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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>This May 2010 UL/NFPA report "Fire Fighter Safety
and Emergency Response for Solar Power Systems" </FONT><FONT size=2
face=Arial>shows eave-to-ridge solar arrays and has a lot of good
information for designers. See <A
href="http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/Research/FFTacticsSolarPower.pdf">http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/Research/FFTacticsSolarPower.pdf</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=mick@abrahamsolar.com href="mailto:mick@abrahamsolar.com">Mick
Abraham</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org">RE-wrenches</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, August 26, 2010 5:53
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [RE-wrenches] Tight roof
layout questions: edge walkway requirements & "small gap" hardware
options</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>The Wrench List participants have again responded with aplomb.
Thanks to all for the dozen or so replies. My takeaway from this is that I
need to send my roof layouts to the nearby fire department...it's another
"authority having jurisdiction" situation.
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I received the below mail "off list" from a fire captain in San Jose. He
cannot post to the List so he asked me to post on his behalf. Moderator
Michael approved, so Matt Paiss' remarks are copied below. </DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Jolliness, </DIV>
<DIV>Mick Abraham, Proprietor </DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.abrahamsolar.com"
target=_blank>www.abrahamsolar.com</A></DIV>
<DIV>Voice: 970-731-4675<BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; PADDING-LEFT: 1ex"
class=gmail_quote>Mick,</BLOCKQUOTE><SPAN
style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 12px">
<BLOCKQUOTE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">I wanted to reply to your post.
As a firefighter, and an instructor of PV safety for the fire service
like Dan Fink, I would like to take a moment to expand on what Dan was
eluding to. Firefighters will not always look at an edge-to-edge array
and decide to "Let it burn" just based on the array size. We will take
into account the size of the fire, the involvement of the actual structural
members, and the potential life risk within the structure before any
tactical strategy is implemented. I have written off buildings just
based on wind, or available water supply.</SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">What a setback (the term being
used for walkways) allows is primarily for access to a roof, or rapid egress
off a roof when the fire gets out of control, not necessarily for cutting a
hole. I teach firefighters to vent on the other side of the ridge from
the array. There is no time to remove modules, and while
micro-inverters definitely address the safety issues of a 600vdc string,
they do not address access or egress. I am not going to recommend that
ANY firefighter tear off a module to vent a roof because he "thinks" a
micro-inverter is present.</SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">I realize that these new codes are
more restrictive, but even wind load zones recommend against edge-to-edge
installs. There will be some latitude in the fire codes for setbacks,
so I recommend building a good relationship with your local AHJ's.
One way of doing this is by demonstrating safe, high quality installs.
I have seen too many wire-ties holding up PV wire that will be rubbing
against comp shingles for a decade. How confident are you that that
will not be a problem?</SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">Regards,</SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>Matt Paiss</BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE><SPAN
style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; FONT-SIZE: medium">Matthew
Paiss,<SPAN> Fire </SPAN>Captain</SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT
color=#888888>
<DIV><SPAN
style="TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; TEXT-INDENT: 0px; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; FONT: medium Helvetica; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); WORD-SPACING: 0px">
<DIV style="WORD-WRAP: break-word"><SPAN
style="TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; TEXT-INDENT: 0px; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; FONT: medium Helvetica; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); WORD-SPACING: 0px">
<DIV style="WORD-WRAP: break-word"><SPAN
style="TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; TEXT-INDENT: 0px; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; FONT: medium Helvetica; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); WORD-SPACING: 0px">
<DIV style="WORD-WRAP: break-word"><SPAN
style="TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; TEXT-INDENT: 0px; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; FONT: medium Helvetica; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); WORD-SPACING: 0px">
<DIV style="WORD-WRAP: break-word"><SPAN
style="TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; TEXT-INDENT: 0px; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; FONT: medium Helvetica; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); WORD-SPACING: 0px">
<DIV style="WORD-WRAP: break-word"><SPAN
style="TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; TEXT-INDENT: 0px; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; FONT: medium Helvetica; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); WORD-SPACING: 0px">
<DIV style="WORD-WRAP: break-word">
<BLOCKQUOTE>San Jose Fire Department</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>170 W. San Carlos St.</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>San Jose, CA 95113</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>(831) 566-3057
cell</BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></SPAN></DIV></SPAN></DIV></SPAN></DIV></SPAN></DIV></SPAN></DIV></SPAN></DIV></FONT></DIV></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 12:45 AM, Philip Boutelle <SPAN
dir=ltr><<A href="mailto:philboutelle@gmail.com"
target=_blank>philboutelle@gmail.com</A>></SPAN> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; PADDING-LEFT: 1ex"
class=gmail_quote>Just to clarify what is and isn't law in California:
<DIV>the<A
href="http://osfm.fire.ca.gov/pdf/reports/solarphotovoltaicguideline.pdf"
target=_blank> final draft guidelines developed and adopted by Cal
Fire</A> are guidelines, not law, unless the local fire/AHJ has adopted them
or parts of them into local ordinances. I have heard that in Southern Cal,
those guidelines have been adopted all over the place already, but not so in
the rest of the state.... yet. I think the guideline was officially
incorporated into the next NEC/NFPA cycle, so it will be law pretty soon.
