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Tinker Guru Joined: 07/11/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1904
Posted: 09:59am 28 Mar 2018
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I had 2 strings of 6 panels each to install on my roof. As the panels were cheap second hand ($25.-ea) I did not want to spend top dollar on the mounting hardware. Also, I wanted to do the installing work myself (1 person), not exactly easy on a sloping tile roof.
So this is what I came up with, its perhaps useful for other DIY's.
First, special 'catch brackets' were bolted to each lower side of the panels.
These catch in the up-roof facing lip of the galvanised angle iron rails.
Its easy for one person to lay the panel a little higher up on the rails and let it slide down until the 'catch' brackets engage. They hold the panel securely on the rails while the connectors were engaged and then the panel can be slid sideways to its correct location. Then tightening the lock down bolts fixed the panel in place.
A close up of the 'catch', hidden in the shade under the rail lip.
Its nice not having to worry about the panel sliding off when climbing down the ladder to fetch a forgotten bolt or something. Klaus
greybeard Senior Member Joined: 04/01/2010 Location: AustraliaPosts: 157
Posted: 11:16am 28 Mar 2018
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Neat install idea. Q. From the angle of the U channel it looks like water will get into it easily. Is that going to cause an issues in the future?
Tinker Guru Joined: 07/11/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1904
Posted: 11:40am 28 Mar 2018
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What U channel? Its galvanised angle iron or L channel. I see no place for water to get in and remain there.Klaus
noneyabussiness Guru Joined: 31/07/2017 Location: AustraliaPosts: 506
Posted: 08:42pm 28 Mar 2018
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Very clever Tinker.. good jobI think it works !!
greybeard Senior Member Joined: 04/01/2010 Location: AustraliaPosts: 157
Posted: 12:00am 29 Mar 2018
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Ok, I thought it looked like Unistrut mounted on it's side.
Boppa Guru Joined: 08/11/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 814
Posted: 06:21am 29 Mar 2018
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Only thing I'd be worrying about is if those solar panels have aluminium frames, they dont play well with gal iron in my experience (although that was in a salty air conditions near the beach where everything rusted/corroded I found)
The gal coach bolts I used on the security window grills had corroded almost all the way through in just a year, I ended up using rubber sleeves with oversized holes in the frames and rubber washers under the bolt heads, plus a serious coating of paint as well
The giveaway was when I was washing the salt off a window and the hose pressure made the security frame fall away from the window- hmm I was sure I bolted that in place.... yep I had, but the salty air had other ideas about my grills being secure...
brucedownunder2 Guru Joined: 14/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1548
Posted: 06:29am 29 Mar 2018
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Good one Tinker
Question . Where did you buy those bent brackets in the first photo or did you bend them in your vice?
Bruce
Yes, on my DIY mounts I used gal top-hat formed purlins (google them) , but where ever the solar panel came into contact with the galvanized metal I seperated the two surfaces with rubber insertion fabric between-(google 1/8 inch or 3 mm insertion rubber ) I cut washers from the rubber sheeting with shears and punched a 8mm hole for the stainless steel bolt to fix the panel to the purlin.
BruceEdited by brucedownunder2 2018-03-30Bushboy
Tinker Guru Joined: 07/11/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1904
Posted: 09:50am 29 Mar 2018
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Thanks Bruce, These brackets are home made from 40x3mm flat steel bar. I bent them on my press by placing a 3mm offcut on top one side and under it other side with about 6mm separation. A few tons of pressure and I had a bracket. These were electro zinc plated. Later I knocked a bigger angle to the 'stick out' side so they engaged easier.
Here is another close up of the end panel:
With regard to the gavanised steel/ anodised aluminium contact, I had two panels up there on a shorter, identical, angle rail and there was no corrosion problem visible after 2 years. My place is about 3km from the beach, behind a hill, so salt water mist is less of a problem here. I'll keep an eye on the end brackets, pictured above, it is there that any corrosion would first occur IMO.Klaus
Alastair Senior Member Joined: 03/04/2017 Location: AustraliaPosts: 161
Posted: 01:03am 30 Mar 2018
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Salt air corrosion is a serious problem near the beach. We have just built a house about 300m from the surf and the builder who is local, uses stainless everywhere and the enclosed structural steel was dbl galvanized.
Our door hardware is 316SS and even so we have some staining which they warned us about as due to the salt in the air. I try to wash down things regularly and hope for rain.
The guy who installed our solar PV used LG panels which have black anodized frames and says otherwise in our situation it would be 'cactus' in no time.
I would think 3km is probably fairly safe.
Cheers, Alastair
Madness Guru Joined: 08/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2498
Posted: 08:44pm 30 Mar 2018
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Years ago I repaired office equipment, I remember going to a surf club to repair a cash register. It was only a couple years old and inside the building but with doors open normal during trading hours. All the zinc plated steel parts were in very bad shape but it was still working just had to clear a paper jam in the printer.There are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't.
Warpspeed Guru Joined: 09/08/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 4406
Posted: 12:24am 31 Mar 2018
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I am very near the beach too, and get plenty of (salty) onshore breeze all year round.
What I did, was use e-bay 8mm x 20mm Nylon bolts, nylon nuts, and nylon washers to bolt my aluminium panels to my steel frame.
No chance of the bolts rusting up, or the aluminium rotting away.Cheers, Tony.
brucedownunder2 Guru Joined: 14/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1548
Posted: 12:52am 31 Mar 2018
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Hi Tony ,
Don,t know about the strength of 8mm nylon bolts ?
Would not last one storm up on my mountain --120 Kmph winds are frequent here.
My decision to use stainless fixtures and rubber seperation washers seems to be my way,but you may know your enviroment much better than me.
use to be a yachtie, salt and rigging allways is on your mind.
BruceBushboy
solarwind Regular Member Joined: 03/02/2008 Location: South AfricaPosts: 51
Posted: 01:37pm 25 Apr 2018
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Hi Tinker, Would you mind sharing your fixing method to the roof for the angle iron rails? Thanks! You don't have success until you've tried it!
Notice. New forum software under development. It's going to miss a few functions and look a bit ugly for a while, but I'm working on it full time now as the old forum was too unstable. Couple days, all good. If you notice any issues, please contact me.
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