[RE-wrenches] to flash or not to flash

Ray Walters ray at solarray.com
Sat Aug 29 10:11:54 PDT 2015


Excellent point, sir.  I have looked at quite a few from the attic, 
later when doing upgrades, and I haven't seen leaks.  But NO, I have not 
carefully gone back on every install to confirm. No news is good news, 
but that still doesn't mean 100% leak free.   Also, I'm working in a 
drier climate, where small leaks don't cause big problems.  Actually 
many of the systems with L feet I've looked at are not even my own, and 
(horror) they were sealed with gobs of silicone.
I'm doing an inspection on a place with hot water and PV on an shingle 
roof that is 15+ years old, L feet, no flashings, silicone, and I will 
do my best for the list, to get in there and really check from the attic 
side.  Take photos if I can, and I'll loosen a few screws to check for 
any signs of rot around the screw hole.
Really these days my favorite product might be a smallish flashing/ 
large L foot with butyl tape peel off on the bottom.  It would go under 
the shingle above, so its an actual"flashing", but not so far up that 
you get into the next row of nails, or have to cut the shingle much.
We also need to really look at the sealant above the flashing and make 
sure the shingle above the mount is sealed down properly if disturbed.  
I think trouble with shingle roofs starts when wind and rain can blow 
back up under a loose shingle.  What is the correct method to seal a 
shingle back down anyway?  Heatgun?  More roof approved caulking?
Chime in ye of more roofing knowledge.

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

On 8/28/2015 1:43 PM, Benn Kilburn wrote:
> Here is a devils advocate question for everyone (_including myself_) 
> who is claiming "no leaks after x-years".
>
> Are we assuming "no leaks" because the home/system owner has not 
> reported any or because there are no water stains on the ceilings 
> below the arrays *or* are we actually looking in the attic and seeing 
> that there are absolutely NO water marks where the attachment points are?
> I would think that there is a big difference?  But having not gone 
> back to every install and actually getting up and looking around 
> _inside the attic_, would it not be presumptuous to assume that there 
> have been no leaks?
>
> *Benn Kilburn *
> CSA Certified Solar Photovoltaic Systems Electrician, SkyFire Energy Inc
> 6706 – 82 Ave NW | Edmonton, AB | T6B 0E7
> P: 780-474-8992 | F: 888-405-5843 | www.skyfireenergy.com 
> <http://www.skyfireenergy.com/>
> email <mailto:benn at skyfireenergy.com> facebook 
> <https://www.facebook.com/SkyFireEnergy> twitter 
> <https://twitter.com/SkyFireEnergy> linkedin 
> <https://www.linkedin.com/company/283735?trk=tyah&trkInfo=tarId%3A1408655033432%2Ctas%3Askyfire%2Cidx%3A2-2-5> 
> google <https://plus.google.com/+SkyFireEnergy/>
>
> SkyFire Energy Logo_horizontal
>
>
> On Wed, Aug 26, 2015 at 1:52 PM, <max at seesolar.com 
> <mailto:max at seesolar.com>> wrote:
>
>     I remember the "early days" of installing, which for us was early
>     1990's. We used stainless steel rod hangers straight into rafters,
>     which left us with 4" threaded rod sticking up out of the roof. We
>     used thru the roof for sealing under a nut and fender washer. I've
>     visited a couple of those sites recently (still no leaks after
>     over 25 yrs of production). By the way, we have changed our
>     mounting methods since then.........
>
>     Max Balchowsky
>     Design Engineer
>     Golden Bridge Development
>     1048 Irvine Ave Suite 217
>     Newport Beach, Ca. 92660
>     760-403-6810 <tel:760-403-6810>
>     "Building a Better Future For The Next Generation"
>
>
>
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