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imlost
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Registered: 3-31-2015
Location: PNW & East Cape
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Need suggestions of materials for framework for solar panels
I have a house with a flat roof, and I need to build a frame to support a bunch of solar panels I'll be installing on the roof. I've considered
building it out of Uni-strut or Superstrut, but I'm not sure I can buy these materials locally. Does anyone know if this material is available in San
Jose del Cabo or Cabo San Lucas?
What materials did you use to build your frame?
[Edited on 5-22-2016 by imlost]
[Edited on 5-22-2016 by imlost]
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captkw
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Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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Solar install
Use a good angle iron and paint with POR-15.. I use white.. this stuff is amazing !!
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BigWooo
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In Cabo, or anywhere hurricane prone, if you have a lot of $$ invested in panels, purchase commercial mounts rated for strong winds. Don't risk
loosing your panels by making your own mount that will most likely fail in a hurricane.
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imlost
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Quote: Originally posted by BigWooo  | | In Cabo, or anywhere hurricane prone, if you have a lot of $$ invested in panels, purchase commercial mounts rated for strong winds. Don't risk
loosing your panels by making your own mount that will most likely fail in a hurricane. |
Thank you for your
unnecessary vote of confidence of my abilities. I'd rather not buy a commercially designed mounting system.
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pacsur
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Registered: 8-28-2003
Location: San Jose del Cabo,BCS
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If your flat roof has parapet walls some homeowners will also install some type of flat hurricane protection over the panels using the walls as
attachment points, sealing up the roof during hurricanes.
You can buy all the metal you need at Feyco in Los Cabos.
Start with the strongest anchoring system you can find, be sure to seal properly to stop new leaks, or have polyurethane spayed over roof after
complete.
Overengineer everything if your not buying a tested mounting system for your panels.
The POR-15 is also great stuff.
Remember during a hurricane that the old saying about the weakest link really comes into play.
Buenos suerte...
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Bob and Susan
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Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
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I just used treated 2x4's
I shot them with cement nails using a nail gun I borrowed...really secure
then tied the the 2x4's together with straps
then screwed the panels to the wood with angle metal
make sure you seal the roof really well BEFORE you mount the panels
or the nail holes WILL leak
if they lay flat no need for fancy mounts...but...my roof has a 2 foot "wind shield" around the entire thing
mine have been thru several hurricanes...they are still there
someday i'll probably have to replace the wood...not yet
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BigWooo
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| Quote: Originally posted by imlost | | Quote: Originally posted by BigWooo | | In Cabo, or anywhere hurricane prone, if you have a lot of $$ invested in panels, purchase commercial mounts rated for strong winds. Don't risk
loosing your panels by making your own mount that will most likely fail in a hurricane. |
Thank you for your
unnecessary vote of confidence of my abilities. I'd rather not buy a commercially designed mounting system. |
Geez, sorry I ruffled your delicate feathers.
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Bob and Susan
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hey bigwoo i'd take YOUR advice anytime...
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: Originally posted by imlost | | Quote: Originally posted by BigWooo | | In Cabo, or anywhere hurricane prone, if you have a lot of $$ invested in panels, purchase commercial mounts rated for strong winds. Don't risk
loosing your panels by making your own mount that will most likely fail in a hurricane. |
Thank you for your
unnecessary vote of confidence of my abilities. I'd rather not buy a commercially designed mounting system. |
Why not buy a designed mounting system? The industry is mature, the options are many; the mount systems are cheap, quick and easy. You want to build
from scratch using tinker toys, you are a fool.
It's like saying "I want an LED light bulb for my bathroom, but I want to build it from scratch, where can I buy the components in Baja?"
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Pescador
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A lot of people are going to Aluminum which will not corrode living on the ocean and they are strong.
