Many homeowners who have spanish tile roofs believe the tiles are made of clay when in fact they are made of concrete.
Mounting solar panels on clay tile roof.
First your installer can put s hooks under the tile for your system to be mounted on.
Installing a solar pv system on a clay tile roof generally is far more expensive than installing on a concrete tile roof.
Spanish tile is usually made of either clay or concrete.
One way to install solar involves boring a hole for mounting posts through tiles.
There are several manufacturers that make products for mounting solar on tile roofs including everest solar systems unirac ecofasten pegasus solar and quick mount pv.
Unlike traditional asphalt roofing clay tiles are usually removed and replaced during a solar installation.
The tile is placed over the flashing and post leaving a gap between post and tile.
Some solar installers like to use a technique called a comp out to more easily install solar on clay tile roofs.
The installer can conform the secondary top flashing to fit virtually any roof tile flat or curved.
Drilling risks cracking the tile which will only increase the overall installation costs of your solar panels.
This technique involves removing all the clay tiles under the area where your solar panels will go installing composite shingle in this area then plopping in traditional solar roof mounts rails and panels in that location.
Manufacturers that make solar mounts for tile roofs.
The qbase universal tile mount uses the qbase foundation and two spun aluminum cone flashings for installing solar panels on tile roofs with superior strength and waterproofing.
In case the latter the panels need to be covered with a glass membrane or distinctive tile to boost their stability and capability to convert sunlight into energy.
Instead it s best to let your installer remove tiles by drilling into your roof to attach mounting brackets to the studs and seal the area just like they would do for any other style of roof.
Here s some the products currently on the market.
Solar for tile roofs where material matters.
Based on the status of your roof you might need to replace it before you install new panels.
Your installer would temporarily remove the tiles install the hooks underneath into the roof then put the tile back over the mount and rack the system from there.