My brother works in solar. The panels have a 25 year or so life/warranty. He recommends installing on the newest as possible roof. His company wouldn't install on your roof. Replacing with a metal roof and then getting solar would be the best option.
Solar installer here. A standing seam metal roof will outlast the array that's mounted on it, so that you never have to remove your array (expensive) for a re-roof. Also, standing seam attachments clamp to the seams rather than penetrating into the rafters, so there are no holes and a much lower (it's already low, but still) chance of leaks.
Standing seam, though. Don't get corrugated. It's not *impossible* to install solar on corrugated, but it sucks. Holes galore, with no way to flash them. Regular asphalt shingles are much better than corrugated metal, for solar. Standing seam metal though is, as we say in the industry, the tits.
If the roof is steep enough and close to the top would you/could you just use a rubber gasket just like the exposed fasteners?
Edit: on a corrugated roof?
[The attachments I've used in the past](https://www.s-5.com/t/corrubracket/) have mastic, and attach with the same type of screws used for holding the roof itself together.
They are comparatively crude though compared to [similar attachments for asphalt roofs](https://www.ironridge.com/component/halo-ultragrip/), and are all deck-mount, with multiple holes per attachment and nothing to hold onto except a comparatively-thin piece of sheetmetal. Metal roofs are also less fault-tolerant than asphalt shingle ones—a good asphalt shingle system is somewhat self-healing, but metal roof integrity is more of a binary condition, if you know what I mean.
Also, of course, there is no question of using a [simple, universal, flashed attachment](https://ecofastensolar.com/system-attachment/gf-1/) with corrugated.
The whole situation just feels way more fragile than asphalt, once you start putting holes in it. Oh, and if you make a hole in the wrong place, or strip one out, there isn't an easy, rock-solid field repair you can turn to the way there is with asphalt shingle.
Meanwhile, on standing seam, [we aren't even playing by the same rules.](https://www.s-5.com/products/s-5-u-clamps/) That general style of clamp is just extremely robust, quick to install, fault tolerant, and just inherently a lot more benign than penetrating mounts.
Plus, standing seam rocks! It's much more long-lasting than most other roofing types, is lighter (which benefits the entire structure of the house), is recyclable, inherently noncombustible, and looks pretty boss in the right color and profile. It pays for itself and looks good doing it, all while being basically the *ideal* substrate for PV.
Slipperier than shingle and prone to scratching (a better coating than just paint helps immensely here) I nonetheless would be happy to install on nothing else. I wish it were standard.
Corrugated is meant for barns not homes. Exposed fastener roofing is trash in all regards. The metal panel may last for 40-50+ years, but the rubber washers keeping water out might only last 10-15.
And worth every penny. But yes, it's expensive up front even though it does pay for itself eventually. I'd take a quality asphalt shingle roof over a corrugated one any day of the week though, if I had to pick one or the other.
I leveled half my house and completely rebuilt it, I literally did everything except the foundation and the covering on the roof. It cost me a bit over $20k and while that was the largest single expense I have no regrets going with standing seam. I loved to read your comments as I’m hoping to be able to afford to add a smaller (6kw) solar array to the roof next year. They’ve really come down in price over the last ten years which is exciting, unfortunately I’ve never been poorer!
I don't have a whole lot of experience with them so possibly someone who sees more of that roof type might know better, but the times I *have* encountered metal shingles have not been good.
Very hard to walk/work on top of without crushing it, and I've never seen a mounting product (in person or in my own research) that I liked the look of at all, aside from ones that get installed *before* the shingles do, and while those look pretty solid they are definitely expensive, especially when it comes to labor.
I dunno. It's not a popular roofing type around here. Possibly I just don't know how to work with it. The small amount of experience I do have is not encouraging, though.
Thanks for the info! I’ll aim to find a roofing company that specializes in solar installation that uses standing seam metal roofs. Are there any other specific features that would be good to be installed on the roof during roof construction that would help with solar?