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durrelllrobert
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If you have enough space on your property why not ground mount the panels using readely available materials such as cement, concrete blocks and
dimensional lumber or metal studs and save the worry of future roof leakage? Not related to that suggestion but here is a good read on solar systems,
especially the wiring/ grounding of panels:
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Eight-Ways-to-Make-Solar-Installations-Faster-Safer-and-Cheaper
Bob Durrell
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imlost
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Posts: 218
Registered: 3-31-2015
Location: PNW & East Cape
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| Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666 | | Quote: Originally posted by imlost | | Quote: Originally posted by BigWooo | | In Cabo, or anywhere hurricane prone, if you have a lot of $$ invested in panels, purchase commercial mounts rated for strong winds. Don't risk
loosing your panels by making your own mount that will most likely fail in a hurricane. |
Thank you for your
unnecessary vote of confidence of my abilities. I'd rather not buy a commercially designed mounting system. |
Why not buy a designed mounting system? The industry is mature, the options are many; the mount systems are cheap, quick and easy. You want to build
from scratch using tinker toys, you are a fool.
It's like saying "I want an LED light bulb for my bathroom, but I want to build it from scratch, where can I buy the components in Baja?"
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Apparently, some of you aren't familiar with Superstrut and Uni-strut in a solar application. These products
are used extensively in the US in commercial solar projects. If you google "superstrut solar" you'll see countless examples of solar framework built
with this, and I'm not just talking about small projects, but also large solar farms. It's arguably the most used material for commercial solar
framework projects in the US. Saying that it's "tinker toys" and that I'm a fool for considering using these products is pretty extreme.
I'm not trying to pick a fight here. I'm simply asking what others have used. I don't want to spend big $ on a commercial mounting system. If you know
of one that is affordable, then I'm interested in hearing about it. I have yet to find a commercial mounting system that is not priced way more than I
want to spend. If you know of one - please bring it to the table.
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imlost
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Location: PNW & East Cape
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Great question. My roof is Tri-D construction, so I'm
thinking it would be best to not make penetrations. If I did connect it directly, I'd question the ability of the Tri-D construction to hold down the
panels in strong winds. For this reason, I'm leaning toward a ballast type mount - Either pre-made solid concrete blocks or hand-poured curbs.
My roof has parapet walls that are about 2' in height. They are also constructed of Tri-D.
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imlost
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Location: PNW & East Cape
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Thanks for your suggestion. I have the room to mount these on the ground, but I'd rather have them on the roof, out of sight. I'm
not planning to use the roof for living space.
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imlost
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I've
read that corrosion can be a big concern, and so I haven't ruled out aluminum for this reason. I know that most good installations use rubber or
plastic washers for assembly, just to prevent corrosion from dissimilar metals.
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pacsur
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Location: San Jose del Cabo,BCS
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My first story is block construction, my second story and all the roofs are all tri-d panel, most likely unless you pre-planned to anchor to roof you
probably won't have good base to anchor to.
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imlost
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| Quote: Originally posted by pacsur | If your flat roof has parapet walls some homeowners will also install some type of flat hurricane protection over the panels using the walls as
attachment points, sealing up the roof during hurricanes.
You can buy all the metal you need at Feyco in Los Cabos.
Start with the strongest anchoring system you can find, be sure to seal properly to stop new leaks, or have polyurethane spayed over roof after
complete.
Overengineer everything if your not buying a tested mounting system for your panels.
The POR-15 is also great stuff.
Remember during a hurricane that the old saying about the weakest link really comes into play.
Buenos suerte... |
Great advice - Thanks. I'll check out Feyco, and POR-15.
I'm hesitant to make any penetrations in my existing roof, since it's not concrete. I'm leaning toward anchoring this in to concrete curbs or blocks
that will just "sit" there. These could be sealed in position with the rest of the roof.
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mtgoat666
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Posts: 18401
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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You said you did not want a commercial system, then you said you are looking at uni strut's designed systems. You are making little sense. Isn't uni
strut a commercial system?
