Solar Panels Not Installed On The Roof Properly

Luckyone

Hello There,

I hope I am in the right section. I live in a rented council bungalow & they are doing a scheme where a solar panel company install them on my roof for free & then get the profits from the electric that goes back to the national grid, I get as much free electric as I can use that is generated from my roof.


I have had solar panels installed on June 18th which took 6 hours I was told it would take 4 I don't know if this is the normal amount of time it should take.

The next day I had a good look at the panels & they have been put up all uneven, some are higher than others, plus they have been put up using different brackets which expose all the wires underneath to the elements.

I tried calling the company & was told someone will come out the next day, no one came. So the next day I called again & was told the person dealing with it has just gone to lunch this was at 2pm! & when they come back from lunch I would get a phone call. I have not heard anything from them since.

Last Monday someone came round from the solar panel company & asked me to sign some papers. I refused & explained why he looked at the panels & said he could see my problem & he will tell them I need a refit

He made the call in front of me & I could hear the lady on the other end of the phone saying has she signed, he said no the customer is not signing because it needs to be re fitted. Again the lady said get her to sign, the man said no the lady is not signing

He then wrote two emails on his phone one to the person he was just speaking to & another lady in the office. I said my signature must be worth money am I right he said yes until I sign they can not get any of the profit from the electric generated on my roof that's going to the national grid

I decided to email the council person who is dealing with the solar panels today I wrote down all that happened.

This afternoon at 4.20pm someone rings my door bell. I never answer it unless I know someone is coming because I live alone.

The phone goes 10 mins later & its someone from the solar panel company he wants to look at the roof & has a team of people to put right the panels. Now I did tell the man who made the emails that I need at least half an hour warning before anyone comes as I live in a sheltered housing bungalow & I have ill health I need someone to come & help me.

So I say no, then we play the game of I don't know when I can get a team round.

So it ended that he would try & sort something out in the next couple of days.

Then 10 mins later he now has a team of people coming tomorrow morning at 9am. While this is good it won't solve the problem of the panels being too high off the roof unless they come with new brackets.

I have taken pictures to show you them

This one shows how high off the roof they are & the wires underneath them. You can also see on the front edge that they are not even.



This one shows how different they are from the properly installed panels on my neighbours roof, mine are a lot higher



So my question is if tomorrow they only even the panels up & not lower them would you accept this & sign the papers? I am worried that the wind will whip under there & cause noise also that the wires will get wet & moved around with the wind.

Also my panels are a lot thicker than the neighbours are thicker panels better than thin ones? do they generate more electric than thin ones?

Thank You

Luckyone

Anyone?

They are here & are putting the panels level but they can not be lowered on the brackets they are using I did tell them they need lower brackets a long time ago.

I would like new lower brackets so you can not see under the panels & all the wires would not be exposed to the elements

Would you accept them being so high off the roof?

Thanks xxx

WestonDave

For what its worth my SW set (can't remember the SE set as they are harder to get a clear view of) are a similar height off the roof and over 12 months and storms etc have not had any problems.

Not sure its scientific but I'd rather have your mounting where there is something at the bottom to stop it sliding down than next doors where they are hoping the grip on the sides is tight enough to stop them sliding out towards the bottom.

The wire will get wet anyway as the rain will still run under the panels from above and next doors wire is much more likely to be sitting on the tiles for that to happen. We don't get any additional wind noise under the panels.

It may simply be a function of different mounting systems being used as like panels there are different manufacturers, and also it sometimes depends on how the panels line up with the roof joists or tile runs as to how they can mount them to get them to fit.

Can't really say if yours are definitely right or not but they don't look wrong to me - if anything next door looks a bit close and them may have overheating problems due to lack of airflow underneath. (On hot days the panels are less efficient as they get hotter so having a bit of air circulation will give more peak power from them)

WestonDave

Oh and 6 hours for panels isn't a big problem - its better they are careful and get it right than rush/bodge it!

Luckyone

Thank You for explaining why the panels sitting higher up off the roof is better, & I am pleased to hear they do not cause any wind noises!

They have just finished putting the straight & they look so much better now they actually look a little lower even though they said they are not

Pics:







So I will accept them now & sign the papers & send them.

just one more question if that is ok, Do the thicker panels generate more electric?

Thanks xxx

Martyn1981

Luckyone wrote: »

just one more question if that is ok, Do the thicker panels generate more electric?

Thanks xxx

Hiya Luckyone. That re-fit looks very nice in the photos, much tidier and I think that justifies you asking them to 'have another go'. Well done.

The panels themselves are very, very thin, even with the protective layer of glass. Underneath, they are basically hollow. What you are seeing is the frame that holds it all together, keeps it nice and rigid, and allows all the fixings for mounting them.

Famous last words, but I can't imagine it changes the amount generated, but could possibly mean a slightly more sturdy panel. Not a bad thing, and any extra weight won't really matter as panels don't weigh that much.

I'm making this bit up, but as mentioned earlier, better cooling is a good thing, and a thicker frame would mean that the actual PV part is slightly further from the roof, with a larger air gap underneath. Presumably every little bit helps, but probably won't make a huge difference.

Hopefully you'll save a nice bit off your leccy bill from now on. Best of luck.

Mart.

Luckyone

Thank You Very Much,

That's put my mind at rest, it did take a long time but I was determined!

Luckyone xxx

penrhyn

Beware coming out of the back door this winter after snow, you could get buried!! At least one MSE'er claimed the snow took out the guttering.

Solar panels offer much less friction than tiles.

Luckyone

Now that's a good point!

xxx

penrhyn

At least you don't have a conservatory below the panels, however you can get snow guards, don't know the cost though.

http://www.nationalplastics.co.uk/gb/product/__FLOSG1__/A013/FASCIA%20BOARDS/18mm%20Plain%20Full%20Replacement%20Fascia%3Cp%3ELIGHTOAK/Snow%20&%20Tile%20Guard%20System%20Galvanised?gclid=CNm-67HeorgCFaTItAodaEEAnA

Look horrible but you get the idea.

mickyduck

penrhyn wrote: »

Beware coming out of the back door this winter after snow, you could get buried!! At least one MSE'er claimed the snow took out the guttering.

Solar panels offer much less friction than tiles.

Did not take my guttering out but it did look a little strained with the snow earlier this year... and did learn to park the car further away from my house because there were some heavy slippages.