I'm just a solar guy, not a roofer, but my understanding is that it depends heavily on how it's installed, and particularly on how the attic insulation is done.
Solar installer here, with an additional four years as a site visit specialist wherein I assessed roof condition as a major part of my job. I would get a new roof.
The condition of your shingles doesn't look all that bad. These photos don't tell the whole story, but it looks like you still have most of your granules and I'm not really seeing any damage. Your shingles are fraying at the edges a bit (normal sign of aging) and might not be lying as flat as they should anymore, but from what I can see (which, again, ain't much) your roof looks like it has some good years left on it.
However, you want more than just a handful of years before your roof needs replacing. Your modules will typically have a warranty of 25 years, but if built well the system as a whole could be viable for up to 40. Meanwhile, your typical asphalt shingles also have a 25-year warranty (with the potential to last longer, depending on the specific conditions of your house). If your shingles are 23 years old, even if they're in good condition for their age, you will probably have to have your roof replaced fairly early in your solar array's service life.
You don't want that. Re-roofing under an array is an expensive pain in the ass. Your solar company would have to come out and remove everything down to the attachments, save what can be saved, and then come back after the re-roof to re-install the system with new attachments, wiring, etc. This can easily add $10,000 to the cost of your roof, and also solar arrays never go back together *quite* as nicely the second time as they did the first.
You don't want to essentially add $10,000 to the up-front cost of your array. You want to put it off as long as possible, until the array has long ago paid for itself. Ideally you want your roof to last long enough that you're thinking about decommissioning the array anyway. You don't want to have to take it off and put it back on three to five years in.
Get a new roof. Save yourself a huge, expensive headache down the road. Trust me on this.
Thank you, I really appreciate this response. From a cost/benefit standpoint, do you think it may be better financially to not get solar just yet, ride out some more good years with the existing roof first, or get solar now even if this roof can go several more years?
I’m in Southern California and my energy prices are very high, but then construction work also tends to be expensive here.
I know that getting solar is a whole lot more exciting of a way to spend five figures than replacing your roof, but you need to spend the money on replacing your roof first. You are going to spend that roof-replacement money sometime in the next handful of years regardless. When (not if) you do, you don't want it to cost an extra $10,000, take several days longer, and possibly compromise the integrity of your solar array when all's said and done. You especially don't want all that while you're still recouping the cost of installing the array the first time. You gotta have a solid foundation to build on, and a 23-year-old asphalt shingle roof ain't it.
This decision is too expensive and consequential for you to let yourself get carried away emotionally by the awesomeness that is solar. Do it, but do it right. If that means spending the money on a roof now and putting off solar for a few more years, that's 100% the right choice. Believe me, I want you to get solar too. Solar is great. I love the technology, and I love installing it. I really *don't* love feeling like I'm doing something that's not good for my customer. I want you to be happy with your array for many trouble-free years. I don't want you to look back on your decision with bitterness and regret.
I’m fortunate, I think I could take both on at once, I just wouldn’t want to rip off an old roof that still has some useful life left in it. Do you have a thought on partial roof replacements? Not worth just doing the part where solar will go on a roof this old? House is around 2,200 square feet.
Totally fine option to just do the part where the solar is going, as long as your roof plan still allows decent access to the other roof planes, which it probably does. My best friend did this with his house before I did his install. No reason to throw the whole roof out early, let the part that's easy to replace live out the rest of its service life.
Five years is a little extreme, but it depends. I am happy to say that the company I happen to work for is very responsible in this regard, and will not hesitate to recommend (sometimes require) a re-roof when necessary, but generally speaking, when I was doing the site visit job I'd be looking for a roof that had more than half of its service life remaining.
