A separate contractor put a bank of solar panels on the upper roof, and the power lines from the panels go from the upper roof to the garage roof on their way to the electric meter. Where the power lines go into the garage roof, there only seems to be tar sealing the penetration. Is this true? Is this enough? Should something be shielding water from the penetration?
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Yep, that is a problem. I'd give it till next winter before it starts letting water in your house. Why did it go in there?
Naive but refreshing !
you can have a vent jack installed over thatMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
except that it should be moved away from the valley too
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Yeah, even the old pitch filled boxes would be a problem that close to a valley I think.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Dave,
What a shoddy job.....tar is not a flashing, tar always fails!
Looks as if the conduit and ell will act as a dam to the flow of the water.
Those shingles look "not so good"....the roofer will have a dandy time redoing that penetration. Should have been run through the gable end wall or through a standard roof boot, or a flashed assembly.
What does the rest of the install look like?
........Iron Helix
solar technicians are not roofers.
Back in the seventies when a lot of solar installations got slapped atop roofs, I saw hundreds of things like that and 2-10 years later, lots of leaks.
of course, roofers are not solar technicians so a lot of solar installs got removed after that ten years when re-roofing....
Somebody has to co-ordinate between the two.
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solar technicians are not roofers...Somebody has to co-ordinate between the two.
Any suggestion on what we can do to repair things at this point?
That should be removed and installed thru a wall.
That should be removed and installed thru a wall.
I think it can be done. Some people from the solar company are coming out on Wednesday to look at the problem. Planning to insist on taking the conduit inside -- guaranteed to save a lot of problems in the long term.
Thank you!
Dave,
Good luck with all 90 some punch list items. Maybe your GC's mind wasn't there due to some personal issues you said he was going thru.
I hope he can adequately fix those problems he has made or that you get adequate compensation so that another person can make it right.
You'll keep us posted as it develops I presume.
Best wishes, Walter
Good luck with all 90 some punch list items...You'll keep us posted as it develops I presume.
Things will be quiet for a few weeks because he is on vacation till Feb. 2 and then has the bathrooms to finish. In the mean time, I'm gathering documentation and bids for the big ticket items, and will be keeping a close eye on the quality of his work for what remains. Will keep you posted...
When are you going to confront your contractor? just curious. don't want to miss the outcome.
When are you going to confront your contractor? just curious. don't want to miss the outcome.
Probably in about 3 weeks. I don't expect it to be anything to brag about, but it should be interesting...
Edited 1/27/2008 12:10 pm ET by DelawareDave61
He's got enough interest now to be able to sell ringside seats for the day.;)
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i would pay
amen
Do you think we otta use Ticketmaster?
naw, just get somebody from here to do your scalping for you
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Got a little behind between work, events with sick father-in-law, and people coming out to visit him, but here's the latest:
This is what happened when the sub sent by the solar contractor came out to correct the problem:
Me (pointing out the conduit): You see how leaves are collecting behind the conduit already because it's laying right on the roof, and that the penetration is just tarred in? We know that's going to make water problems, so what I'd like to do is raise the conduit up by at least a few inches, add a boot, and flash it.
Sub: We don't have a boot for doing that.
Me: Well, in that case, I don't think we have any choice but to take it inside and run everything through the walls.
Sub (to his partner): Get the boot out of the truck.
Not a great way to build trust, but at least he was doing it. I had work to do, so I went back in. An hour or so later, he told me he had finished. You can see the result in the photo. He told me that he could only raise the conduit an inch above the roof.
What's your opinion? Can you tell if the boot was installed correctly? Also, I noticed cuts in the j-mold behind it. Is that OK, or is there a problem?
Dave,
If that were my home that would be totally unacceptable.
I thoght you had determined that only a wall install was acceptable.
Edited 2/11/2008 7:27 am ET by theslateman
If that were my home that would be totally unacceptable.
I thoght you had determined that only a wall install was acceptable.
My mistake. The sad thing is that I gave them an easy way out and they still botched it. Still haven't figured out what to do about it yet, but it may be that their obvious lack of skill with roofs makes a wall install the only option. Getting ready to make another call.
Dave,
Like Pif told you this morning the boot should have been installed when the conduit was installed.
You've got a major roof problem there now.
It was a poor place to enter the roof anyway, if it even had to go thru the roof.
With some sealant applied you might be able to get by until warmer weather when the system can be shut down and a proper install done
You've got a major roof problem there now.
Hoo boy.
Kind of busy today but plan to call the solar company tomorrow and tell them I gave them two chances to install the conduit correctly through the roof, as they wanted. Now it has to go through the wall.
By the way, as far as I can see, the interior conduit work in the attics was fine. Then again, this could be another case of "babe in the woods" syndrome. Wouldn't know a good job from bad unless the wiring was sticking out. However, the county inspector did come out and gave it his approval. Hopefully that means something.
However, the county inspector did come out and gave it his approval.
