Solar Heating on Roof

Absolutx13 · May 23, 2014

I live in Long Island, NY and I want to mount a few solar panels on the roof of the house. I was concerned about the roof structure and if it can handle having that extra water load on the roof. Is it safe to install?

I know certain areas have certain limitations on roof weight.

duraleigh · May 23, 2014

The general answer is "Yes" but you would need to do some homework to determine the load carrying capability of your particular roof.

Absolutx13 · May 23, 2014

How much water would be in a 4x20 pane at any time?

jblizzle · May 23, 2014

I think they only hold a few gallons ... 10 at most. There should be specs somewhere. They do not weigh very much.

Pool Tool · May 23, 2014

Most roof designs allow for a 40 psf (pounds per sq ft) snow load. Looking at one providers website, for differing panel sizes they list between a 1 - 1.5 psf wet dispersed weight load, considerably lower than the typical assumed snow load. Given that the panels would be dry in the winter when so would be expected, I would not guess there would be a lot of risk. This of course assumes the expected snow load and no other limitations are imposed.

Absolutx13 · May 23, 2014

That's great. I thought as much, but I wanted to make sure that I'm not missing something.

soupy8728 · May 23, 2014

I have 10 solar panels on my roof for heating the pool and they've been up there for 12 years with no (knock on wood) issues.