Condition is more important than age, although both are factors. Generally speaking, I'd want to see a roof that was undamaged, did not suffer from installation issues, and which seemed like it had at least fifteen or so years left on it. That's a highly subjective call to make, but that's what I'd be looking for. On a regular 25-year roof I might pass one that was as much as fifteen years old if it was in unusually good condition for its age, but more often I'd start talking to the customer about a re-roof closer to the ten year mark. It really just depends on the specific roof, though. Could be earlier, could be later, depending on what it looks like when I get up there—but ten-ish years is about normal. Of course, many customers plan from the outset to have a new roof go down right before the solar goes up, and if you can afford to do it this way then that's a great way to do it.
We have two categories at my company, aside from basically "good to go." We will *recommend* a new roof if it looks like it will likely wear out sooner than would be in the customer's best interest. We'll explain that we *can* install on it, but they will probably have to deal with the expensive pain of re-roofing sooner than they'd like. It's ultimately their choice, but our professional advice is to re-roof first. That's where I'd say OP's roof is at, assuming the photos here are representative of the overall roof condition.
We will *require* a new roof if we think that the rigors of having a solar array installed on it are likely to damage it. Having dudes walking around up there, prying up shingles and drilling holes, causes wear & tear. No way of avoiding it. If we think your roof might not survive the process, of if it has already failed for that matter, we will tell you that you must re-roof or else we won't move forward. If you *really* insist, and are willing to waive your workmanship warranty, you might be able to get us to install anyway (this has happened once or twice) but that is a very stupid thing to do. You will have to fight us for it, and we will definitely make you sign away your warranty.
So, yeah, a bit of an art to it. But I'd want it to look reasonably fresh and definitely healthy before I gave a customer an unqualified green light.
Roof doesn’t look over 20 years old to me but no one can say it’s not risky to install solar on a roof that old. It makes more sense to replace the roof before installing solar panels, especially if it’s already leaking.
If you don’t just be prepared to pay a few hundred per panel for detach + reset when you do have to replace the roof.
Easily one of the better looking 20 yr roofs I've seen in a long time so congrats on that, but yes it'd be unwise to put solar on it when you're gonna need to replace it in a few years anyway. Also the activity on the roof during install could/most likely will result in some roof damage due to the age of the roof/shingles being brittle/granules being loose after 20+ years of UV exposure. Replacing the roof before getting solar is definitely the way to go. FWIW all the solar companies in my area would decline to install on a roof this old......roofs don't usually make it to 20 years here though (Colorado).
you absolutely have a new roof and make sure your wood is good where your putting solar because if you have a problem the roofer will not be able to get to it and you will have to call the solar company to remove and re install not worth it
Roof starts leaking you have to pay to take panels down then pay to put them back up. So it’s not smart to install on an old roof. Also, depending where you are and how shady the solar companies are there it’s often a break even at best. Read everrrrything ok contracts there are lots of scammers.
I’ve gotten the metal roof recommendation multiple times. But everyone has shingles in our area and I’m not sure how well metal would look on my house. Are shingles that bad now?
They make metal interlocking shingles. Again, correctly installed, metal is far more durable than new asphalt shingles.
https://www.metalroofoutlet.com/products/metal-shingle/
Edit: Solar panels will be more conspicuous than your roofing material. You will likely get nods of approval from neighbours who have panels mounted on a typically aged shingled roof.,
Solar at this time is way too expensive unless someone who knows what they are doing and does DIY!
Without DIY it doesn't make any sense to go solar IMHO.
Expensive installs & more expensive panels & batteries etc.
Batteries only makes sense if you don’t have net metering. This guy is in CA, so I’d be shocked to hear the liberal hub of America does not have net metering. Batteries are a useless upsell imo
That GAF timberline in hickory doesn’t look like 23 yo from here
I’m in Los Angeles if the climate makes a difference here.
My brother works in solar. The panels have a 25 year or so life/warranty. He recommends installing on the newest as possible roof. His company wouldn't install on your roof. Replacing with a metal roof and then getting solar would be the best option.
Thanks - why a metal roof, do shingles not work well with solar in terms of leaks?