There are several mfgs of solar rack systems. Just go buy the one recommended for your roof type. Call or email the mfg or distributor to ask which
type is best for your particular roof.
| Quote: Originally posted by imlost | | Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666 | | Quote: Originally posted by imlost | | Quote: Originally posted by BigWooo | | In Cabo, or anywhere hurricane prone, if you have a lot of $$ invested in panels, purchase commercial mounts rated for strong winds. Don't risk
loosing your panels by making your own mount that will most likely fail in a hurricane. |
Thank you for your
unnecessary vote of confidence of my abilities. I'd rather not buy a commercially designed mounting system. |
Why not buy a designed mounting system? The industry is mature, the options are many; the mount systems are cheap, quick and easy. You want to build
from scratch using tinker toys, you are a fool.
It's like saying "I want an LED light bulb for my bathroom, but I want to build it from scratch, where can I buy the components in Baja?"
|
Apparently, some of you aren't familiar with Superstrut and Uni-strut in a solar application. These products
are used extensively in the US in commercial solar projects. If you google "superstrut solar" you'll see countless examples of solar framework built
with this, and I'm not just talking about small projects, but also large solar farms. It's arguably the most used material for commercial solar
framework projects in the US. Saying that it's "tinker toys" and that I'm a fool for considering using these products is pretty extreme.
I'm not trying to pick a fight here. I'm simply asking what others have used. I don't want to spend big $ on a commercial mounting system. If you know
of one that is affordable, then I'm interested in hearing about it. I have yet to find a commercial mounting system that is not priced way more than I
want to spend. If you know of one - please bring it to the table.
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imlost
Nomad
Posts: 218
Registered: 3-31-2015
Location: PNW & East Cape
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: Originally posted by soulpatch | | Quote: Originally posted by imlost | Great question. My roof is Tri-D construction, so I'm
thinking it would be best to not make penetrations. If I did connect it directly, I'd question the ability of the Tri-D construction to hold down the
panels in strong winds. For this reason, I'm leaning toward a ballast type mount - Either pre-made solid concrete blocks or hand-poured curbs.
My roof has parapet walls that are about 2' in height. They are also constructed of Tri-D. |
Guys on the mainland are going with those RV concrete mounting blocks... it's good concrete that won't degrade on you.
Hand pour would be easy, too.... you could make those bullet proof.
I am certain you have done roof load calcs.
You gonna set the array at latitude or when do you expect the need for most productivity?
Sorry, not impugning your knowledge, I am just curious!
Saludos,
Frank |
Frank,
I haven't done calcs. I didn't build the house and the builder is not available for me to talk to, so I have to make some assumptions. I'm planning to
spread the weight of the concrete around, so it's not in one place. I'm pretty confident the roof can handle the weight I'm planning to add. The roof
was designed for the solar panels to be up there.
Regarding the angle of the panels - I'm not planning for the array to be adjustable. It was difficult for me to find a solar calculator that includes
the BCS area, but we're at a similar latitude to Mazatlán, and the calculator suggested 67 degrees of angle (from vertical) for the summer months
(which is when we'll have max usage). I'm curious to know what angle(s) other people have used for their systems.
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Fernweh
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Posts: 444
Registered: 2-24-2011
Location: Centenario, BCS
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I built my own solar panel rack system, mounted to a flat roof with approx. 22" high parapet walls.
The roof structure, 12" metal joist, 3/4" plywood, torched on hd roofing.
I had bolted two rows of Uni-struts, for each solar array, through the roof structure, sealed the penetrations with a good polyurethane sealer.
Built the welded support structures from 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" x 1/8" angle, not higher than the parapet walls (almost perfect solar angle for La Paz), and
bolted them to the Uni-struts with 3/8" spring nut system.
Using Uni-struts again, but this time welded to the support structure, layout to match the mounting holes in the solar panels. The Enphase inverter
and cables are also mounted to these Uni-struts as well.
I then bolted the separate solar panels to the Uni-strut line, from underneath for theft protection (not that easy to do).
To increase the theft protection, I did install a steel 1" x 1" 1/8" angle over the edges of the solar panels, welded to the sub-structure.
Apparently that angle installation was to tight on one of the panels, it cracked the glass of it.......not so good, but is still working with 70%
output.
Oh, by the way, Odile went over my place in 2014 - no damage to my homemade lousy structure 
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