Do you want to repair, do a roof restoration or paint a roof but not sure what can be done since it’s covered in solar panels?
With the great popularity of rooftop solar panels across Adelaide and Australia in recent years it’s no wonder we get questions on solar and its considerations with regard to roof restoration, roof painting and roof replacement all the time.
Are you pondering getting a solar panel but don’t know what it may mean for roof repairs or restoration in the future?
From the conversations we have, people are usually in one of two positions, either their roof already has solar panels, and they are looking at roof restoration or they are about to have a new solar array installed and just turned their minds to wondering “is it worth getting a roof restoration before solar”.
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Roof Restoration with solar panels already installed
In the quite common case of a roof requiring a roof restoration with a current solar install we will give the roof a thorough inspection to determine its current state.
Our Process and Recommendations
Generally, for roofs that are in a reasonable condition and only around 20 years old it’s usually ok to leave the solar panels in place and conduct the roof restoration around them. In this case our workers will completely cover and mask the panels so there is no risk of paint or membrane coming in contact with them. The cleaning and coating process can usually be applied about 100mm under the edge of the panels, and this ensures that no uncoated surface can ever be seen from ground level.
On roofs that are in very poor condition or older than 30 years and never had any maintenance we will often recommend temporarily removing the panels to allow us access to the roof surface under them. Doing this allows us to inspect each and every tile on the roof and to replace any cracked tiles that may have been under the solar panels. It also allows us to coat the entire roof with the new membrane and ensure there are no porous tiles left remaining on the roof. Another benefit of doing the roof restoration this way is that the entire roof area can be covered under our 15 year warranty with no areas excluded.
Cost of removing solar panels for roof restoration
The cost of removing solar panels for the purpose of roof restoration does vary depending on the number of panels, the pitch of the roof and the general access to the roof. The solar panel rails and all mounting hardware are left in place on the roof and just the panels are removed and stored. As a guide on price, a system of 24 solar panels on a single story roof with good access usually costs around $800 – $1000 + gst to have removed and refitted by one of our licenced solar electricians.
Getting a roof restoration before a Solar panel Installation
This is the better of the two scenarios as the client never needs to pay for the temporary removal of the panels. In this case we usually conduct a roof restoration as per usual, ensuring all potential leak points are covered and all cracked and broken tiles replaced. We also leave around 25 coated and colour matched tiles with the homeowner as spares. This means that in the event that the solar installers break a few tiles during their installation, they can simply pick up a colour matched spare tile and slot straight in.
Re-roofing or roof replacement with solar panels
This process is much the same as that of a roof restoration with the only point of difference being the original mounting hardware and rails must be completely removed prior to the roof replacement commencing. After the new roof has been installed the solar installers must use new mounting hardware that is compatible with the new colourbond roof to re-install the panels. For this reason removing and re-installing solar panels for the purpose of re-roofing or roof replacement typically costs $300 – $500 more than the same task for a roof restoration.
In Summary...
Whether your roof has solar panels or will have them in the near future give Oz-Roof a call to discuss roof restoration. We offer free advice over the phone and when it comes time to have the solar panels removed and refitted we do all the organising for you so you only have one company to deal with.