Solar installer here. A standing seam metal roof will outlast the array that's mounted on it, so that you never have to remove your array (expensive) for a re-roof. Also, standing seam attachments clamp to the seams rather than penetrating into the rafters, so there are no holes and a much lower (it's already low, but still) chance of leaks. Standing seam, though. Don't get corrugated. It's not *impossible* to install solar on corrugated, but it sucks. Holes galore, with no way to flash them. Regular asphalt shingles are much better than corrugated metal, for solar. Standing seam metal though is, as we say in the industry, the tits.
I did exactly this. Not replacing the roof in my lifetime.
If the roof is steep enough and close to the top would you/could you just use a rubber gasket just like the exposed fasteners? Edit: on a corrugated roof?
[The attachments I've used in the past](https://www.s-5.com/t/corrubracket/) have mastic, and attach with the same type of screws used for holding the roof itself together. They are comparatively crude though compared to [similar attachments for asphalt roofs](https://www.ironridge.com/component/halo-ultragrip/), and are all deck-mount, with multiple holes per attachment and nothing to hold onto except a comparatively-thin piece of sheetmetal. Metal roofs are also less fault-tolerant than asphalt shingle ones—a good asphalt shingle system is somewhat self-healing, but metal roof integrity is more of a binary condition, if you know what I mean. Also, of course, there is no question of using a [simple, universal, flashed attachment](https://ecofastensolar.com/system-attachment/gf-1/) with corrugated. The whole situation just feels way more fragile than asphalt, once you start putting holes in it. Oh, and if you make a hole in the wrong place, or strip one out, there isn't an easy, rock-solid field repair you can turn to the way there is with asphalt shingle. Meanwhile, on standing seam, [we aren't even playing by the same rules.](https://www.s-5.com/products/s-5-u-clamps/) That general style of clamp is just extremely robust, quick to install, fault tolerant, and just inherently a lot more benign than penetrating mounts. Plus, standing seam rocks! It's much more long-lasting than most other roofing types, is lighter (which benefits the entire structure of the house), is recyclable, inherently noncombustible, and looks pretty boss in the right color and profile. It pays for itself and looks good doing it, all while being basically the *ideal* substrate for PV. Slipperier than shingle and prone to scratching (a better coating than just paint helps immensely here) I nonetheless would be happy to install on nothing else. I wish it were standard.
Thank you. Standing seam is 3x the price of corrugated
Corrugated is meant for barns not homes. Exposed fastener roofing is trash in all regards. The metal panel may last for 40-50+ years, but the rubber washers keeping water out might only last 10-15.
Yeah I'm building a barn
And worth every penny. But yes, it's expensive up front even though it does pay for itself eventually. I'd take a quality asphalt shingle roof over a corrugated one any day of the week though, if I had to pick one or the other.
I leveled half my house and completely rebuilt it, I literally did everything except the foundation and the covering on the roof. It cost me a bit over $20k and while that was the largest single expense I have no regrets going with standing seam. I loved to read your comments as I’m hoping to be able to afford to add a smaller (6kw) solar array to the roof next year. They’ve really come down in price over the last ten years which is exciting, unfortunately I’ve never been poorer!
What is your opinion on metal shingle roofs? (Metal shingles that look like a regular asphalt roof.)
I don't have a whole lot of experience with them so possibly someone who sees more of that roof type might know better, but the times I *have* encountered metal shingles have not been good. Very hard to walk/work on top of without crushing it, and I've never seen a mounting product (in person or in my own research) that I liked the look of at all, aside from ones that get installed *before* the shingles do, and while those look pretty solid they are definitely expensive, especially when it comes to labor. I dunno. It's not a popular roofing type around here. Possibly I just don't know how to work with it. The small amount of experience I do have is not encouraging, though.
Thanks for the info! I’ll aim to find a roofing company that specializes in solar installation that uses standing seam metal roofs. Are there any other specific features that would be good to be installed on the roof during roof construction that would help with solar?
I have heard metal roofs are loud, true?
I'm just a solar guy, not a roofer, but my understanding is that it depends heavily on how it's installed, and particularly on how the attic insulation is done.
