I'd strongly recommend everyone look into the IronRidge FlashVue. At risk of causing supply shortages, maybe the price will come down at scale. But they are not prohibitively expensive now. The big hole that allows you to find the pilot hole is a really nice feature. I'm saying goodbye the the QMPV L-Mount, but they're the same company now anyway - no harm done.
Jason On Fri, Apr 23, 2021, 11:23 AM Tump <t...@swnl.net> wrote: > I have lost many a jobs due to the difference of flashing costs….THANK the > solar gods. How can one install something w/ a “25 year” life cycle w/o > doing their best. I looked at the Unirac *Flashkit Pro* flashings and > they look like they will replace the PV Quick mount (my first choice) that > my supplier no longer carries. > > On Apr 22, 2021, at 6:47 PM, Jeremy Coxon <jco...@sunwindpowerinc.com> > wrote: > > 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 <will...@millersolar.com> > 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:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] *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 > > > > > _______________________________________________ > List sponsored by Redwood Alliance > > Pay optional member dues here: http://re-wrenches.org > > List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org > > Change listserver email address & settings: > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > There are two list archives for searching. When one doesn't work, try the > other: > https://www.mail-archive.com/re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org/ > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > List rules & etiquette: > http://www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm > > Check out or update participant bios: > http://www.members.re-wrenches.org > > > *t...@swnl.net* *www.SWNL.net* > Solarwinds Northernlights > * Serving Mid Coast Maine & Northern California* > * 207-832-7574 Cl. > 610-517-8401 * > *Blair "TUMP" May* > > > * ******** MAINE'S CHARTER ******** * * > NABCEP "Certified PV Installer"* > > > * ******** MAINE'S CHARTER ******** ** > Trace Xantrex "Certified" Dealer / Installer"* > > > >
_______________________________________________ List sponsored by Redwood Alliance Pay optional member dues here: http://re-wrenches.org List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Change listserver email address & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org There are two list archives for searching. When one doesn't work, try the other: https://www.mail-archive.com/re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org/ http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List rules & etiquette: http://www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm Check out or update participant bios: http://www.members.re-wrenches.org
