i wasn't going to enter into this discussion, but this posting prompted me.
my most recent job was done with the assistance of the customer. he and i have a long working history, my being his employee some 25 years ago installing shw systems in the area, and now he hiring me to do his personal home's pv system. he insisted on straight L foot mounting without flashings... and i have to agree. in the 25 to 30 years since we did those shw systems, not a single one has leaked. plus, the installation was at the roof ridgeline, so pv quick mounts wouldn't have worked anyway. we put 2 X 8 blocking in the attic between the trusses to acomodate the mounting bolts and used a nice fattie gob of black silicone on each foot, which gooshed out when tightened. the mount will easily outlast the roof... leak free. honestly, i don't care what the ubc/ibs says. if done properly, these kinds of mounts are bombproof. years of experience backs this up. also, i have seen plenty of 'code compliant' oatey no-caulk sewer vent flashings with rotten rubber leaking into homes to know flashed penetrations are no panacea either. todd On Tuesday, July 3, 2012 2:53pm, "David Brearley" <[email protected]> said: +1 on the use of structural screws. We ran an article about lag screws a couple years ago: [http://solarprofessional.com/article/?file=SP3_4_pg70_Shelly] http://solarprofessional.com/article/?file=SP3_4_pg70_Shelly One of the things that surprised me when I read this manuscript is how variable lag screws are in terms of construction and quality. Besides the convenience of being able to drive a structural screw without a pilot hole, the engineering specs are likely better documented and the manufacturing tolerances are probably tighter as well. FWIW: I think that using unflashed attachments in these litigious times is unwise. It's not consistent with best practices in the construction industry. It does not meet building codes. It violates the roof warranty. It makes your competition look good. We ran our first article on this topic 4 years ago, in our inaugural issue of SolarPro magazine: [http://solarprofessional.com/article/?file=SP1_1_pg72_Fain] http://solarprofessional.com/article/?file=SP1_1_pg72_Fain The industry has come a long way since then, both in terms of awareness and in terms of off-the-shelf flashed attachment options. There are so many quality flashed attachment solutions to chose from now that I'm not sure why anyone would knowingly expose themselves to a possible construction negligence claim. Drive straight, David Brearley, Senior Technical Editor SolarPro magazine NABCEP Certified PV Installer ™ [mailto:[email protected]] [email protected] Direct: 541.261.6545 On Jul 3, 2012, at 4:11 PM, Garrison Riegel wrote: The EcoFasten GF1 flashing is easy to install on a retrofit and will not necessarily add any height to the rail. If you do need to trim the flashings installed around the skylight, then I would recommend adding sealant to these penetrations. We ditch the included lag and use a 5/16” GRK RSS (self tapping structural screw). The combination works great and does not require a pilot hole. RSS: [http://www.grkfasteners.com/en/RSS_1_2_information.htm] http://www.grkfasteners.com/en/RSS_1_2_information.htm GF1 [http://ecofastensolar.com/pdf/GF1%20Cutsheets.pdf] http://ecofastensolar.com/pdf/GF1%20Cutsheets.pdf Best, Garrison Riegel Project Manager Solar Service Inc [p] 847-677-0950 [f] 847-647-9360 [http://www.solarserviceinc.com/] www.solarserviceinc.com NABCEP Certified Solar PV and Thermal Installer™ “There is no room for flashings. The L feet will go very close to the skylights and the flashing would hit the edge of them. Plus there is an existing array that was done by another installer that is done with L feet only. The new array would be higher.” _______________________________________________ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: [mailto:[email protected]] [email protected] Options & settings: [http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org] http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List-Archive: [http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org] http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List rules & etiquette: [http://www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm] www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm Check out participant bios: [http://www.members.re-wrenches.org] www.members.re-wrenches.org Sent from Finest Planet WebMail.
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