[RE-wrenches] iron & aluminum

[Ray Walters]

Around here, wood dry rots around the screws, so after about 5 years, 
timber built frames are blowing apart. While it might be possible to do 
a decent timber base frame using pressure treated wood and carriage 
bolts for the attachments, you could not use wood for the final cross 
rails as you noted.  Actually any of us that do roof mounts are 
technically using a timber base frame, but certainly not for the rails!

R.Ray Walters
CTO, Solarray, Inc
Nabcep Certified PV Installer,
Licensed Master Electrician
Solar Design Engineer
303 505-8760

On 5/29/2015 1:59 PM, Dana wrote:
>
> I visited a PV array owner built out of pressure treated wood and AL 
> angle. The wood had warped and twisted and several modules were 
> cracked as a result of the tension on the panels.
>
> As I tried to move the thought process to all metal (either AL or 
> iron) I met total resistance. I wished him a great day and got in my 
> truck & drove off.
>
> It takes all types in this world.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Dana Orzel
>
> Great Solar Works, Inc -  NABCEP # 051112-136
>
> E - dana at solarwork.com  - Web - solarwork.com
>
> O - 970.626.5253  C - 208.721.7003
>
> "Responsible Technologies for Responsible People since 1988"
>
> *P*Please consider the environment before printing this email.
>
> *From:*RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] 
> *On Behalf Of *Glenn Burt
> *Sent:* Friday, May 29, 2015 1:53 PM
> *To:* RE-wrenches
> *Subject:* Re: [RE-wrenches] iron & aluminum
>
> Stainless steel bolts and nuts as well as Ss flat washers where the 
> dissimilar metals meet to keep them separated works OK.
>
> Sincerely,
> Glenn Burt
> Sent from my 'smart' phone so please excuse grammar and typos.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *From: *RM You <mailto:solareagle at solareagle.com>
> *Sent: *‎5/‎28/‎2015 22:21
> *To: *RE-wrenches <mailto:re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
> *Subject: *[RE-wrenches] iron & aluminum
>
> Hi Wrenches, I have had a couple of customers want to fabricate their 
> own PV pole mounts and racks out of iron. Aside from the galvanic 
> corrosion and weight issues is there anything else I should caution 
> these guys about? Any stories about failures etc? My druthers are to 
> stay with the engineered aluminum pole mounts but when you’re dealing 
> with someone with fabrication experience and the cost for pre-fab is 
> high then the obvious outcome occurs. If the unit is properly 
> treated/painted I imagine it could last many years. Is there a way to 
> attach an anode to such a rack or would simple non conductive 
> insulation between panels and rack be the best answer?
>
> Ron Young
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