Tackling a solar panel project DIY-style can make things a bit more complicated. But if you work with a solar installer, they will buy the panel mounts for you since they know what will work best with your roof and solar panels. You can buy any option through a local solar equipment supplier for DIY projects. Unirac’s solar mounts each come with different tilts, allowing the direction of the solar array to be independent of the angle of the roof, ensuring the best productivity.Įach brand offers no obvious weaknesses, and each offers very innovative mounting and racking kits to meet most solar needs. Unirac sells mounts for flat roofs and fixed-tilt ground-mount frames. Quick Mount PV sells just about every solar roof mounting product available for any type of roof - from metal roofs to low-sloping shingle roofs. They have equally great options for flat roofs and ground mounts, as well.
#Quickmount metal roof attachment series#
But today, IronRidge is known for its uniquely shaped and durable XR rail series for pitched roofs. Originally, IronRidge supported mostly small, off-grid projects. The top three, high-quality, solar mounting and racking brands are: You can’t really go wrong with IronRidge, Quick Mount and Unirac, but we will walk you through the pros and cons of each brand. While many manufacturers produce solar panel mounts, only a handful of companies come out on top when it comes to quality. Mounting rails are attached to the roof via the roof attachments and are able to angle solar panels properly to most angled roofs. Image source: PV Europe Mounting railsĪfter drilling into the roof, the roof attachments are then connected to mounting rails via module clamps that will then support the solar panels.Īlthough there are railless racking options available, rails are most commonly used because they can be secured to most roof angles, and because many installers are trained using rail mounting systems. Module clamps come in a few different sizes and shapes to secure the roof attachments at every angle. There are a few different module clamp types for each angle and corner of the solar panel. The module clamps attach the drilled-in roof attachments to the mounting rails. Roof attachments are drilled into the roof and secured with flashing to protect against water. To dig a little deeper, take a look at more information on installing solar panels on clay tile roofs, metal roofs, and flat surface roofs. However, roof attachments differ for each roof type. The holes these drills create will be surrounded by ‘flashing’, which is a plastic or metal shield that is inserted between shingles to prevent water from getting into the hole.
The roof attachments are the fasteners that will be drilled into your roof in order to secure the racking system in place. Solar panel racking equipment is built with 3 main components:Įach tool plays a key role in how the structure supports your panels, to ensure you get the most amount of solar power out of them. What are the most important components of a racking system? Next, we will walk you through the main components that make up racking equipment so you can better understand the structure that will support your solar panels. All solar racking and mounting products, whether for the rooftop or ground, must meet strict guidelines to ensure durability and structural integrity to withstand high winds and weather events. Mounting brackets are heavy-duty equipment, usually made from stainless steel or aluminum.
The most common technique of module mounting is using a solar panel mounting bracket. The price will depend on the type of racking you use, the amount of equipment needed, and labor costs for installation. For example, if your solar system cost $10,000, the racking system portion would be about $1,000 of the total cost. In terms of cost, mounts and racking typically account for about 10% of the total cost of an average solar system.
Mounting systems are the metal racks that hold up solar panels either on roofs or on the ground. The most common locations for mounting are on the roof, using solar roof mounts, or on the ground with ground-mount options. Mounting allows the panels to be adjusted for optimal tilt, which can be based on latitude, seasons, or even time of day - to ensure maximum solar energy production. Solar panel mounts and racks are equipment that secure solar panels in place. What is solar panel mounting and racking?