design used top-down rails mounted to the S-5!
>clamps.
>
>I worked extensively with Rob Haddock of S-5! and learned a lot during the
>design process. Here's some points:
>
>- The clamps will hold the PV array to the roof just fine - we need to worry
>about how the roof is attached to the building. I.E. The clamp number will
>be determined by how the load is distributed over the roofing rather than
>the load capacity of the clamp.
>
>- In general, put the S-5! Clips on the same attachment frequency as the
>roof-to-building clips or screws. That means you need more S-5! clips for
>thinner gauge roofing attached along seams 12" OC than thicker structural
>roofing attached with clips every 3 feet.
>
>- The potential wind uplift on the array will be approximately the same as
>what the wind uplift on the roofing would be without the array over it.
>Again, evenly distributing the load over the roofing is important.
>
>- Work closely with the roofing company structural engineer (if a new
>installation), or find the engineering data for the existing roof.
>
>- The shape and type of seam is important in determining the type of S-5!
>clamp used.
>
>- S-5! clamps are very expensive. If the number of clamps in your design is
>way more than you need for clamp-to-roofing capacity (which it probably will
>be) you can save over half the cost by using the S-5! "Mini" clamp. Sunwize
>just sourced some for us for a small job at $6.75 each.
>
>-Kelly
>
>Kelly Keilwitz, P.E.
>Whidbey Sun & Wind, LLC
>Renewable Energy Systems
>NABCEP Certified PV Installer
>987 Wanamaker Rd,
>Coupeville, WA 98239
>PH & FAX 360-678-7131
>sunwind at whidbeysunwind.com
>
>
>
>On 9/11/06 5:14 PM, "Jeff Clearwater" <clrwater at earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>>
>>  Hi All,
>>
>>  We have a commercial client with a Starshield Standing Seam roof that
>>  would love to see us not have to do penetrations.
>>
>>  The word around seems to be that the Standing Seam numbers do show
>>  sufficient uplift capability when one does the engineering as long as
>>  it's installed right with the right number of screws/purlings.   We
>>  have an engineer about to look at that.     However some installers
>>  and racking companies say they just have to avoid it altogether for
>>  liability reasons.
>>
>>  I know we've had some discussions before on S5! and some case
>>  histories - but I just wanted to make sure I wasn't wasting my
>>  engineers time.
>>
>>  How many of you have actually installed S5! clips AND gotten an
>>  engineering stamp that they work?  Any problems with S5!
>>  installations thus far?  Any pointers on what the real issues were in
>>  order to get that stamp?  What are they looking for specifically?
>>
>>  Any experiences you may have had might save me some time and money.
>>
>>  Thanks!
>>
>>  Jeff C.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jeff Clearwater
Village Power Design
Sustainable Energy & Water Solutions for Home & Village
http://www.villagepower.com
gosolar at villagepower.com
NABCEP (tm) Certified Solar PV Installer

530-470-9166
877-SOLARVillage
877-765-2784
72 Baker Rd.
Shutesbury, MA 01072
425 Nimrod St.
Nevada City, CA 95959
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`~


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