Doing any kind of task on a roof of your house is always a challenging work. You must be extra careful because with your weight, you can easily make the tiles crack. Too much drilling work will also cause the tiles to break. Although it is a challenging work, the usage of solar panels will help you save a lot in energy costs in the future. In order to put solar panels over your house tile roof, below is some of the information that may help you in completing the task.
What you need:
- Chalk line
- Electronic stud finder
- Solar panel mounts
- Solar panels
- Drill
- 3/16 drill bit
- 3/8 drill bit (carbide)
- Stainless steel lag bolts
- 9/16 wrenches
- Installation rails
- Tape measure
- Sealant
- Matching tiles (for replacement)
- Ladder
Method:
- Locate your rafters using an electronic stud finder and mark the rafter\’s location with a chalk line. Then remove the tile which sits over the stud.
- Fill the hole which holds the tile that you have taken out with sealant and after that, drill a 3/16 drill bit for making a pilot hole into the stud.
- Then, start by installing the mount by taking one of the mounting brackets and turn it bottom side-up. Place sealant on its surface before placing it over the hole that you have made in step 2. Make sure to secure the brackets with its screws.
- Secure back the tile that you removed in step 2 using your drill along with 3/8 carbide drill bit through the center of the tile. Then, slide a lag bolt through the hole of the tile and ensure it is seated securely (use the 9/16 wrenches) in the mounting bracket beneath the tile. Use some sealant around the bolt to ensure that the tile remains waterproof.
- Attach the rails to the mounting brackets and make sure it is secured using a 3/8 bolts or any type of bolts provided by the manufacturer.
- After that, carefully install and secure the solar panels on the rails so that it will not shuffle around during high wind. Then, run the conduit of the solar panels to your converter in the house to test its operation.
Additional Reading:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5895997_put-solar-panel-roof.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_5942281_install-solar-panels-tile-roof.html
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-install-solar-panels-over-tile-roof
Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clownfish/278588185/
