Solar Panel L Brackets

TexasVet01 wrote:


PS: Make sure the panel is wired to the combiner box before its fastened down.

Great tips. Thanks much.

Use three (3) 1 1/2" #10 SS wood screws in each bracket. Put down a good sized blob of Dicor first, set the bracket down on top of the Dicor, drive in the 3 screws (loosely).

Do all 4 corners likewise and then tighten all screws. Last but not least cover each bracket with a nice coating of Dicor.

Never have seen a panel come loose yet....

Lew

PS: Make sure the panel is wired to the combiner box before its fastened down.

Ahhh! LOL! All these choices. That is true Salvo, AM Solar's mounting kits (which I WAS going to buy BTW) do have SS sheetmetal screws. I'll keep them on the list then. Is #10 good for those too?

Hi,

Sheet metal screws often have a deeper "bite" (shaft to cutting edge) and work better than ordinary wood screws.

Salvo wrote:
There's nothing wrong with SS sheet metal screws. In fact when you look at the professionals, like AM Solar, their bracket mounting kits contain sheet metal screws. They don't use wood screws.

Sal

mena661 wrote:
These will definitely be wood screws. Thanks for the post for anyone reading though.

I agree with Sal, I use them all the time....

There's nothing wrong with SS sheet metal screws. In fact when you look at the professionals, like AM Solar, their bracket mounting kits contain sheet metal screws. They don't use wood screws.

Sal

mena661 wrote:
These will definitely be wood screws. Thanks for the post for anyone reading though.

These will definitely be wood screws. Thanks for the post for anyone reading though.

Funny thing I have recalled just now - about somebody's suggestion to not drive the screws into plywood alone.

When I removed TV antenna that was getting in the way of the front solar panel, I found that it was attached with two #10 screws into 3/8" OSB. Pretty big and heavy "mushroom" antenna, feels like 7 or 8 lbs, about 1ft tall and 1ft diameter at the top. The screws were not stainless, and were not even wood screws - they were in fact sheet metal M4.5 metric screws. This size is close to #10 but the thread is for a sheet metal, not as good grip in plywood as deck screws. Those m.orons were simply using whatever fasteners they had, no matter whether in metal or wood. Being an automotive-ish industry, they had metric screws. Thor Industries, reputable old company.

Thanks much Almot.

3/8" is pretty normal for EPDM roofs. Though many manufacturers are using 3/8" OSB, a material cheaper and weaker than real plywood.

Rafters spacing can be all over the map, 18" seems to be most common but can be different in yours. And even when it's "mostly 18", it can be suddenly 10" in some spot where they had to put interior wall or something else. And they are neither too wide nor too thick, you have to locate them with accuracy no worse than 1/2". The roof drawing from the manufacturer would help even if it's not very accurate.