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stevehull · 10-14-16, 12:55 PM

Roostre,

Read pinball's entire posting - yes, all the pages. I really like the IronRidge set of rails that mount to the roof. There are three strengths. Depending on your snow load, you may need one of the two heavier ones; I have only used the XR-10. You can buy these from Renvu as well.

What type of roof do you have, what is the roof pitch and how much is exposed to the south? Don't worry about the early morning sun (coming over the far horizon granite) - it is not a huge contribution. Any roof pitch from 2/12 to 6/12 is fine. Steeper pitch's (> 6/12) need a lift basket as you can't walk on them. You don't need a perfect solar south orientation either. Anything within 25-30 degrees of solar south is fine.

You can get the roof pitch from an iPhone as degrees. You need roof pitch in degrees to input data into PVWATTS anyway. The iPhone also has a great compass that can be set to either magnetic or true north. I set mine to true north and use the iPhone for both roof pitch and for solar south orientation in degrees. Hint - to get roof pitch, you go to the compass and then move the slider at the bottom of the screen. Then put the iPhone on edge and it reads out degrees of pitch! Really, really handy. Is this on Android type cell phones?

Maintenance? Huh? What? There is none. Maybe some dust decreasing the output by a few %, but you can use a home type sprayer washer to hose the PV panels down if you get anal compulsive (I don't do it; it rains enough to keep them clean).

Lots of people say you can't do this stuff unless you are some engineer - but the people on this site can talk you through ANY of the minor issues. Mostly nuts and bolts . . . .

Great idea for the suction cup device that pinball suggested (above).

Plan on some 40 hours planning and layout, then 40 hours putting it up. Every hour of planning saves two when you are up in the air.

Why not send us some pictures of the proposed roof area?

Lastly, find someone with climbing harnesses that you can borrow for safety.

Steve

10-14-16, 12:55 PM	#16
stevehull Steve Hull Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: hilly, tree covered Arcadia, OK USA Posts: 826 Thanks: 241 Thanked 165 Times in 123 Posts	Roostre, Read pinball's entire posting - yes, all the pages. I really like the IronRidge set of rails that mount to the roof. There are three strengths. Depending on your snow load, you may need one of the two heavier ones; I have only used the XR-10. You can buy these from Renvu as well. What type of roof do you have, what is the roof pitch and how much is exposed to the south? Don't worry about the early morning sun (coming over the far horizon granite) - it is not a huge contribution. Any roof pitch from 2/12 to 6/12 is fine. Steeper pitch's (> 6/12) need a lift basket as you can't walk on them. You don't need a perfect solar south orientation either. Anything within 25-30 degrees of solar south is fine. You can get the roof pitch from an iPhone as degrees. You need roof pitch in degrees to input data into PVWATTS anyway. The iPhone also has a great compass that can be set to either magnetic or true north. I set mine to true north and use the iPhone for both roof pitch and for solar south orientation in degrees. Hint - to get roof pitch, you go to the compass and then move the slider at the bottom of the screen. Then put the iPhone on edge and it reads out degrees of pitch! Really, really handy. Is this on Android type cell phones? Maintenance? Huh? What? There is none. Maybe some dust decreasing the output by a few %, but you can use a home type sprayer washer to hose the PV panels down if you get anal compulsive (I don't do it; it rains enough to keep them clean). Lots of people say you can't do this stuff unless you are some engineer - but the people on this site can talk you through ANY of the minor issues. Mostly nuts and bolts . . . . Great idea for the suction cup device that pinball suggested (above). Plan on some 40 hours planning and layout, then 40 hours putting it up. Every hour of planning saves two when you are up in the air. Why not send us some pictures of the proposed roof area? Lastly, find someone with climbing harnesses that you can borrow for safety. Steve __________________ consulting on geothermal heating/cooling & rational energy use since 1990 Last edited by stevehull; 10-14-16 at 01:32 PM..