I would investigate the roof ! The only thing that should be on an
offgrid dwelling is snow, rain, or bird doo!
Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar
"we go where powerlines don't"
[1]https://offgridsolar1.com/ [2] [1]
e-mail offgridso...@sti.net
text 209 813 0060
On 2025-03-05 1:11 pm, Christopher Warfel via RE-wrenches wrote:
I have heard this too, no solar involved. Chris
On 3/5/2025 12:05 PM, Tyrone Houck via RE-wrenches wrote:
Screw down metal roofs are notorious for expansion/contraction
issues...especially over long horizontal spans. It's possible that the
array is actually fixing that section in place better than the rest of
the roof(while simultaneously keeping that part of the roof cooler) . I
would investigate the roof area adjacent to the array as it's likely to
be heating up much faster than the area shaded by the array. Could be
the sound of screws popping..
Best of luck!
Tyrone Houck
Oregon Solarworks LLC
CCB #204937 LRT #076
541-787-1366
tyr...@oregonsolarworks.com
On Wed, Mar 5, 2025, 8:48 AM Jason Szumlanski via RE-wrenches
<re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
They report that it is definitely coming from the roof and from
opposite ends of the array. It's pretty random, but only earlier in the
day and later in the day, which suggests the array and roof are heating
and cooling. I don't believe it is electrical.
But it is interesting that you mention siding. Just before we installed
solar panels, they had their house re-sided with hardy board siding. I
suggested that maybe it was coming from the siding on the gable ends,
but of course, they insisted that it only started when the solar panels
were installed. I did find a piece of siding that was pressed up tight
against a drip edge, and I found that to be a possible source. Without
being there on the roof as it happens, it's hard to diagnose. They are
reporting 1-2 dozen pops a day that they can hear clearly. I don't
doubt that, but I question whether it is directly related to the solar
panel installation.
For more context, they also reported something that sounded like
banging in high winds, like a solar panel was loose. All of the panels
were later found to be completely secure. I found a piece of aluminum
soffit cover that was loose and could have been flopping around, but
again, it's hard to tell when you are not there.
They are wrapping themselves all around the axle, probably thinking
that we did something wrong. They even called S-5 behind our backs to
see if the manufacturer could throw us under the bus. That turned out
to be a fun discussion because S-5 suggested the them that adding more
seam clamps might help. Of course, SolarFoot is not a seam clamp at
all, which further confused the owner.
Jason Szumlanski
Principal Solar Designer | Florida Solar Design Group
NABCEP Certified Solar Professional (PVIP)
Florida State Certified Solar Contractor CVC56956
Florida Certified Electrical Contractor EC13013208
On Wed, Mar 5, 2025 at 8:51 AM Dave Tedeyan via RE-wrenches
<re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
Jason,
You mentioning popping sounds reminds me of two separate systems that I
was called in to service recently where the homeowner was reporting
popping sounds. These were coming from the ground, not the roof, so it
may not apply. Both systems were roughly 10 years old, and the original
installer used PVC conduit off the roof. Water had been getting into
the conduit and running down to the combiner (Enphase system). Things
were quite corroded in the combiner panels and the sounds were coming
from a failing breaker. It sounds like your system is newer, but maybe
there is a bad breaker? In one case the customer was certain the noise
was coming from the meter, but upon inspection I am nearly certain it
was the combiner instead. These were more of an "electronic" popping
noise though. If your popping noise is more structural have the
customer listen out to see if it happens right when the sun comes out
from a cloud, or goes behind a cloud. With vinyl siding or metal roofs,
I'll sometimes hear the expansion and contraction but it has to be a
very quick change in temperature and I only hear it on those quick
transitions from sun to clouds.
Good luck tracking it down!
Cheers,
Dave
On Wed, Mar 5, 2025 at 8:12 AM Jason Szumlanski via RE-wrenches
<re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
I had a person contact me years ago who said her solar installer put a
system up that caused popping noises everyday on her roof. It was a
shingle roof, older home, and ultimately we chalked it up to expansion
and contraction. Everything was secure and there were no indications of
structural, cosmetic, or waterproof integrity being jeopardized.
That was my only experience with this issue until we did a recent
installation on a 5V exposed fastener metal roof using S-5 SolarFoot
mounts attached through the metal into the plywood decking only. This
new client is reporting numerous loud popping sounds every day. Based
on the time of day and weather, it must have something to do with
expansion and contraction, but we cannot pinpoint the problem. Of
course, the day we go to try to duplicate the issue, there were no
sounds at all that we could detect up on the roof after waiting hours
in observation.
We did have one row of 13 panels mounted in portrait that was on the
longer side, so we decided to split the rail by putting a gap in the
middle. That, apparently, has not solved the issue.
We have checked the torque on every single fastener in the system. This
installation is no different than many many others we have done using
the same materials on the same roof type.
Has anybody experienced similar issues, and how did you go about
addressing them?
Jason Szumlanski
Florida Solar Design Group
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ENTECH Engineering, Inc.
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Links:
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