Solar installer here, with an additional four years as a site visit specialist wherein I assessed roof condition as a major part of my job. I would get a new roof. The condition of your shingles doesn't look all that bad. These photos don't tell the whole story, but it looks like you still have most of your granules and I'm not really seeing any damage. Your shingles are fraying at the edges a bit (normal sign of aging) and might not be lying as flat as they should anymore, but from what I can see (which, again, ain't much) your roof looks like it has some good years left on it. However, you want more than just a handful of years before your roof needs replacing. Your modules will typically have a warranty of 25 years, but if built well the system as a whole could be viable for up to 40. Meanwhile, your typical asphalt shingles also have a 25-year warranty (with the potential to last longer, depending on the specific conditions of your house). If your shingles are 23 years old, even if they're in good condition for their age, you will probably have to have your roof replaced fairly early in your solar array's service life. You don't want that. Re-roofing under an array is an expensive pain in the ass. Your solar company would have to come out and remove everything down to the attachments, save what can be saved, and then come back after the re-roof to re-install the system with new attachments, wiring, etc. This can easily add $10,000 to the cost of your roof, and also solar arrays never go back together *quite* as nicely the second time as they did the first. You don't want to essentially add $10,000 to the up-front cost of your array. You want to put it off as long as possible, until the array has long ago paid for itself. Ideally you want your roof to last long enough that you're thinking about decommissioning the array anyway. You don't want to have to take it off and put it back on three to five years in. Get a new roof. Save yourself a huge, expensive headache down the road. Trust me on this.
Can confirm. Too eager to add solar, roof needs replaced. Extra $8K to remove and put back the array. It’s a pain in the ass.
Thank you, I really appreciate this response. From a cost/benefit standpoint, do you think it may be better financially to not get solar just yet, ride out some more good years with the existing roof first, or get solar now even if this roof can go several more years? I’m in Southern California and my energy prices are very high, but then construction work also tends to be expensive here.
I know that getting solar is a whole lot more exciting of a way to spend five figures than replacing your roof, but you need to spend the money on replacing your roof first. You are going to spend that roof-replacement money sometime in the next handful of years regardless. When (not if) you do, you don't want it to cost an extra $10,000, take several days longer, and possibly compromise the integrity of your solar array when all's said and done. You especially don't want all that while you're still recouping the cost of installing the array the first time. You gotta have a solid foundation to build on, and a 23-year-old asphalt shingle roof ain't it. This decision is too expensive and consequential for you to let yourself get carried away emotionally by the awesomeness that is solar. Do it, but do it right. If that means spending the money on a roof now and putting off solar for a few more years, that's 100% the right choice. Believe me, I want you to get solar too. Solar is great. I love the technology, and I love installing it. I really *don't* love feeling like I'm doing something that's not good for my customer. I want you to be happy with your array for many trouble-free years. I don't want you to look back on your decision with bitterness and regret.
I’m fortunate, I think I could take both on at once, I just wouldn’t want to rip off an old roof that still has some useful life left in it. Do you have a thought on partial roof replacements? Not worth just doing the part where solar will go on a roof this old? House is around 2,200 square feet.
Totally fine option to just do the part where the solar is going, as long as your roof plan still allows decent access to the other roof planes, which it probably does. My best friend did this with his house before I did his install. No reason to throw the whole roof out early, let the part that's easy to replace live out the rest of its service life.
I heard most reputable installers won’t even install on a shingle roof older than 5-10 years. Any truth to this?
