attaching solar panels
I was wondering if I should use well nuts or just wood screws to attach the panels to the roof, of course a healthy amount of Dicor. I was going to use 1" stainless wood screws.
Forum Discussion
Let me see if I can interpret: Angle pieces are mounted to roof. A flat bar is attached to these angles with the flat bar face positioned vertically. The additional angle pieces are attached to the frame and also to the vertical flat bar face. Do I have it correct?
On a previous question of how to transpose interior rafter locations to the topside: I located a rafter as one side of the framing of a vent. The decorative vent fascia covers this rafter bottom chord. Since I knew rafters were close to 16" on center and 1 1/2" W, I used this as the interval between rafter top chords. On the roof, I used a tape measure with end holding on the vent body, measured back from that 14 3/4" to mark rafter top chord centers. Sometimes, it helps to have been a framing carpenter, lol.
Since I have a sheet aluminum roof, I had no choice but to find the rafter locations. I used a different system of brackets by attaching a 2" x 2" x 2" U-channel on the roof. The solar module is attached to the U channel through angle piece on the frame and drilled holes in both with 1//4" pins. Pins are used to facilitate one axis of the four-way tilting mechanism.
Those U channels are attached through a piece of Eternabond tape, the aluminum roof skin, and through the rafter top chords with three #12 screws/channel. I sealed around the perimeter of the channels with Geocel 2300 sealant. The neat thing about attaching through Eternabond is that the tape seals the screw threads and also the top of the screw as they are driven.
Don't know if this video from Eternabond is still working but it shows the sealing of the fasteners. It is magic. Eternabond video
On a previous question of how to transpose interior rafter locations to the topside: I located a rafter as one side of the framing of a vent. The decorative vent fascia covers this rafter bottom chord. Since I knew rafters were close to 16" on center and 1 1/2" W, I used this as the interval between rafter top chords. On the roof, I used a tape measure with end holding on the vent body, measured back from that 14 3/4" to mark rafter top chord centers. Sometimes, it helps to have been a framing carpenter, lol.
Since I have a sheet aluminum roof, I had no choice but to find the rafter locations. I used a different system of brackets by attaching a 2" x 2" x 2" U-channel on the roof. The solar module is attached to the U channel through angle piece on the frame and drilled holes in both with 1//4" pins. Pins are used to facilitate one axis of the four-way tilting mechanism.
Those U channels are attached through a piece of Eternabond tape, the aluminum roof skin, and through the rafter top chords with three #12 screws/channel. I sealed around the perimeter of the channels with Geocel 2300 sealant. The neat thing about attaching through Eternabond is that the tape seals the screw threads and also the top of the screw as they are driven.
Don't know if this video from Eternabond is still working but it shows the sealing of the fasteners. It is magic. Eternabond video
