[RE-wrenches] Best racking systems (was Awkward Mid-clamps & jigs for installing or removing modules?)

Fri Jan 18 16:35:50 PST 2013

Andrew,

Very interesting. I know several people at Zep and have toured their
facility and definitely like many aspects of their product. But, we haven't
tried it on one of our projects yet. I think part of that is because we
work in the San Francisco Bay Area where custom racks are often required
and are very prevalent. We have crews working on a daily basis on pitched
and flat roofs of all types and Unirac and Pro Solar have been a staple to
basically build whatever type of rack we need. Many installers, including
us, use a pipe or angle aluminum sub structure on flat roofs to tilt and
span over objects or fit panels into tight spaces. This allows for us to
solve for any mounting dilemma but definitely takes a burden on time and
materials. I'd say about 30% of our business is standard flush mount comp
shingle. And the question is whether there is a strong enough solution that
justifies stocking another type of panel and or racking system.

Best,

August

August Goers

Luminalt Energy Corporation

1320 Potrero Avenue

San Francisco, CA 94110

m: 415.559.1525

o: 415.641.4000

august at luminalt.com

*From:* re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org [mailto:
re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] *On Behalf Of *Andrew Truitt
*Sent:* Friday, January 18, 2013 3:26 PM
*To:* RE-wrenches
*Subject:* Re: [RE-wrenches] Best racking systems (was Awkward Mid-clamps &
jigs for installing or removing modules?)

August - Zep Solar <http://zepsolar.com> recently signed a contract with
Solar City to be their primary residential mounting solution nationally and
brought me on to help roll out the program in Colorado.  I can tell you
that Solar City spent 2 years working with Zep and vetting the product and
they would not have signed on unless they felt that they would achieve
significant cost savings.  Zep is actually very versatile - modules can be
installed in portrait or landscape; array leveling is achieved easily with
a few turns of a threaded stud; gaps in the array are easily installed;
mounting options are available for almost any roof surface; the module /
mounting system is (or will be very soon) listed to UL 2703 as a complete
bonded system; and the lack of rail should eliminate the need for
electrical rough-in roof inspections for the unfortunate souls with AHJs
that require such nonsense.

At least 14 module manufacturers now make Zep-compatible modules and
installers are starting to line up to become dealers of the product.  I've
installed a number of rail-less systems, but this one is the best I've seen.

For a brighter energy future,

Andrew Truitt
NABCEP Certified PV Installer™ (ID# 032407-66)

Principal
Truitt Renewable Energy Consulting, LLC

(202) 486-7507

LinkedIn Profile <http://www.linkedin.com/pub/andrew-truitt/8/622/713>

Company Website <http://truittreconsulting.weebly.com/>

"Don't get me wrong: I love nuclear energy! It's just that I prefer fusion
to fission. And it just so happens that there's an enormous fusion reactor
safely banked a few million miles from us. It delivers more than we could
ever use in just about 8 minutes. And it's wireless!"

~William McDonough

On Fri, Jan 18, 2013 at 3:23 PM, Ray Walters <ray at solarray.com> wrote:

I second the vote for Pro Solar, but I don't care for their Fast Jacks.
Their Tile Track mounts can actually be used on comp roofs ( see the
manual) and work quite well.
The best part of Pro Solar rails is they can be used for wire management
too.  Just drop the cables into the open top of the rail, it acts as a
decent cable tray.
I've used Haticon and it has some advantages, but also its own problems:
their clamps are not the greatest.

Ray Walters
Solarray, Inc.

On 1/18/2013 3:04 PM, August Goers wrote:

All -

This thread brought up a question I've been mulling over for a while - what
is the best flush mount rack out there these days on the market? I've tried
a lot of different racks and am always on the hunt to find something better
but the more experience I get I keep going back to Pro Solar and Unirac
SolarMount. Pro Solar's price can't be beaten and once you get over having
to drill a quick hole for every stanchion point it goes in really quickly.
Plus, their mid clamps and end clamps are really solid, easy to work with,
and work well with WEEBs.

All that said, I still want something more. Fast and versatile is always
better so I'll keep looking. The specialized racks like Zep seem cool but
seem to lack the versatility aspect. Has anyone tried using Unirac's latest
gen system SolarMount Evolution?

Best,

August

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