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TOPIC: I Have An Existing Metal Roof and Have A Question

Solar Panels on Decra Tile Roof

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Dear experts, I have Decra tile roof, its stone coated metal tile roof installed in 2005. now i want to install solar panels on roof. is there any mounting product that i could use for metal roofs? should i go for non-penetration or penetration mounts? i saw Aussie roofing j bracket. looks promising, wondering anyone used this j-brackets to mount solar panels. thanks.
James yu

7/5/2011
I am not aware of anything that would be non-penetrating. I really encourage you to go to the folks at Decra and get their advice. They are not a member of the Metal Roofing Alliance unfortunately but they are good people and I am sure they will give you the best possible direction on this.
Todd Miller
Isaiah Industries, Inc.

7/5/2011
Do you have the Mediterranean Tile or the Villa Tile? The J-bracket, with some careful placement and fabrication, should work. You will need to make sure that the section of the tile that will be under the load bear portion of the bracket is supported across the back of the tile so that there will not be any deflection. I would recommend that you makes sure the materials are compatible (i.e. the Galvalume of the Decra and whatever the J-bracket is made of) so that there is no galvanic reaction if the metals are dissimilar. Lastly, get one of the touch paint kits for the Decra and color the bracket once installed and coat it with the stone material for a factory look.
Eric Novotny
An informed customer is the Best Customer!

7/6/2011
thanks for the responses. I have Mediterranean tile. i am planning to tie the bracket with the rafters. the j bracket made of 12g galvanized steel. mine is Terracotta color. good idea to color them to make them look nice.
James yu

7/7/2011
Mediterranean tile is obviously a batten type installation so make sure the J-bracket is supported under where it contacts the tile on the top side. Good luck and post us some pictures when you are done.
Eric Novotny
An informed customer is the Best Customer!

7/7/2011
Did you ever get your PV installed and what mounting did you end up using? I believe I have a similar roof, but also insulation under the battens. Thanks, Mikmik
Guest User

10/1/2014
We started using these: http://solarroofhook.com/solar-catalog/stone-coat-steel-roof-products/stone-coat-steel-roof-products-0 We have been using them on Metro products and the old Dura Loc...they work well.
Guest User

10/2/2014
We have been doing mostly stone coated steel for the last 20+ yrs and now we getting a lot of those roofs that are going solar. We use to flash each one like a plumbing pipe coming out of the roof, now we use j brackets. Far better installation as they require no holes to seal in the roof system. There may be other places to get them, but the one we order from is from Quickscrews. http://www.quickscrews.com/catalog/solar-division/roof-hook-kits/stone-coat-steel/part/SCA90S14 We have one coming up in a week or two, I will take some inprogress pics and post them.
Guest User

10/4/2014
Is this Andy as in AndyWRS from DIY?
Eric Novotny
An informed customer is the Best Customer!

10/4/2014
You would be correct Eric.
Guest User

10/6/2014
Nice. Good to have you hear. Eric (i.e. Windows on Washington). We love the big brains and true artisans so your input is appreciated.
Eric Novotny
An informed customer is the Best Customer!

10/6/2014
We started this one today, its not a Decra, but you get the idea. The j brackets are a tad high for this particular roof product.
Guest User

10/10/2014
Looks good. Shake XD Chesnut?
Eric Novotny
An informed customer is the Best Customer!

10/11/2014
Eric it's a Metro II shake in Weathered Timber. Here a pic from the top looking down, I thought it posted already...guess it only allows for 1 pic a post? The J brackets are for Decra or any installation using battens, they sit a little high for direct to deck installations. My solar guy will have to find out if quick screws makes one for direct to deck applications. You can see the tile humps a tad where it goes over the bracket. This is actually my bosses home. The only down side is the installation of the J brackets requires us to work along side the solar companies. They are responsible for the layout and installation of the j brackets. We typically install the synthetic underlayment and nail or mark the center of the rafters. This is important because you don't want the solar company cutting into your underlayment looking for the rafters. the solar company in mounting. Then the solar folks need to be there while we lay the field, we pause to let them install the j brackets and then continue swapping out until they are done. Not a big deal for my in house solar guy as he know exactly what needs to be done on his end our ours, but I am finding other solar companies are not so easy to deal with. We usually charge more for those installs, they make things more difficult than they need to be.
Guest User

10/11/2014
I feel you on having to work with the solar companies. The coordination is a Pain in the Rear. Couple that with the fact that these guys aren't roofers and don't seem to care and it is a recipe for some temper flares.
Eric Novotny
An informed customer is the Best Customer!

10/13/2014
We live in So. Calif. and have a Decra Tile roof. I've been looking for a solar company who will install on a Decra roof. There have been two types of responses: either we don't work on that type of roof, or "sure, we can do that". I'm learning that those who say "sure" have never done it. From this thread it sounds like I need an experienced Decra installer to work with the solar company. Any knowledge of solar companies in the Los Angeles area who work with Decra? The other option that has been proposed is to remove the Decra roof where the panels would go, put down asphalt shingle under the panels, and then fill in around the panels with the Decra tile. Any ideas about the best way to proceed?
Guest User

9/15/2015
JR, Its not rocket science but you might want to have a roofer that works in metal and that panel take care of it.
Eric Novotny
An informed customer is the Best Customer!

9/15/2015
I run into the same issue and unable to find installer that will do it. Even metal roof installer would like to use solar panel installation with roof penetration. This should be a solution https://www.solarroofhook.com, but haven't found solar installer that would use it yet.
Guest User

11/23/2015
The hooks from the link in VV's post do work well. Finding a solar company who will use them is a bit harder. Call your local metal roof supply and get a contractor recommendation, that contractor should be able to put in touch with a solar company that they have worked with doing this particular work. Or contact Decra, Gerard, Metro, Allmet ect and ask for a contractor referral based on your particular roof type. Any metal roofing contractor who does stone coated metal roofing can help in solar installation on any of the stone coated products...they are all basically the same. I have personally worked with about six + different solar companies in Orange County that were open to and completed installing the solar panels via the hooks in VV's link. One thing I do run into is the solar companies want us, the roofer, to set the hooks. That is an absolute NO. We do not take responsibility for the mounting and placement of the hooks. The layout and installation of the solar panels and hook installation is the solar contractors.
Guest User

11/25/2015
is there a hook to use if you don't have battens but instead a direct to deck stone coated metal roof?
Guest User

11/27/2017

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