Is the county inspectors seeing eye dog blind also ?
Is the county inspectors seeing eye dog blind also ?
Couldn't tell. He left him in the Yugo.
View Image
Bwahahahaha.
You need to drop the hammer on these guys. They're not fixing anything, just trying to hide it. Think like, no wait, BE the raindrop, Grasshopper.http://grantlogan.net/
I refuse to accept that there are limitations to what we can accomplish. Pete (I am so in love with myself) Draganic
Bwahahahaha.
That photo does look kind of scary, doesn't it. Like a water-sucking lamprey latched onto my roof.
Gee, do I see exposed nails in that close-up poking more holes in the roof? They were supposed to fix the hole in the roof. Now he has about six more holes along with a scupper to trap water
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Geez, that's bad.
Bad bad.
insist on do over by a different idjitLiberty = Freedom from unjust or undue governmental control.
American Heritage Dictionary
Geez, that's bad. Bad bad.
That's what I was afraid of.
that is not acceptiable...
the boot is mushroomed and won't seal well...
it'll get worse too as time marches....
can we say recall???
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
that is not acceptiable...
the boot is mushroomed and won't seal well...
it'll get worse too as time marches....
can we say recall???
Hooboy. Here we go again. Phone call tomorrow.
This fascination with all things solar is causing (and will cause) some serious problems over the next several years.
I have yet to talk to a solar installer who really understands things like roof loading, sealing roof penetrations, or the need to think about the wisdom of installing a new collector array on a roof that will probably need replacement within a few years. A few weeks ago, I saw a commercial raving about how easy it was to install solar panels. It showed some HO-type putting standoffs on the roof. He was just screwing them down with drywall screws right thru the shingles. - lol
And, don't get me started on the actual homeowners. They can't get past the fantasy of spinning that meter backwards and getting checks from the power company instead of paying a bill.
While I think that going solar is long overdue, it's going to get ugly until folks figure out that it's more involved than just slapping it on the roof and hooking it up.
it's more involved than just slapping it on the roof and hooking it up.
We want to get the installation right before it fails. Suggestions?
The solar panels (General Electric) are guaranteed for 20 years, and we have a brand new 30 year roof. If we can come up with a way to handle the leak hazard for 20 years, we'd be more than happy.
Like Walter said, the thing to do is find a way to run that wiring through a wall. And caulk it there with 20 year GE silicone
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Dave
Did same roofer do this roof that did the bay window in your other thread?
In this photo you can almost see up under the J-mold to know whether he used step flashing, but the focus is so bad it tells me =nothing. Maybe you can get up and look or feel in that gap.
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Did same roofer do this roof that did the bay window in your other thread?
The contractor had a sub do the roof and had an employee do the bay roof.
I don't know why you asked for a boot there. The most wrong with that is the fact it is so close to the valley and trhe way that boot is now installed has made things worse. That boot is not even made for that sort of penetration. When a boot is used, it is suppsed to be installed such that the sides of the flanges are under the shingles with those shingles cut neatly to it and only the bottom flange showing above the shingles. A gooseneck conduit comes up out of the boot and wiring is run down through with a seall at the end of the gooseneck. That way if seal fails, it is at a location where it faces down and aaay from where water can run in.
As it is, you have a 3" hole in the boot with a slice cut down for about a 2" conduit box. There is a cup facing up to COLLECT water and direct it into the house.
when a boot is installed, wiring has to be disconnected to run through the system, not cut the boot and just slip it around the pipe.
This is sad, but like I said before, I NEVER expect a solar installer to be able to do roofing work properly any more than I would expect a roofer to be able to run wiring. Occasionally you get lucky, but not this time
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This is sad, but like I said before, I NEVER expect a solar installer to be able to do roofing work properly any more than I would expect a roofer to be able to run wiring. Occasionally you get lucky, but not this time
The question is: Now what? The people sent out by the solar company have already botched it twice (different subs). I've already paid in full. From my understanding, the solar panels are live and cannot be turned off other than by completely covering them with something dark.
Also, is this an immediate leakage problem or one that can wait till this summer, when I'll have time to deal with it myself if need be? The plate's pretty full at the moment.
Thanks again. Despite the pain, I feel like we're making progress. Better to know about this stuff and deal with it than live in blissful ignorance now and pay for it later.
If those panels are genrating juice with no way to kill the flow of electrons att he source, my thinking is that there is a missing fuse or kill switch/service switch that should have been installed, but I do not know electrical. I bet it is there and they are blowing smioke in your face.
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my thinking is that there is a missing fuse or kill switch/service switch that should have been installed, but I do not know electrical. I bet it is there and they are blowing smioke in your face
Sounds like this will add an interesting new component to my conversation with the company.
Not a problem if you plan on recyclling water too. Just place a bucket under the penetration and watch your profits roll in. :>)
Just place a bucket under the penetration and watch your profits roll in. :>)
LOL!
Thanks, I needed that.