Keys to Protecting your Investment: Flashing
**Drip ** Drip ** Drip **
“Hmm, what’s that noise?”
** Looks up **
“O No! My roofs leaking!”
I am sure this has been a concern for anyone living under a roof. Wondering if the roof is in good condition, when is the most appropriate time to replace your roof, is there damage in weaker areas that could cause leaks over time. And these are concerns from someone that just has a simple roof installed.
Now let’s add solar panels into this situation! Almost all solar panel installations are not installed using a makeshift system of super glue and duct tape (if your panels are installed this way, you might want to speak with someone about having them re-installed).
In order to install solar panels onto a roof they typically need a racking system that the panels attach to securely. This racking system requires a lot of holes drilled into your roof to put bolts in to secure the racking to the roof.
Holes = Potential for Leaks!
WHAT TO DO TO PREVENT LEAKS
Many companies believe it is sufficient to simply just use caulking on the hole and protect from leaking. While this is a good first step and will help protect your roof from leaks, there is more that can be done. And with panels being up there for 20+ years we take many more steps to reduce that risk over the lifetime of the system.
WHAT SUNLY DOES TO PREVENT LEAKS
At Sunly we implement 4 levels of protection on every shingled roof installation we do.
Level 1 - Caulking on the pilot hole
In order to put a bolt into the roof a pilot hole is required. After we create pilot hole we fill it with outdoor rated caulking. This acts as the first level of protection.
Level 2 - Caulk the flashing
Before we add the flashing onto the roof we place a U-shaped bead of outdoor rated caulking above the butyl mastic. This acts as the second level of protection.
Level 3 - Butyl Mastic Sealant
There is a butyl mastic ring around the flashing opening which is a sealant that will melt onto the roof creating a seal. There is also a rubber gasket for the lag bolt to seal against. This acts as the third level of protection.
Level 4 - Secure the L-Foot and Flashing to the roof
Once all of the sealants have been prepared we slide the flashing into place under the shingle and secure the flashing and L-foot (that the rail attaches to) to the roof using a lag bolt. The lag bolt has a rubber gasket that compresses onto the flashing. This acts as the fourth level of protection.
Given our years of experience and 1,000’s of installs we have come to learn over time that simply using caulking alone is not enough! Using a high quality flashing with multiple redundancies is really the only way to protect your home for the life of the system. At Sunly we aim to set the highest standards on our installations. We take pride in our processes and techniques to ensure the best possible solution is provided to you.
Every project we complete comes with:
Flashing
An enhanced leak protection system
A guard of meshing around your entire system to ensure nothing can get under and damage your system.
Ensuring your roof with panels is safe under any predictable load condition (like excessive snow).
Interested in finding out more about the Sunly Advantage? Get a free solar assessment personalized for your roof here