Ensuring Your Roof is Solar-Ready

One of the biggest questions homeowners face when putting in new solar panels is: Who is responsible if my roof leaks under my solar panels? Generally, solar companies will offer a short warranty of a few years against leaks after installation. That makes sense because they did not install the original roof under your panels. The problem becomes acute when you realize that most solar panels have a 25 year warranty. Will your roof last that long?

Until now, roofers and solar contractors oftentimes pointed fingers at each other’s work if there was a hard-to-fix leak under the panels. LeakMaster Roofing announces its new Solar/Roof Integration Service in which the company will work with your solar contractor and guarantee that the roof itself will not leak for up to 20 years, depending on your type of roofing system. Even better, its new GacoRoof Silicone system offers a 50 year material warranty from the manufacturer. Now you have a single source of responsibility for leak warranties.

How does the company do it? First, it meets with your solar contractor to inspect the roof and coordinate installation. Second, during the solar installation, it works with the contractor to keep you dry. Finally, after the solar company has finished, LeakMaster comes by to do its final touch-ups to make sure your roof is beautiful and leak-free.

Even if your existing roof is in fairly good condition, there are still ways to preserve it before it is covered with panels. Don’t forget that once the panels are fastened to the roof deck for 25-plus years, your access to the roof itself becomes problematic. It is much less expensive to repair or replace your roof before installing solar.

Here are solutions that fit any budget:

• Simply repair your existing roof. This is especially true if you have an asphalt-shingle roof. Oftentimes these roofs have a lot of life left in them and don’t have to be replaced. LeakMaster can inspect and repair these roofs before the solar installation and then return after to waterproof the new penetrations in the roof deck. Depending on shingle conditions, LeakMaster warrants against leaks from its leak repairs for up to seven years.

• Put a protective waterproof coating underneath the panels. If it’s a flat roof, you should at least waterproof the areas directly under the panels while there is easy access. Later on, when your budget allows, you can extend your protective coating to the rest of the flat roof. That is the beauty of roof coatings as opposed to old-fashioned asphalt roofing — you can do limited areas now and then tie them all together later.

• If your old roof is too far gone, install a new system with a long warranty — up to 20 years. If you have a sloped roof, LeakMaster installs all major systems including shake, shingle, tile, metal and asphalt. After the solar contractors are finished, LeakMaster will come back and waterproof your roof penetrations at no extra charge.

contact // 591-1900
address // 575 Cooke St.
web // www.leakmaster.com