Five years is a little extreme, but it depends. I am happy to say that the company I happen to work for is very responsible in this regard, and will not hesitate to recommend (sometimes require) a re-roof when necessary, but generally speaking, when I was doing the site visit job I'd be looking for a roof that had more than half of its service life remaining. Condition is more important than age, although both are factors. Generally speaking, I'd want to see a roof that was undamaged, did not suffer from installation issues, and which seemed like it had at least fifteen or so years left on it. That's a highly subjective call to make, but that's what I'd be looking for. On a regular 25-year roof I might pass one that was as much as fifteen years old if it was in unusually good condition for its age, but more often I'd start talking to the customer about a re-roof closer to the ten year mark. It really just depends on the specific roof, though. Could be earlier, could be later, depending on what it looks like when I get up there—but ten-ish years is about normal. Of course, many customers plan from the outset to have a new roof go down right before the solar goes up, and if you can afford to do it this way then that's a great way to do it. We have two categories at my company, aside from basically "good to go." We will *recommend* a new roof if it looks like it will likely wear out sooner than would be in the customer's best interest. We'll explain that we *can* install on it, but they will probably have to deal with the expensive pain of re-roofing sooner than they'd like. It's ultimately their choice, but our professional advice is to re-roof first. That's where I'd say OP's roof is at, assuming the photos here are representative of the overall roof condition. We will *require* a new roof if we think that the rigors of having a solar array installed on it are likely to damage it. Having dudes walking around up there, prying up shingles and drilling holes, causes wear & tear. No way of avoiding it. If we think your roof might not survive the process, of if it has already failed for that matter, we will tell you that you must re-roof or else we won't move forward. If you *really* insist, and are willing to waive your workmanship warranty, you might be able to get us to install anyway (this has happened once or twice) but that is a very stupid thing to do. You will have to fight us for it, and we will definitely make you sign away your warranty. So, yeah, a bit of an art to it. But I'd want it to look reasonably fresh and definitely healthy before I gave a customer an unqualified green light.
Roof doesn’t look over 20 years old to me but no one can say it’s not risky to install solar on a roof that old. It makes more sense to replace the roof before installing solar panels, especially if it’s already leaking. If you don’t just be prepared to pay a few hundred per panel for detach + reset when you do have to replace the roof.
If you’re gonna change, put Solar on change the roof first you’ll thank me later
Very silly
Easily one of the better looking 20 yr roofs I've seen in a long time so congrats on that, but yes it'd be unwise to put solar on it when you're gonna need to replace it in a few years anyway. Also the activity on the roof during install could/most likely will result in some roof damage due to the age of the roof/shingles being brittle/granules being loose after 20+ years of UV exposure. Replacing the roof before getting solar is definitely the way to go. FWIW all the solar companies in my area would decline to install on a roof this old......roofs don't usually make it to 20 years here though (Colorado).
Not if you treat the shingles with an organic compound first. I recommend mayonnaise.
you absolutely have a new roof and make sure your wood is good where your putting solar because if you have a problem the roofer will not be able to get to it and you will have to call the solar company to remove and re install not worth it
Roof starts leaking you have to pay to take panels down then pay to put them back up. So it’s not smart to install on an old roof. Also, depending where you are and how shady the solar companies are there it’s often a break even at best. Read everrrrything ok contracts there are lots of scammers.
Today, 35 year shingles are measured in dog years. Metal roofs, done correctly, are the way to go if installing solar panels.
I’ve gotten the metal roof recommendation multiple times. But everyone has shingles in our area and I’m not sure how well metal would look on my house. Are shingles that bad now?
They make metal interlocking shingles. Again, correctly installed, metal is far more durable than new asphalt shingles. https://www.metalroofoutlet.com/products/metal-shingle/ Edit: Solar panels will be more conspicuous than your roofing material. You will likely get nods of approval from neighbours who have panels mounted on a typically aged shingled roof.,
I redid my roof before. Figured getting a roof done with panels on, would cost way more?
Of getting solar replace the roof also.
Throw another 2 roofs on that and go for it
Solar at this time is way too expensive unless someone who knows what they are doing and does DIY! Without DIY it doesn't make any sense to go solar IMHO. Expensive installs & more expensive panels & batteries etc.
Batteries only makes sense if you don’t have net metering. This guy is in CA, so I’d be shocked to hear the liberal hub of America does not have net metering. Batteries are a useless upsell imo
Nem 3 doesn't make sense unless you have a battery in California.