Jeremy:
It is amazing how we all exist in parallel universes. We have had IDENTICAL experiences with leak claims and handled them EXACTLY as you did: We meet with the roofer of choice and dissect the patient as a team. Our policy is: If we caused the leak, we pay for everything. If we did not cause the leak, we pay for nothing. In almost 40 years of solar contracting we have caused exactly one leak. I intend to keep it to that number. We have to take roofing issues seriously and not let the manufacturer’s bean counters dictate how we do what we know how to do. The new hardware is crap, in my opinion. Rant off… You bring up three important points: 1. Flashings are essential. 2. Valleys need to have a gap between shingles or tiles and kept clear of debris. 3. Rain water can and will travel sideways. Thank you so much for bringing up this scenario. It is a huge reality check for those of us that poke holes in roofs for a living. Our liability exposure is huge. What will we be using? I don’t know. Snap-N-Rack has been marginalizing their product line for a while now, so I guess I am shopping for a new direction. It’s a shame because I have a big inventory of SNR parts and pieces. I am as keen as you are to learn where to turn for racking. William Miller Solar 17395 Oak Road, Atascadero, CA 93422 805-438-5600 www.millersolar.com CA Lic. 773985 *From:* RE-wrenches [mailto:[email protected]] *On Behalf Of *Jeremy Coxon *Sent:* Thursday, April 22, 2021 3:48 PM *To:* RE-wrenches *Subject:* Re: [RE-wrenches] Trend away from roof flashings??? William you and I think a lot alike. I had a job today where “the owner was told by a roofing company that those solar panels are making my roof leak”. This was on an 11 yr old install over new shingles. We used flashings and added flashing stock anywhere that was close to a shingle seam (just like always). So instead of fighting the battle we scheduled to show up at the same time as the roofer (one of the top 2 roofers in town and the same company that laid the roof 11yrs ago). Did the leak checks, ID’d the location, lifted panels and let them go to town. Turns out that the leak was 3’ away from any of our penetrations and the leak was at a shingle nail. The cause according to the roofers (lead guy and manager) was water running sideways from the adjacent gap between shingles. Their comment-“we see this all the time on these 3D shingles on roofs that don’t have solar panels”. Apparently, “if leaves build up or ice dams up then water shoots sideways and after a while the nail holes leak”. Their warranty -2 years! So, there ya go. Crisis averted, solar not the culprit. But can you imagine how that would have turned out if we had NOT used flashings? We will not be using unflashed attachments. Besides, what happens when the new guy misses the rafter or what happens when the rafter spacing changes (we see that a LOT)? Sealed L feet are a huge step backwards IMO. The problem now though is the flashings that I know work (SnapNRack old style) are no longer available. It seems that all the new ones rely on a cone with EPDM seal and washered lags for sealing. Hence the initial reason for this post- what are you guys using? Jeremy Coxon NABCEP Certified MWBE Sent from my iPhone On Apr 22, 2021, at 2:57 PM, William Miller <[email protected]> wrote: Jeremy: Good question. I am with you in that I prefer that my pitched-roof rain-proofing relies on gravity. This is the concept invented by the first roof thatcher and followed ever since as roofing technology progressed. When I spotted this regressive trend my first question was: What happens when the rafter connection you need falls under a seam in the roofing shingles? This problem alone is a deal killer. I am sure lesser installers will attempt to fill the seam with caulk. Adding to my discomfort is the reality that chemical solutions are not nearly as reliable as gravity. Even the best caulk degrades with time, temperature and UV. Roofing materials crack and become brittle and powdery. Applying the new technology is iffy with a new comp roof and crazy on roofs a year or more old. We will not be using the new flashingless attachments on comp roofs. William Miller Solar 17395 Oak Road, Atascadero, CA 93422 805-438-5600 www.millersolar.com CA Lic. 773985 *From:* RE-wrenches [mailto:[email protected]] *On Behalf Of *Jeremy Coxon *Sent:* Wednesday, April 21, 2021 7:40 AM *To:* RE-wrenches *Subject:* [RE-wrenches] Trend away from roof flashings??? I’m interested in what the group has to say about the trend, by the racking manufacturers, away from the use of flashings for asphalt/comp roofs? We have long used SnapNRack flashings with much success. I especially like the fact that the penetrations are fully flashed and do not rely on sealant. I am NOT a fan of their new raised cone/epdm gasket flashing. There are a number of these raised cone flashings in the marketplace and it’s my experience that they don’t hold up to the test of time and I wonder what the roofing manufacturers have to say about this. I see that Unirac, SnapNRack and others are now offering basically a sealed L-Foot which is essentially where we were 15-16yrs ago and met with a lot of opposition from the roofing industry. Just interested to hear what you guys are using these days on asphalt shingle roofs for reliably dry attachments? Best Regards, Jeremy Coxon NABCEP # 091308-21 MWBE Certified
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