How to install solar panels on gerard roofs?

Now that you need solar panels to keep your future household bills low and you chose GERARD roof for your house, the question arises: how are the solar panels mounted on GERARD roofs?

How to install solar panels on gerard roofs?

Solar panels on a GERARD Classic roof – “As if they have always been there.”

 

With GERARD you will enjoy some advantages when it comes to installing solar panels.

  • First of all, you can rest assured because we use absolute watertight installation. You will spare your roof the most common hazard during installing anything on a roof: leaking. Why? The answer is simple, with GERARD there is no need for drilling through the roof tile, thus there is no way for precipitation to penetrate.
  • We presume you don’t like waiting, neither do we. Therefore we opted for a quick installation You will not need to wait ages to have it up there finally.
  • Finally, is it not pleasing to sit back and enjoy a beautiful roof with brand new solar panels supplying your home with clean energy? Solar panels will rest on your roof elegantly placed as if they have always been there.

How will these benefits achieved?

By now you may want to know more about the technical questions and see the way we ensure these advantages are ensured. We show you in a few steps with illustrations so that you may have a clear picture about the GERARD way to your solar panel system.

 

How to install solar panels on gerard roofs?

Solar panel holders are being fixed to a GERAD Classic roof.

 

The solar panels are fastened to the roof rafter via solar holders and tube tiles.

  1. STEP: The solar holder is fixed to the rafter.
  2. STEP: The roof tile of the row below is installed to the roof battens then the hook will be fastened to the holder just above the tile.
  3. STEP: The roof tile of the row covering the solar holder gets installed to the wooden battens and is moulded to the roof hook without damaging the surface of the tile.
  4. STEP: The upper bracket of the solar holder is fixed to the lower bracket again with an Allen bolt and serrated nut. The upper bracket is pushed on to the lower end of the metal tile until touching the tile itself. This way, all point loads are transferred directly to the roof substructure. Tiles surfaces are not loaded at all, which represents the unique advantage compared to other roofing materials when Solar panels are used.

 

How to install solar panels on gerard roofs?

 

You can read about GERARD Tube Tile for the safe insertion of power lines in our first blog on solar panels. We share the link of that blog at the end of this article.

This is why we believe in this installation technique and what benefits solar holders bring you.

  • It perfectly fits beneath the tile panel, avoiding penetration of the roof covering. Thus, watertightness is ensured and 50-year-weatherproof warranty of your GERARD roof is not compromised.
  • Made solely of high-grade Aluminium. Therefore, there is no possibility of galvanic corrosion of the roof tiles.
  • Solar holders come equipped with 3 adjustable height settings making them compatible with different batten / tile heights making a perfect match to your specific roof.

Finally, we would like to ensure that the whole process of the installation of your new solar panel system is flawless and complete. Therefore we collected a list of advice for achieving a perfect GERARD roof completed with solar panels.

A list of advice:

  • Go for the professionals! Hiring an authorised GERARD installer for Solar Holders and Tube Tile installation is critical. Only in this case the 50-year weatherproof warranty remain.
  • Connect the contractors! The GERARD authorised installer must inform the installer of PV module how and where they must step when walking on GERARD roof. The roof must not be damaged.
  • Get compatible products! All materials on a roof must be compatible with GERARD tiles to prevent any galvanic corrosion (electrical contact between dissimilar metals). Copper and Stainless Steel should NOT be used.
  • Be informed! The size of the rails attached to the roof hooks and carrying the PV module is dependent on local conditions such as snow and wind loads, shape and height of the building, national and local building regulations and standards, and environmental regulations.
  • Contact us! The manufacturer of the GERARD Solar Holders can support you with the calculation of the required brackets and with a sketch of its position on a roof. They will need the location of the building and the tipe of PV module.

We hope all your questions got answered and now you see, that GERARD roof and solar panels are a perfect match!

If you would like to read more about solar panels and GERARD roof (and the Tube Tiles for power lines), click on this link to our other blog in this topic:

With solar panels on GERARD roofs to beat the energy crisis.