Bill Brooks could probably confirm here on future adoption.</DIV>
<DIV>Not that any of this helps your Atlanta install....</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>-Phil Boutelle</DIV>
<DIV>Real Goods Solar <BR><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>
<DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 12:38 PM, Max Balchowsky <SPAN dir=ltr><<A
href="mailto:max@seesolar.com" target=_blank>max@seesolar.com</A>></SPAN>
wrote:<BR></DIV></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; PADDING-LEFT: 1ex"
class=gmail_quote>
<DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Mick,
here in California the fire department in the various agencies has the
final say on clearances. There is a very clear cut standard in place for
the state, but we have been successful a few times in getting allowances
to vary due to various site conditions. A call to the local AHJ is the
place to start. In the early days of our installations (mid 1990's) we
used power strut and bolted panels directly to the rails. A lot slower but
no gaps between panels. We went from there to designing our own "T"
clamps. There wasn't as many choices then for mounting hardware. <BR>
<DIV> </DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,new york,times,serif">Max Balchowsky</SPAN><BR
style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,new york,times,serif"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,new york,times,serif">Design Engineer</SPAN><BR
style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,new york,times,serif"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,new york,times,serif">SEE Systems</SPAN><BR
style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,new york,times,serif"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,new york,times,serif">1048 Irvine Ave Suite
217</SPAN><BR style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,new york,times,serif"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,new york,times,serif">Newport Beach, Ca.
92660</SPAN><BR style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,new york,times,serif"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,new york,times,serif">760-403-6810</SPAN>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><BR>
<DIV
style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman,new york,times,serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT
size=2 face=Tahoma>
<HR SIZE=1>
<B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> Brian Teitelbaum
<<A href="mailto:bteitelbaum@aeesolar.com"
target=_blank>bteitelbaum@aeesolar.com</A>><BR><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> RE-wrenches <<A
href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org"
target=_blank>re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</A>><BR><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Wed, August 25, 2010 11:40:04
AM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> Re:
[RE-wrenches] Tight roof layout questions: edge walkway requirements &
"small gap" hardware options<BR></FONT>
<DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(31,73,125); FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Hi
Mick,</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="COLOR: rgb(31,73,125); FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(31,73,125); FONT-SIZE: 11pt">To
answer part of your post, the DPW Power Rail mid-clamps give you a 3/8”
gap between modules, and the SnapNrack mids give you a 1/2"
gap.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="COLOR: rgb(31,73,125); FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(31,73,125); FONT-SIZE: 11pt">I
doubt if that will give you much of a walkway though….</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="COLOR: rgb(31,73,125); FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="COLOR: rgb(31,73,125); FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Brian Teitelbaum</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="COLOR: rgb(31,73,125); FONT-SIZE: 11pt">AEE Solar</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="COLOR: rgb(31,73,125); FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="COLOR: rgb(31,73,125); FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></SPAN> </P>
<DIV
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: rgb(181,196,223) 1pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-TOP: 3pt">
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">From:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> <A
href="mailto:re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org"
target=_blank>re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org</A> [mailto:<A
href="mailto:re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org"
target=_blank>re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org</A>] <B>On Behalf
Of </B>Mick Abraham<BR><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, August 25, 2010 11:09
AM<BR><B>To:</B> RE-wrenches<BR><B>Subject:</B> [RE-wrenches] Tight roof
layout questions: edge walkway requirements & "small gap" hardware
options</SPAN></P></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Hello, Team~</P>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> </P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal>I'm laying out some Sanyo modules on paper. Twelve of
them fit the roof with almost too much perfection: this would be difficult
to install as it would fill the roof "edge to edge" in both directions.
Are there consistent guidelines about the amount of roof edge which must
remain uncluttered or is this mainly driven by the amount of aggravation
that the installer is willing to tolerate? Which organizations would want
to influence such decisions in the Atlanta region? Details are:
residential, new construction, wooden truss type roof framing, finish
roofing yet to be decided.</P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> </P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal>I've seen fancy photos of rooftops which are covered
edge to edge, but I suppose those are "building integrated" PV systems
instead of discrete modules mounted above the roofing material. Who
decides if those are "OK' for no walkways compared to a roof that is fully
loaded with Sanyo type modules? How are such decisions made?</P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> </P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal>I like the "top clamp" style mounts but UniRac
SolarMount rail systems need about a 1" gap from one module to the next.
Is there anyone with similar hardware that can get a grip within a smaller
gap?</P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> </P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal>Thanks in advance,</P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><BR clear=all>Mick Abraham, Proprietor<BR><A
href="http://www.abrahamsolar.com" rel=nofollow
target=_blank>www.abrahamsolar.com</A><BR><BR>Voice:
970-731-4675</P></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV><BR></DIV></DIV>
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